Obsessive twenty-something Brandon Warman’s moonlighting as a builder of 3D-printed skyline replicas began to pay off earlier this year, when his to-scale models of downtown Dallas lit up the internet.
Naturally, the SMU grad moved on to other skylines, and, seeing a chance to turn his hobby into a business, took it. His online fundraiser for 3D Printed Skylines reached its $7,000 goal in about eight hours, and was sitting at more than $10,000 from 87 backers as of Thursday afternoon, with 22 days remaining on the Kickstarter. He’ll spend the money on more 3D printers to keep up with orders.
Warman’s got his eyes set on the Chicago skyline for his next model—he’s already done Fort Worth and Houston, among others—and is hosting a public vote on his website for the next city to get the replica treatment. Along with the Windy City, Seattle and San Francisco are topping the standings.
The plastic skylines go for about $55 to $65. They’re on sale through Kickstarter, and some of the small white models are in the store at the Dallas Museum of Art.
Our sister site Dallas Innovates has more details, and Warman told us in February about the work that went into the first model, printed in his Dallas apartment:
There are 76 structures in the Dallas model. It took me about two months to build the skyline working at night. Probably a total of 50 working hours. Each 3D printed skyline then takes approximately 10 hours to print. Right now I print with a bioplastic made from a number of plant products including corn, potatoes, and sugar-beets. It is environmentally friendly and can be composted at commercial compost facilities. I am also experimenting with some metal and carbon fiber-infused plastics that I think will be really popular.
One day you’re spending late nights alone in your apartment, tinkering with bioplastic and cutting edge technology, the next you’re raising thousands of dollars to start your nifty new business. Way to go, Brandon Warman.
