Luis Daniel Sánchez and His 3D Printable World Landmarks

As a co-founder of Threeding.com, I have seen many designers and models and I don’t get impressed very easily. But our new guest has attracted my attention. His name is Luis Daniel Sánchez, know with the nickname MiniWorld. Luis has create an amazing collection of 3D printable models of landmarks from all around the world. My personal believe is that the future of souvenirs manufacturing is in 3D printing and Luis is now creating the foundations of it. I was also impressed by the way Luis markets his work. He perfectly follows (may be unintentionally) the recommendations in our article Tips for Increasing Your 3D Printing Models Sales via Threeding.com: his models are really attractive; each models is presented with many pictures; pictures of 3D prints are also in place; there is a proper product description, etc. For me Luis is an example how this business should be run and that’s why I invited him for this interview. Visit Shapeways.com!

Tony, Threeding.com: How do you create your models?
Luis: Most of my miniatures are buildings that I have seen in person, that is the first step: inspiration. Their beauty moves to create a miniature replica. Then, I study photos and make drawings to understand the general geometry. I model in SolidWorks, a parametric software, as opposed to what most people use, which is surfaces or polygons. That is perfect for geometrical and “man-made” structures, so it’s more engineering than artistic sculpting.
 
Tony, Threeding.com: Which is your favorite 3D printable model?
Luis: The Sioux Falls Cathedral is very dear to me, it was the first building that made for MiniWorld and motivated me to continue because of its great results.

Tony, Threeding.com: Which is the next landmark building you are going to replicate in a 3D printing friendly format?
Luis: I have a huge wait list of more than 80 models already, and I keep adding more as I travel, but I will definitely launch Wanderlust II, a set of 6 of the most famous landmarks and wonders of the world that were not included in Wanderlust I, such as the Pisa Tower.

Tony, Threeding.com: Do you have other models than architecture designs? 
Luis: Yes, a lot actually, from my work as industrial designer. They range from medical devices to toys and furniture. I personally enjoy designing toys for 3D printing too.

Tony, Threeding.com: Do you have own 3D printer? If yes, what is it and what is the one you want to get? 
Luis: I have two, a Leapfrog Creatr back in Querétaro and just recently a XYZprinting DaVinci Jr. in Colorado. I would love to have a XYZprinting Nobel, which is resin-based and as such has the best resolution and prints without supports, so my models would have extreme detail!

Tony, Threeding.com: Why do you believe in the feature of 3D printing and how do you think the market will develop? 
Luis: With my recent experience with the DaVinci Jr., printers are becoming more and more like paper printers, or any home/office appliance like microwave ovens: push one button and it does it all with little input by users. I believe every home will have one just like we have paper printers today - but fear not, manufacturers, the fact that anyone can print Shakespeare in their paper printer today doesn’t mean they can write it. There will be a lot of demand for truly good 3D designers and their skills to solve everyday problems.
 
Tony, Threeding.com: Anything else you want to share with us?
Luis: I think that learning 3D modeling skills will be as necessary for high schoolers in the future as writing essays is today. We see now a lot of promotion for learning to code, which is great, but 3D modeling for printing will be key too. Those that do will be ahead of the curve. I encourage those of you who don’t model to learn, it’s like coding, seems daunting but it’s an incremental path that starts very simple and there are lots of resources online. And those of you who model already, do it with great quality and professionalism if you don’t yet :)

To find out more about Luis’ 3D printable art visit his Threeding’s store and follow him in Twitter and Facebook.