Group GSA is multi-disciplinary providing clients Architectural design, Interior design, Urban Design, Landscape Architecture, and Graphics services. They are an award-winning design firm with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, The Gold Coast, Perth, Beijing, Shanghai, and Ho Chi Minh City, most recently being recognized in Australia for their outstanding and innovative design of the North Fitzroy Library and Community Hub through the AIA Victorian Public Architecture Award.
“Clients find it much easier to visualise how the design fits into the surrounds; he can touch and see the design; providing another level of interaction. They get really excited”
– Mauricio Fuentes
Explain the current process of creating your final product from beginning to end.
Prior to adopting 3D printing technologies in house, Group GSA utilized CGI fly-through to help clients visualize our designs; coupled with occasion outsourced 3D prints; however, these were more often for final display pieces, rather than as part of the design process. 3D printing is now glowingly becoming an integral part of the design process at Group GSA.
What process was used before 3D printing? Explain this process and its challenges.
“We were getting 3D Models done via an outsourced company”, Mr. Fuentes explained that this process would take one to 2 weeks, was costly, and only done rarely. Having the Raise3D Pro2 Plus in their offices has seen an expansion of what they can use 3D models for within the company; and the speed at which these models can become available. Models that previously took weeks are now attainable in hours.
“3D Printing has become another process added to our pipeline” Mr. Broka explained. Group GSA now can produce sample models of design options for clients; which clients have reacted very positively too. “Clients find it a much easier medium to visualize the design concept we are trying to convey,” Mauricio Fuentes added.
Raise3D Pro2 Plus 3D printer.
How did Raise3D solve the issues that existed? What benefits did Raise3D offer?
Group GSA do a lot of design development and Mr. Broka described 3D printing as “an industry-standard now” that Group GSA had to explore.
“The Raise3D printer has provided us a tool to increase the quality of our presentations to clients. Going forward we intend to integrate our VR experiences and 3D printed models into the user experience with Group GSA”
Your idea of 3D printing application for your future career.
3D printing has been adopted by Group GSA to provide a service to clients in a way not previously possible; an ability to visualize designs in a whole new way; so it is now difficult for them to compare the before and after 3D printing directly; however the larger models they would outsource previously, with an average 2 week turn around are now possible in approximately 2 days.
Mr. Broka and Mr. Fuentes explain that at present 3D printing is a new tool, with a set skill set that will require internal training and a rethink if internal processes. At present they are re-modeling from the actual design to simplified and adjusted models for the purpose of producing quality 3D models. They are looking to CAD software providers to develop more user-friendly methods of model simplification and adaption for 3D printing. In the future, they expect that the transition from CAD to 3D print will be easier and more streamlined, and this will allow for the adoption of the technology even more.
