To kick off our recent 'Art of the Model' architectural model workshop at Montana State University’s School of Architecture, the Onion team had the pleasure of moderating a live video chat between the model builders at the cutting-edge firm Morphosis in Santa Monica and the architecture students. 

When we first launched Sweet Onion back in 2006, we spent some time in Santa Monica observing how Morphosis has integrated 3D printing into its design practice.  Former head model maker Patrick, is an MSU alum and was gracious enough to share his experience and expertise with the students.   Joining him were Alex and Kyle, a couple of the other model ninjas at Morphosis.  The chat featured a live Q & A session that covered the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of the craft:

Question: How many people work in the model shop at Morphosis?
Patrick: It ranges according to workflow, but we usually have a hand full of interns- we are lucky enough to be able to choose from the best and brightest from around the country.

Q: What do the interns do at the shop?
Patrick: Usually they depowder, sand, prime and paint the 3D printed models.  They also do digital work like exporting STL files out of Microstation and preparing them for the 3D printer.

Q: Are the interns well prepared for the type of work you do upon arrival?
Alex: Some interns are stronger in certain areas than others.  I would say that it’s generally about 50% mentoring and 50% hands on type of work.
Patrick: We strive to keep a diverse pool of talent at Morphosis.

Q: Patrick, are you in the shop a lot or are you more a part of the design team?
P: I work more on the front end preparing the file to 3D print, but every one of us is back in the shop every day.

Q: What type of CAD package do you prefer to use?
P: We have been finding a lot of success with Microstation.  We are moving into Rhino, but Microstation syncs very well with the Zprinter.

Q: Are you 3D printing or doing hand fabrication more?
A: We definitely 3D print more these days, but the hand fabrication is extended far beyond the actual model.  It goes into framing & pedestals and even welding, etc.

Q: How do you establish durability in your models?
P: No matter how you package a model, breaking is going to occur.  Often times, the method used to crate the model is just as elaborate as the model itself.  Model repair is a big part of life at Morphosis; a lot of the interns spend a ton of time repairing old models.

Q: What was the biggest difference between modeling in school and doing it professionally?
A: For me, it was the fact that when you’re doing it professionally, you have a substantial budget and you have a lot more resources at your fingertips.  Whereas a student might be limited to basswood and styrene strips, we really have no limits; we can use resin, glass, MDF- whatever we decide is best to use, we just go out and get it.
P: Everything is much more digital now; models come out fairly early in the design process so that we can get our heads around the project.  However, the up-side to being a student is that you are free from things like zoning laws and all of those kinds of considerations and you are just sort of expressing your own design in free form.

The chat allowed students to get inside the minds of some of the world’s most innovative model builders and learn how they approach the craft.