Paracomp, 1989 - 90
Product Manager & Developer Manager
of ModelShop
I took
a weak product and positioned as a
companion to the successful ClarisCAD. In order to do this we needed to
import 2D files, so I programmed this feature and fixed several other
bugs.
The Loma Prieta Earthquake rumbled through San Francisco and our
building in 1989. The earthquake
damaged several highways, including the Embarcadero Highway going over
the South of Market area. The AIA proposed a renovated area which tore
down the double decked highway and replaced it with open space. Clark Manus, of Heller & Manus,
suggested the creation of the first 3D model of San
Francisco. This provided a theme for a new Advertising campaign and
used the new 2D import capabilities.
3D
Model of San Francisco used for Mayor Agnos presentation on how to
renovate the damaged Embarcadero Highway. We used 2D CAD data and
photographs to create a rough 3D model in two days. The new 2D import
capabilities proved a godsend here. A National Advertising Campaign was
centered around this case study (see below).
San
Francisco Mayor Agnos presenting the new Embarcadero Design. We
received local TV coverage. The Mayor took the presentation to the
Capitol and successfully lobbied for funds for the project. You can see
the results of the project now, the whole South of Market area is one of
the most dynamic growth regions in SF and the new baseball park would
not have been built if the old highway was still going through it.
3D Model of SF You can see a
similar 3D Model of San Francisco to the one used by SF Mayor Agnos. The
original is no longer available, this model was originally built by Eric
Lundquist of Heller and Manus, I adapted it for VRML using the
Abaco translators and SGI's
WebSpaceAuthor. This model is an early version of the full San Francisco
Model that Heller and Manus uses for its presentations.
I
developed this direct marketing brochure as well as the campaign. The
key messages were (they follow the images top to bottom)
This presented the full positioning of ModelShop as an add-on to
existing 2D tools being used by both Architects and Graphic Designers,
which proved to be successful.
Brash headline
for Ad campaign, designed to catch the reader's attention. It was the
first of a series of Case Studies on the successes of ModelShop.
The Ad goes
through the basic steps in creating the 3D model. Here I go through the
basic steps of taking both 2D data and photographs to create a 3D model
for presentation. The Steps are: