Fixie and Soluis: a match made in virtual heaven

At Fixie, we often feel like we’re straddling a thin line between the digital and the physical; walking a delicate tightrope between the virtual and real worlds.

To the newcomer, the ability to conjure physical forms from ones and zeros might appear like an act of wizardry: we take plans, sketches, concepts and designs and make them come alive so that they exist as something you can touch, pick up and interrogate and without an ‘Expecto Patronum’ or ‘Wingardium Leviosa’ in sight.

Even to those seasoned in 3D printing, there are days when you have to step back and remind yourself how remarkable this is: if you can think it up,  you can 3D print it and make it real (We’ve heard that making real buildings is just as magical an experience).

With all of the benefits that scaled models provide for our comprehension of a space or a scheme, there are the other occasions when we need to get deep into the corners of a design at a scale of 1:1. We’re probably reminded of Derek Zoolander’s famous exposé of scaled models when he determined that only ants could really benefit from them...Depending on the customer and the conversation there may be an element of truth in this.

As models and designs are being created digitally then there is simultaneously the opportunity to create visual content and experiences that complement physical models, allowing a more comprehensive understanding of design progression and objectives. Virtual Reality offers a hitherto unheard of opportunity to explore a development at a human scale and get a real spatial understanding of a project years before it is built. 3D printing and 3D visualisation, therefore, go hand in hand as design communication tools.

Soluis Group is the UK’s most established visual communications agency for the built environment. They have been crafting beautiful and engaging experiences for almost twenty years. For Soluis, technology is a storytelling tool. Their experience has taught them to make the best use of the emerging tools available to them whilst always focusing on delivering the most memorable, informative and engaging content.

Fixie and Soluis will be championing the development of solutions that make the best use of our combined expertise - utilising 3D printing and emerging visualisation technologies to bring models alive. This could mean utilising 3D prints as triggers for Augmented Reality experiences, projection mapping visuals onto a 3D printed model or overlaying data onto masterplan models. The opportunities remain endless, creating enhanced models that become an even more valuable communications tool.

By combining forces we also have the ability to offer our respective clients a broader range of options and expertise - for anybody who is attending the AJ100 Awards dinner next week, you may get a sneak preview!