1:2000 3D Printed Skyscrapers

[Doctor Octoroc]

Next one down the line done - the AON Center in Chicago, IL, United States!



This one isn't very exciting on its own so I included the courtyard area in front to make it more interesting. It has a water fall, fountain, pavilions, and it's recessed below the ground, which is one reason that I include a 2mm tall base on all of my models. For one, it gives them something to stand on in case there are thinner features like columns that wouldn't otherwise be printable. And second, so I can vary the terrain if need be, like in this case where the front entrance is lower than street level.

[Doctor Octoroc]

I'm really proud of this model - Almas Tower in Dubai, UAE!



Between the base section and towers, this one took the better part of three days! The floral shape of the base is especially neat and I had to include the ground details between them or else have a plain, flat expanse between sections. I've included the pool on the right/rear side of the towers, the planters in back below the larger 'petal', the tiered fountain/pond in front of the main entrance with canopy, plus the tiers below each of the other petals.

The towers themselves are just so cool, how they intersect each other, the framing on the taller tower and the columns near the bottom of the shorter towers that cut into an open space in the main form. This is the only model thus far that I've felt the need to take an additional screen capture to show the base details!

[Doctor Octoroc]

Here's a classic one from Guangzhou, China, The Pinnacle.



These tiered structures always seem simple at first but between figuring out the height-to-width ratio of all of the sections, the vertical and horizontal spacing of the windows, and all of the ornamental elements that need to follow the proportions, there can be a lot of issues along the way! Still, I had a lot of fun with this one.

[Doctor Octoroc]

I finally got back to this one - I started it back in the beginning of 2017 then took a long break from the skyscraper models on account of work. Now that I'm back to it, I was working my way down in order, for the most part, but since this one isn't too far off I decided to just bang it out.

Here's Mercury City Tower in Moscow, Russia!




I like the angles on this one and how they split up the box. The proportions are quite nice, in my opinion. I also like the bold choice of orange for the primary color with black accents. I believe those are solar panels on the roof but I could be wrong. Either way, it was a fun model to work on!

[Doctor Octoroc]

Here's another tower, but this one has rides on top! It's the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas, NV, United States!



I modeled the roller coaster into the top portion but didn't really do the other rides on account of the geometry not being able to print at this scale. I did however try to include all the details I could, like the stairs up to the top portions, the framing, and even the sign and giant display screen above the entrance!

[Doctor Octoroc]

Two new models! First up is one that made its way onto the first page of the world skyscrapers diagrams just after 432 Park Avenue.

Here's Marina 101 in Dubai, UAE!



There's not too much to say about this one that can't be said about Princess Tower, the Elite Residences or 23 Marina - the primary difference between those and this one is the lack of prominent balconies and an antenna. The spire is pretty cool and the tapered sections are reminiscent of modern Gothic architecture.



And here's another from Dubai, UAE - Gevora Hotel!



In all honesty, I didn't think much of this one at first. It's pretty plain at first glance - a square profile with rounded corners and simple balconies. The framed spire is pretty lame, in my opinion, but the finer details are pretty cool. Most of these are behind glass, however, so much like Guangzhou IFC, I modeled them into the surface to give more character than making it a plain, flat surface. It shares some characteristics with other Dubai architecture but it's definitely not one of their best...

[Doctor Octoroc]

Big update with three new models!

First up is The Centre in Hong Kong, China!



This one is simple overall but the base section is interesting in that there are four main framed supports and the underside is mostly open with only a few features near the center of the structure. For this reason, I separated the main tower and the supports from the base and underside features so they can be more easily painted.



Next up is SEG (Shenzhen Electronics Group) Plaza in Shenzhen, China!



There wasn't a whole lot of source material for this one (no floor plans or sections and only a few elevation drawings) so I was dependent on Baidu Maps for street views as well as Google Earth for satellite images to get the roof details. I did extensive searching to find decent reference images of the text on the front and sides of the building to recreate them!

After making significant progress on the model for this one, I realized that I started in 1:1000 scale (forgot to divide the mm measurements around the reference images by 2) so I had to start over! A setback no doubt, but the second build went a lot faster than the first so it wasn't a huge deal but I definitely needed to step away from my computer for a day to cool off haha.



And last but definitely not least (this is actually one of my favorite thus far), the JW Marriott Marquis in Dubai, UAE!



Thankfully, I was able to find numerous floor plans to get a gauge on the angle of the towers as well as the location of the protruding features along the front and back faces of each. Once I followed the plans for the base section, I inserted a Google Earth satellite image from a near perfect top view and was pleased to see it line up perfectly! There are a ton of details on this one since its odd footprint warranted a simpler base shape which left ground level areas between sections of the structure, so they're populated with planters, sidewalks, and other details. I also put all the roof detail on the rear lower roof portion with the pools, bar, etc.

This is definitely one of my favorite models so far and another one that warranted an additional screen shot to show the rear base details.

[Doctor Octoroc]

And another one down - missed this one from the first page but then it got knowced to the second page when Marina 101 was finished.

Here's Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago, IL, United States!



Nothing too exciting - there aren't a lot of details on the roof or ground around the immediate perimeter of the building - and the vertical framing was a bit too fine to include in the model, so it's just horizontal engravings.

[Doctor Octoroc]

Here's another new one from a bit further down the list - Kingdom Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia!



Here's another example of a structure 'embedded' into the surrounding terrain and structural elements, so including them were necessary to be accurate to the tower while maintaining the proper height in relation to the other models. I went all out on this one, building the topology and features into the base portion, including planters, pillars, etc. The tower itself isn't very exciting on its own so I like having the rest there to give context and make it a more presentable stand-along piece!

[Doctor Octoroc]

Alright, back to a skyscraper in the main descending order - here's First Canadian Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada!



This is a pretty basic box so much like the AON Center in Chicago, I opted to create the surrounding features and courtyard area to make it a bit more interesting. I like when there are a lot of odd features up on the roof, and this one had three antennas to boot! I used a combination of satellite images and floor plans to get the base just right and a few elevations helped to determine the height of the various levels thereof.

[Doctor Octoroc]

I jumped down in the list again to get to this one - it's the Eiffel Tower in Paris France!



I had a lot of fun with this one with the framing making for an interesting build. I debated on including a full base with features on it but given the nature of the surroundings of the tower and the fact that they're always changing the location of the various kiosks, I decided to just create the 2mm base beneath each of the four main supports. Let's face it, the most interesting part of this structure by far is above the ground level so I let that speak for itself and cut back on the amount of material needed for printing by omitting a large, plain base encompassing the full footprint.

I also split the model into three sections to make it easier to paint. It's essentially split by the three main tiers/sections but the long section that connects the middle terrace to the spire portion is part of the second tier and the spire is connected to the full third, outer section. It's hard to see the inner portion in the screen grabs so here is a Shapeways render showing the three sections as they're split.

[Doctor Octoroc]

Another new one from a little further down the list before I get back to the descending order - ADNOC Headquarters in Abu Dhabi, UAE!



I never realized this one was a parallelogram rather than a rectangle until I started looking at satellite images. I was unable to find any floor plans but was able to get the overall proportions by referencing elevations and the satellite views.

[Doctor Octoroc]

A few new models! First up, Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai, UAE!



I built the entire complex for this one, much like Kingdom Centre. On their own, the towers aren't anything really special, but with the surrounding parking garages and other levels, it looks pretty cool.





And the next one is OKO Towers in Moscow, Russia!



These are a lot more interesting than I initially thought, with the angled faces, variation of windows on the residential tower, and the entrance portion with lots of fun angles!

[Doctor Octoroc]

Another one finished! It's The Index in Dubai, UAE!



I like this building and I don't know why. It's not particularly well designed, aesthetically, but it's a cool one nonetheless. I love the extensions of the frame on the front, back and sides with the angular profile and how they cut into the main form and this informs the division of vertical sections near the top.

[Doctor Octoroc]

One more down! I jumped down the list to fulfill a request. It's the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, UAE!



Due to the nature of the design, I felt the need to divide the model into three parts - the base, the framing structure (with antenna and sky bar restaurant attached) and the main building. Because I plan to paint any I print myself and others might want to as well, I try to think of what will make it easier to reach otherwise hard-to-reach places. Printed as one part, it would be impossible to apply paint to the main sides of the buildings with the framing structure not far from the facade.

[Doctor Octoroc]

Here's one in the descending lineup (although I did skip a few for the time being...) - it's 4 Times Square in New York City, NY, United States!



I was able to find plan views of various floors between the ground level and the 21st floor, which was immensely helpful in nailing down the locations of the many tiers. I took extra care to recreate the antenna as accurately as possible at this scale given that it makes up a good portion of the overall height. No sense in having a plain, blocky spire!

I also separated the topmost portion (the last 'cube' on the roof which connects to the screens and houses the antenna) to make painting it much easier. This allows direct access to the AC units and other details on the roof where the cross beams would otherwise get in the way, as well as access to the rear side of the screens. This may not seem like a big deal as they are mostly hidden but given that the beams extending from the cubic center portion connect to the backside of the screen and should be white, this allows them to be more accurately painted while keeping the screens all black as they should be - except for the big 4 on each of them, of course!

[koops65]

Here are some renders of 250 University:

[spidey7312]

Originally Posted by koops65

Here are some renders of 250 University:

wrong thread lol

[Doctor Octoroc]

Originally Posted by spidey7312

wrong thread lol

Haha, I was gonna say - I don't think those low poly textured models are meant for 3d printing...I did get excited for a minute there thinking that this thread was gaining more attention but you're still my only fan!

[spidey7312]

Originally Posted by Doctor Octoroc

Haha, I was gonna say - I don't think those low poly textured models are meant for 3d printing...I did get excited for a minute there thinking that this thread was gaining more attention but you're still my only fan!

better one than none

In all seriousness, you probably do have more fans, they just don't post here.