BYGO miniatures. A tool to design modular homes

We have now made a tonne of BYGO minis.  1:25 miniature parts, dimensionally the same as the real things and perfect for testing out plans.  It has been very helpful for visualising some of the more challenging connection details.  It is one thing looking at them on a computer screen but there is nothing better than seeing it in 3D.

We see this as a fantastic tool for the custom-build market where customers can test out the layout of their home with a scale model, or they can customise a standard design to make it their own and ensure it meets their budget.

Once they are happy with the design and cost, they can order the real modules ready to assemble on site.

The irony of using a 3D printer, is that one of the biggest challenges we had (and still have) is the accuracy.  The real modules will be built to an accuracy of less than 1mm but scaled down to 1:25 for the printer that was proving far too difficult for our Prusa (despite it being a great little machine).  We had to compromise on some elements a bit.  Whilst the module dimensions are correct, we had to scale up the interlock connections and the cladding support.

With almost 300 parts it took a we bit of time to print, but it was worth it.  This timelapse video shows just how quickly one can put together a house.  Okay, it’s a model, but make no mistake, putting a full-size version together with the real modules will not be much slower.  I love that you can also change the cladding finish in the models, just like the real thing.