At WHP Trainingtowers, we focus on one thing: Creating the best firefighter training towers on the planet. And while we are very proud of our towers, their design, affordability, and durability, we also know that the departments who need them could use a little help in the funding area. Fire departments must submit detailed plans of the training towers they wish to erect and build a case to support the community’s need to ensure the best use of city funds. At WHP, we’ve found a way to help.
3D Software Allows Visualization of the Final Training Tower
Jon Moss, Virtual Design Specialist at WHP Trainingtowers, designs 3D visualizations of training towers. He says the visualizations allow customers to better understand what they are purchasing. Not every person is a CAD technician and/or an architect, so handing over a set of blueprints might not fully explain the project; 3D visualization makes it clear. Jon utilizes several software packages to create the visualizations.
“I started 3D modeling a few years ago to 3D print trade show display objects, but we turned the 3D models from a printable size into full-scale building models with accurate colors and materials,” he says. “After that, I use the rendering engine to create photorealistic images to help provide a visualization to the customer to help them understand what they are purchasing.”
After they have talked to a fire department and determined what they will need to train their training cadets and other firefighters, they create the drawings and renderings. These visualizations help the fire department decide on what they want to do with their training solution. These give a clear understanding of the footprint of their training tower and how the options they chose will look. Plus, it gives them a realistic look at how their training solution will display to the public.
Provide an Edge For Obtaining Grant Money
Because fire departments rely on grant money from the city, 3D visualizations serve another important function: Having a fully built visualization of the training tower helps a fire department present a more complete and detailed idea of the project when going to the city for the funding of a training tower. The renderings help make it clear where the city’s budget money is going.
Other Benefits of Using 3D Software for Fire Training Towers
Jon says one of the big benefits of using standalone 3D modeling software is that they can develop and keep all of the files in-house. “Using our own in-house drawings as reference for the 3D models is great because I can reassure the customer that what they see is exactly what they are going to get.” He also enjoys watching the project develop. “Seeing a project start from a list of options on a page to a fully 3D rendered image of the dreams of a fire department is exciting,” he exlaims. “Once the project is fully done, it is fun to compare the visualizations created for the project to the final photos of the built training tower. It’s very satisfying.”
In the training tower industry, architectural visualization has been growing, but WHP has been at the forefront of that visualization wave. “Our customers really seem to like it and it’s good to know it is helping them get the funding they need to enhance their training and safety,” Jon continues: “It’s a very rewarding job.”
If you’d like to learn more about WHP Trainingtowers, or 3D training tower visualization, call us at: 1-800-351-2525 or, contact us online today!
