Stamford, CT (PRWEB) March 06, 2014 -- The Plan Collection (TPC), an online house plan provider, now offers 3D printing of house plans, enabling customers to print out a physical 3D house plan model. The 3D printing technology uses software files to effectively convert computer-aided-design (CAD) blueprints into an actual physical model of a home. This process allows home builders and owners to get physical 360-degree views of their house plan from both external and internal perspectives and offers much more detail of the actual home than blueprint images and renderings.
“Home buyers today are more interactive than in the past – purchasing floor plans online from hundreds of thousands of architectural designs now available at websites like The Plan Collection,” said James McNair, president and chief operating officer, The Plan Collection (TPC). “One question that we get asked often is - how can I get a better visual of what my home will look like once it is built? Now we can provide our customers house plans with a 3D printing option.”
As the first in a series of house plans with 3D printing options, TPC selected a beautiful six bedroom home to highlight the openness of the floor plans. Many home owners have a difficult time visualizing how floors stack on top of each other. In addition to the second floor, this home also includes a finished basement with two additional bedrooms and family area. The to-scale model allows users to quickly understand how these floors work together as a whole.
Once TPC customers find a floor plan package, they will have an opportunity to order a 3D file, ready for printing, which they can then then take to a local printer. Home builders can use 3D printing to print out a model of the house plans.
The benefits of using a 3D printer to create a physical model or replica of a home include:
- Visualize all angles and spacing – both exterior and interior.
- Improve communication with and engage your contractors to get the results you want.
- Provide a detailed emulation of the design found on the blueprints in only a 2D format.
- Test the orientation of your home on your property to optimize sunlight in the home.
A 3D printer works like an inkjet printer; however, rather than using just ink, 3D printers deposit the desired material in layers successively in order to create a physical object from a digital file. Given that this technology is in such early stages and this is the first in the series of home plans with a 3D printing option, TPC is offering the 3D printer version of the files at no charge when a customer purchases a CAD file construction package of plan #187-1001.
“Our 3D printer-ready floor plans enable you to visualize your home plan from all four orientations,” said McNair. “You can even take your 3D printed model to your building site to determine the best orientation of your house to the elements. Imagine a future where you can build your entire home using a robotic 3D printer. Our first house plans with a 3D printing option are just the beginning.”
About The Plan Collection (http://www.theplancollection.com/house-plan-collections)
The Plan Collection is driven by the simple idea that great house design should be affordable and readily accessible to everyone. The company provides homeowners, prospective homeowners and builders with more than 20,000 house plans selected from the nation’s leading designers and architects along with tens of thousands of instructional images and inspirational photos.
From the days of printed house plan books to PCs, the Internet, social media, and now tablets, The Plan Collection and its founders have been dedicated to providing users with a better, more convenient and more valuable home building experience. Customers enjoy the benefits of a broad selection of high quality home plans and detailed how-to information, an easy-to-search site and knowledgeable customer service. TPC understands what homeowners are looking for, and delivers better search results to its users. As a result, thousands of houses have been built at a lower cost using pre-drawn house plans that meet homeowners’ specific needs and desires.