The dynamics of presenting architectural designs are changing. Deadlines mushroom from nowhere while timelines shorten. Clients push for high-fidelity renderings earlier in projects and marry themselves to conceptual images of perfection unaware that they will only ever be realized on a screen after hours of post-production.
But what if architects could take back some control of the presentation experience by restoring digital models to their place as a means to an end? - What if you could use them as tools to help guide a conversation focused on discovery while simultaneously giving your clients an even more engaging experience?
This is the challenge Modelo has taken on by providing architecture teams with a web-based presentation and communication platform for CAD files. Through 18 months of development and strategic partnerships with some of the industry’s most renowned firms, they have built a product that can truly achieve this goal.
Modelo functions entirely within a standard internet browser like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox enabling users to upload their 3D data into a fast, intuitive viewer perfect for presenting to clients or sharing with colleagues for feedback. To achieve this, the expert graphics team of the company developed a custom compression and rendering engine to render models up to 45 times faster than the native design software they were created in. This speed allows architects to navigate through huge models fluidly while creating precise client presentations and discussing internal comments and markups in real time.
Today over ten thousand design professionals use Modelo for their client-facing presentations and internal design reviews. As the company’s first enterprise development partner, pioneering firm Rafael Viñoly Architects has found the accessibility and speed of the software to be especially helpful in their processes. Partner Satoshi Toyoda finds the software has been very useful for team communications when he is away from the office.
When I’m traveling or headed to a client meeting and need to confirm the latest design revisions we use [it] to quickly access our Rhino and Revit files directly from our tablets and phones. It’s incredibly fast and allows me to stay on top of design progress and communicate feedback with my teams no matter where I am.
Besides the practice-oriented functions, it also allows its users to showcase their 3D models interactively on a website using an iframe, like the following embedded 3D window.
Click and drag to rotate the model above.
In addition, it provides VR viewing capabilities, any uploaded models are instantly VR ready, users can simply grab a cardboard and use their smartphone to view their models in VR.
Modelo launched its beta in January 2016, find more information here.
