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Morphoverse: 3D Scanning Archival Project

By Isaiah Solis

The focus of this project was initially to preserve Built Center of Experimental Structures Projects with Contemporary 3D Scanning workflows and see how these technologies can be incorporated into Design Model documentation. Many of us at Pratt Institute spend so much time and money on a single physical model that often disappears when we get our final grade. We're asked to build models that are feet wide, in the case of C.E.S., even a 1:1 Scale build project.

We simply do not have enough physical space to store them forever. If these models are not in our homes, they're in the School of Architecture, where people are moving around and every single model is at risk of damage. So while photos and videos serve as a quick and easy way to document a project, they may not always serve as the best way to understand the intricacies of past projects.

This statement is especially true when dealing with projects that get as geometrically complex as in the C.E.S. While Photogrammetry may work for some models, Gaussian Splatting serves as a great way to quickly archive our work in a more interactive format that would immensely help future students with portfolios and analyzing past work. I want to introduce this technology to the design community around us and show off how we're using it in C.E.S. and its future potential.

A multicolored woven tensile structure stretched into star-shaped forms, contained within a cubic wooden frame. The form consists of red, yellow, and blue yarns tightly woven to create soft, undulating surfaces between the cube’s wooden beams.
A translucent, interlocking architectural model made of blush-pink laser-cut acrylic pieces. The structure features a repeating, curved pattern forming an upright sculptural grid.
A cubic frame made of wooden sticks and 3D-printed white corner joints holds a suspended fabric form in the center. Transparent threads and taut strings anchor the fabric into dynamic, gravity-influenced shapes inside the cube, all set against a black background.
Two cube-shaped physical models with white perforated frames rest on a table, one with taut white cords arranged diagonally, and the other digitally overlaid with black and yellow cords through augmented reality. Behind them, students work with other structural prototypes made from rods and connectors.
A multicolored woven tensile structure stretched into star-shaped forms, contained within a cubic wooden frame. The form consists of red, yellow, and blue yarns tightly woven to create soft, undulating surfaces between the cube’s wooden beams.