We have a 3D printing future cities exhibit in our gallery at our One Market Office in San Francisco.

People:

• Steelblue // more
• Autodesk // more
• Stratasys // more

Related Autodesk software:

• Autodesk Infraworks // more
• Autodesk Recap // more

Cities are in a constant state of change. In San Francisco, the downtown and South of Market (SoMa) areas have evolved dramatically since the old Embarcadero freeway was taken down after being damaged by the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. In the next few years, a number of new skyscrapers will rise above downtown and SoMa while a new transit hub and subway line are tunneled beneath.

The 3D model, printed at our Pier 9 workshop, shows the existing cityscape, as well as a number of buildings planned to be completed circa 2018. The 1:2250 scale model comes from a digital 3D model created by Steelblue, a San Francisco-based creative agency that specializes in visual marketing for building projects using Autodesk software.

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ABOVE: Our One Market Office is across the street from the ferry building in the lower right.

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ABOVE: That's AT&T Park (lower left) where the world champion San Francisco Giants play.

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Digital models are increasingly used by city planners and real estate developers to design and understand future projects in a real-world context. It's a bit like SimCity for professionals. But nothing compares with the experience of a physical model to give you a tactile sense of the future.

For more information, check out this blog post on In the Fold when the model was first unveiled:

• Unveiling the largest-ever 3D-Printed Model of San Francisco

Thanks to Autodesk Senior Exhibit Designer, Roddy Wykes, for the information contained in this blog posting. The gallery at One Market is open to the public on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm, and admission is free. Visit us.

The Metropolis of the West is alive in the lab.