London-based architect, David Weatherhead of Weatherhead Architecture, Ltd., was formerly a skeptic of the benefits of 3D printing in the architectural design process. But after working with Hobs Studio, those fears quickly vanished. Weatherhead decided to try 3D printing of a model for a housing project his firm designed in Sweden called Skummeslövs Ängar. The scale he selected for the model was 1:250, which he regards as “kind of in-between being detailed and concept.”

To create his 3D-printed model from his design, produced in ArchiCAD, Weatherhead engaged Hobs Studio in London. Hobs offered him two different 3D-printing options. Weatherhead ran into a problem because he had an outdated version of ArchiCAD. After updating to ArchiCAD 17, which allowed him to provide Hobs Studio with an .STL file, the project moved forward and Hobs responded quickly with a screen shot of the converted model.

Weatherhead was surprised to discover that it took “less than a day” for Hobs Studio to print the final, 3D model. He also requested a display case and a case for transporting the model to Sweden. Ultimately, the architect was happy with the end result. Mr Weatherhead commented "I'm really happy I didn’t spend a solid day cutting 2D sections and elevations and spending time explaining the contours of the landscape…So many times I have had models made and you receive [them] only to discover loads of things which were lost in translation. As an architect, I hate this more than anything; it’s a bit like picking up the wrong baby from the hospital.”