Media Release
For immediate release, Thursday 20 October
Graduate’s Virtual 3D Models Assist DVML
An Otago Polytechnic graduate has created virtual 3D models of two of Dunedin’s most recognisable buildings, to assist
Dunedin Venues Management Limited (DVML) plan for concerts, conferences and other events. The models of Forsyth Barr
Stadium and Municipal Chambers allow the user to ‘drop in’ furniture, staging and other items and rearrange them in
different ways within the building’s rooms and spaces, minimising the amount of time needed to set up on site.
Interior Design graduate Sara McKenzie was working for NewSplash, a campus-based communication design studio which
employs School of Design third-year students and graduates to create solutions for commercial and not-for-profit
clients, when she was approached to take on the job. She says it took her more than 100 hours to create the virtual
stadium, and about 60 hours for the Municipal Chambers model.
“I put the information from the CAD (Computer-aided Design) plans for each building into Sketch Up, which is an
open-source software programme. I then built the model from there, including details such as stained-glass windows.” she
says. “The user can move throughout the virtual buildings to get a real sense of the spaces within them and accurately
plan the layouts of events and functions.”
DVML’s Event Manager, Kaitlin Wolf, says the system Sara has created is “absolutely amazing. We didn’t realise how
detailed it would be. It’s brilliant for showing to clients from out of town who aren’t familiar with our venues, and
they can even see design features such as green carpet tile accents in a particular room. She even went as far as
incorporating the stained glass in the Municipal Chambers model.”
-ENDS-