Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Blog

Z Corp.'s 3D printing brings vision to This Old House

By James M. Connolly

If you’re anything like me, you have no problem pounding nails into two-by-fours or running a chop saw. You even enjoy using a crowbar and sledge to take down a wall. But, looking at blueprints and visualizing a finished room just doesn’t work. Maybe I’m geometrically challenged, because I might as well be reading ancient Sanskrit.

So, what Burlington’s Z Corp. did in conjunction with the folks on public TV’s This Old House looks cool. The TV series is once again ripping apart and fixing up an old home in the Boston area, this time a Bedford colonial once owned by Revolutionary War figure Nathaniel Page.

Z Corp., which does 3D printing and scanning, built a 3D model, based on design files, that will help to guide viewers through the project.

The model will appear in two October episodes, and is expected to appear at other times throughout the 16-episode series. Using a 14-piece modular approach, the show’s crew can present before and after views reflecting two additions. For interior views, pull off the roof and get a look at the rooms within the 28-by-21 inch model.

“The 3D model powerfully communicates the architect’s vision for the finished home before we pry off the first clapboard,” said Dan Quaile, the architect for the This Old House Bedford Project, in a press release. “The designers, contractors, viewers and homeowners get a much clearer image of the project than they could through 2D plans and conversation alone.”

What’s not clear is whether the model will have “in-process” shots. Think about it: Show a toy-sized plumber, knee-deep in water in the basement saying, “This is going to be a bigger job than we thought.” Or, have the carpenter stretching a tape measure and shaking his head, complaining that “square” in colonial times was really just an approximation.

What’s neat about this model is that it shows how the project is supposed to come out. For the trade professionals that’s how it usually works. For the do-it-your-self types, seeing in advance how the project will actually turn out may be enough to put the whole deal on ice.