NorthsideChi, I don’t get impressed very often, but you have greatly impressed me with these structures.
This is really amazing. I think 3D printing will have a huge impact on the hobby. It’s a natural fit. Great work!
Very impressive! [bow]
Wayne
Hi NorthsideChi and welcome to the forums,
Stunning work! I’m kind of in disbelief as I look at these structures.
It’s funny, your two buildings remind me (in their basic aspects) of two of my favorite old buildings here in Seattle, the Northern Life Tower and the Telephone Building, which happen to stand right next to each other.
The Northern Life Tower (left) has the steps or “setbacks” that your tower has, and the Telephone Building has the arched windows, wide cornice and the brick middle over a stone first level that your second building has. (Interestingly, the tower was designed to recall the mountains that surround the city on its horizons, to the extent that increasingly lighter bricks were used toward the top to make the building look as if it were a peak disappearing into mist. And the Telephone Building started out as a shorter building, with only 6 brick floors and no arches at the top.) If these two stalwarts were ever made available in HO, I would be forced to scrap everything I’m doing and switch to modelling downtown Seattle.
Which leads me to ask, are these models of real Chi-town buildings?
-Matt
The buildings look great.
When are you going to start on a replica of the Chrysler building…? [8D]
WOW !!!
I mean, … just …
WOW !!!
thank you! The building with the arches is real. It’s the Detroit Life building. The Art Deco tower is loosely modeled after the David Stott tower, also in Detroit. As far as Chicago buildings, I plan to model my city’s two and three flat brick and graystone architecture. I will also model one of Chicago’s bascule bridges since I can’t seem to find kit models for roadway lift bridges, only rail. Walthers makes a single rail bascule and CMR makes a vertical lift. I’ve
Hey everyone. It’s been slow moving on the tower with a busy summer, but I have the crown lights working and interiors complete on the first and upper floors. Next step should be printing the interiors and adding inside lights to the “trunk” but that should be the easist part in the final stretch
I am still looking for the right words to describe your work. Absolutely gorgeous buildings.
You mention the Walthers single rail bascule bridge. I have three of them side-by side. I often wonder how difficult, or easy, it would be to kitbash two kits into a double track bascule bridge like the ones at 16th Street in Chicago.
Rich
NorthsideChi, thanks for the update! I’m glad this thread is revived. The lighting looks so natural! Perfect color and your window glazing doesn’t show a hint of glue! I’m impressed.
I am still amazed that your 3D printer can produce such fine lines for the window panes. What diameter nozzle are you using on your printer? Mine is 0.4mm and I could never get such crisp detail. Great work man.
-Matt
Thanks, I’m also using a standard 0.4 mm nozzle You can get a narrower profile by lifting the inital z layer higher so the filament deposits taller. But you want to actually see window frames so I don’t hesitate to go wider than a half millimeter. Another reason is prior to painting I use a propane torch to clean up the model of any burrs or strings. The heat may potentially melt or deform thin pieces.
I model this stuff in real world size so the printer seems fine with window frame components as long as they are 2 inches thick in real life. If I model a wrought iron fence for example, I’ll make 2 inch pickets which will print as 1 single deposition line.
I’ve been picking back up on projects now that the days are getting shorter and my basement which was flooding has finished major waterproofing work and is staying dry.
The towers…there’s 2 are 99.9% done and I’ll be showing those soon.
In the meantime, I didnt want to keep the printer idle and got this smaller project designed and printed in about a week. It’s inspired by a building located at 758 West North Ave, in Chicago. Not an exact copy, but close enough where I could just copy and paste facade modules in sketchup and get to printing. It’s about 7" long x 6" wide and 8.5" tall to the chimney tops and the walls were one solid print with the roof piece separate. Used about a half roll of PLA so this was a $9 project.
I’m actually a lot further ahead than what is shown. Building is already mostly painted, windows are ready to install and I already have the interior 3d printed which includes an ornate central staircase with decorative iron railings. Entire interior will be lit.
One thing I would change in the future is maybe go a step smaller in the brick module sizes. I did real size bricks for the Detroit life, but that took eternity to print. Doubled the size of the bricks for this and there’s definitely clear definition, but just a bit large. I’ll maybe print real life brick sizes at 4" tall by 10 inches long as a compromise in the next model.
What I like is this building could serve a variety of uses. An auditorium, library, city or county building.
NorthsideChi, I hope you don’t mind. I am posting a photo of 758 West North Ave, in Chicago. Your replica is certainly “close enough”. Well done.
Rich
Absolutely stunning work. The interiors and the lighting add so much realism that it is literally mind boggling. Thank you for sharing.
Great work.
I’ve been contemplating 3d printing for about 15 years. I know I need it for the detail work I am planning. Just recently I’ve considered printing sxtructures. My layout eras is 1895 so I figure I’ll have to do a lor of design work.
Thanks! Looking forward to showing more. 3d printing certainly helps create buildings of certain eras. Especially helpful creating complex pieces like corner turrets and bay windows. Not far from the North Ave example above is Armitage Ave at the CTA station with a ton of 19th century architecture. I’d like to create all of it.
Looking forward to more photos of your work. [Y]
Rich
Alright, the auditorium building is about 97% finished. Just need to outfit the ground floor a bit more and then it’s done. This was a pretty fast build considering the interior is one of the more detailed I’ve created
Apologies to anyone who may not see the images as my storage website is www- instead of www. and some browsers may not read that in the address.
Absolutely gorgeous. Outstanding workmanship. [Y]
Rich
I heartily agree, but I’d be hesitant to put a structure like that on my layout, as it would make everything else look like it was built by a blind man with no hands.
Stunning results! [bow][bow][bow]
Wayne