AccuCities & Hobs 3D to unveil affordable 3D printed model of London at London Build 2021
The scale model printed by Hobs 3D and based on AccuCities highly accurate CAD data will go on show at London Build 2021, boasting staggering levels of detail and customisability.
The London twin is the joint creation of AccuCities and Hobs 3D, produced from AccuCities 3D London CAD data and printed in Hobs 3D’s London studio.
The model, believed to be the largest and most affordable of its kind, spans over 2.5 meters, covering almost 40 square kilometres from Hyde Park to Canary Wharf along the river Thames.
A valuable tool made more affordable
The 3D printed model will give architects, urban planners and anyone else who might require a physical city model the opportunity to make adjustments to London’s skyline quickly, accurately and affordably.
This level of interchangeability and flexibility is made possible due to the model being 3D printed on modular 10×10 cm tiles, with each tile covering 500 x 500 metres of the real-world environment.
Michal Konicek, AccuCities Director, said:
“Creating a 3D printed London model in modular tiles means that we don’t have to 3D print the entire city model for each project, only the tiles affected by change.
“Add to that the option to hire the rest of the model instead of buying it and suddenly the option to use a 3D printed model becomes affordable even for small and medium-size projects.”
The result is a game-changer, drastically decreasing the cost and production time of a 3D printed model needed for a series of presentations over 4 weeks by as much as 95%.
Innovators join forces to achieve the amazing
In the midst of lockdown, Hobs 3D and AccuCities noticed an opportunity to combine their respective strengths to create something extraordinary – the most comprehensive 3D printed twin of London ever produced.
Hobs 3D and AccuCities have been collaborating for years as mutual clients. AccuCities have long been providing high accuracy digital city models for Hobs to create architectural models and CGIs, and Hobs has provided unrivalled 3D printing expertise for AccuCities to realise their intricate city models in physical form.
Eric Savant, Managing Director of Hobs 3D, said:
“This was a project that was just crying out to be completed. There have been other decent models of London made in the past, but nothing with this level of accuracy and scope.
“The combination of AccuCities’s high-precision 3D modelling with our state-of-the-art SLA 3D printing gives us the ability to produce something very few others could achieve.”
Flexibility and affordability to suit any need
The 3D printed model is available in a variety of ways. Customers can purchase reprints of any number of tiles from the model.
They can order custom tiles, usually with proposed changes, highlighted features or simply a tile with a building removed so they can position designs that have 3D printed in-house.
It’s also possible to 3D print as many surrounding tiles as is needed, or customers can purchase a copy of the 3D printed London model in its entirety.
AccuCities and Hobs 3D have also made the entire model available for hire if it is needed for just a short period of time. Renting the model for as little as one week includes delivery and initial set-up, pack up and removal, as well as optional insurance.