“From Redlines to Ready.” — Atlas Model Works
I’m Dana, principal at Atlas Model Works. We build physical architectural models for firms
who still believe a client should be able to walk around a design, not just orbit it on a screen.
Our work mixes laser‑cut acrylic, CNC‑milled basswood, resin prints, and hand finishing. It’s
beautiful—and, until recently, operationally brittle. One client revision could turn a serene
studio into a scramble
Where we broke (quietly)
Redlines everywhere. Architects sent markups across PDFs, emails, and cloud comments. I’d miss one note and an entire façade grid would be wrong on a $20k model.
Material substitutions by memory. If 1.5mm frosted acrylic was back‑ordered, I’d guess the next best option and pray the light diffusion still read correctly.
Version drift. Our laser files, BOM, and cutlist sometimes referenced different model revisions—small deltas, expensive remakes.
What Woodshop Master changed
One source of truth. Every model job card holds the current drawings, client redlines attached to parts, and a revision log. If the east elevation moves 8mm, the affected parts update and the system flags them for re‑cut.
Material substitution rules. I defined equivalency sets (e.g., frosted acrylic → sanded PETG with diffusion film). When supply hiccups, the job proposes approved alternates and updates the BOM and cost in seconds.
Stage gates with photos. Sub‑assemblies can’t advance without check images—LED tests, alignment shots, and edge quality. Problems surface before final assembly.
Color & sheen libraries. Paint chips and gloss levels are stored per client; we stop guessing at “museum matte.”
Measurable outcomes
Change absorption time down ~30%—revisions don’t crater the schedule.
Remakes down ~25% from version drift basically eliminated.
Client satisfaction (NPS) up ~14 points; we send a tidy change log with each milestone.
The human side
The best compliment we get now is silence—no panicked 10 p.m. emails.
Our team ends more days with clean benches and a sense that the model (and the process) will hold up