For thousands of years people have been creating models to translate and improve their ideas into three dimensional reality. Model making is a logical next step in the thinking process for many ideas. Once someone starts using materials and fabrication techniques they are able to refine their ideas to make them work. In a way everyone is a model maker when they translate an idea into physical reality. Those in the model making profession through experience and talent have advanced skills with fabrication techniques and their knowledge of what materials would work best.
Introduction
The art of model making encompasses a wide variety of materials, techniques, and end results. Most people equate model making with plastic model cars and airplanes or scale models of satellites and miniature sets used in filmmaking. But model makers blend a unique combination of art and science into their work of replicating, creating mockups, volume studies, and scale reproductions of anything from a building to an automobile. Just about any product you use, whether it is an athletic shoe or a cell phone, was very likely represented by a scale model sometime during its development life cycle.
Though the general public may not often ponder who built the model after which their disposable razor is styled, or who helped develop the ergonomic aspects of their new notebook computer, these behind-the-scenes professionals directly influence and act as a guiding force in any new product, design or structure. The companies that utilize models in the development process are able to work out bugs in the design, assess a product with focus groups or by industrial testing, and make improvements before proceeding to the next phase of investment in bringing the idea to reality.
One rather glamorous aspect of model making has to do with film and special effects.
Justin Robson has created the visual effects for many films such as Wolverine, Superman, Gods of Egypt and Time Guardian.