Source Material…
Category: Structure, Diorama

Genre: Real World

Source: Central Florida Sugar Facility

The Project…
Scale: 1:220 (Z - Scale)

Size: 24"x 30"

Material: Laser cut acrylic, 3D printed parts, with some kitbashed parts, photo-etched railing, mesh

Approach: Completely Custom!

Software:

Autodesk Inventor
AutoCAD

Specialized Tools: Laser Cutter, 3D Service Bureau

The Client approached SMARTT for a model of the entire (1.5 mile long) plant to give as gifts to all the members of the Board of Directors. The original scale to fit a 30" long space would have been 1:2100, so a gymnasium sized warehouse would have been the size of an Andes Candy! SMARTT introduced the idea of making a section of the plant at a larger scale in the same place. This allowed actual operating trains to be included. I designed every structure to be 3D printed or laser cut. One set of vats contains some model silo parts as the tanks. The vehicles are after-market kits that we assembled. Finally, a suspended truss section is made from the Pilgrim satellite photo-etch detail set.

We built 23 sets!

Customizations:

I designed all the detailed catwalks, conveyors, towers, and support linkages to be 3D printed. The warehouses were designed in 3D also, but then were taken into CAD for laser cutting in acrylic. One interesting feature is the lab building in the lower right. I designed a set of decals to decorate the building that included all the rust wash weathering, vents, etc, as part of the decal.

One challenge was what to use to simulate the sugar cane on the conveyors. After some experimentation, we settled on coconut husk fibers run through a blender --- Perfect!

People who helped with this project: Rali M., Tom K., Mel I., Mark R., David B., Michael H. (The Boss)

Additional Reference:

Google Earth and Bing Birds Eye Map View were essential tools to get the size, shape, and coloring from a distance just right, in addition to blueprints supplied by the client.