Winnipeg man is using 3D printing to preserve Manitoba's history
One Winnipeg man is making three-dimensional models of Manitoba buildings to preserve the province’s history.
To carry out this project, Patrick Letourneau, owner of Polygons.ca, said he seeks out older structures that may be on their last legs.
From there, he goes out and takes hundreds and hundreds of photographs of every square inch of the structure from multiple angles.
The photos are then fed into the computer and looked at by specialized software that finds common elements and extracts a three-dimensional model.
Letourneau explained the three-dimensional model can be converted into a format that can be 3D printed.
“The process that we carry out is called photogrammetry,” Letourneau said in an interview on Thursday.
One of the scans in full colour. (Source: Patrick Latourneau)
To decide what buildings to scan, Letourneau uses a map on the Manitoba Historical Society’s website, which shows locations of historical structures in the province.
“Grain elevators, schools, churches, that kind of thing,” he said,
“Basically, I go on that website and I click around on that map and I’ll build little road trips based on the structures that I find there.”
HOW HE GOT STARTED
Letourneau has been a professional 3D artist for about 10 years.
He said structures and buildings started as good test subjects for him.
“Then as I started scanning more and more of these, I realized how many of these really old historic structures there are in Manitoba,” Letourneau said.
However, it was when he scanned the Windsor Family Grain Elevator -- a structure that was demolished – that he realized the work he was doing had value for historical preservation.
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
Letourneau said ideally, he would like to find supports that would allow him to continue to preserve these structures and get the models into people’s hands. He noted it would also be nice to sell the prints.
As for future buildings he’d like to scan in the future, Letourneau said he’s interested in the oldest grain elevator in Canada, located in Elva, Man.
He noted the grain elevator is owned by a demolition company.
“So I know that building is on the way out,” Letourneau said.
“It’s super, super full of character. There is lots of sagging wood and it’s very weathered. It’s very, very worn down and you can see how old it is in its appearance. So I’m hoping I can get to that before it’s demolished.”
A scan of a barn in Wampum, Man. (Source: Patrick Letourneau)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Here's how much more Canadian landlords are asking for now, according to a just-released report
A new report says the average asking rent for a home in Canada in April was up 9.3 per cent compared with a year ago, while a slight month-over-month increase was also recorded for the first time since January.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
What is basic income, and how would it impact me?
Parliamentarians are considering a pair of bills aiming to lift people out of poverty through a basic income program, but some fear these types of systems could result in more taxes for Canadians who are already financially struggling.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Out-of-control wildfire burning near Fort McMurray
As of 9 a.m. on Friday, the wildfire burning 28 kilometres southwest of the northeastern Alberta city was 25 hectares in size.
Mexico's president accuses press and volunteer searchers for missing people of 'necrophilia'
The administration of Mexico's president has accused the press and volunteer searchers who look for the bodies of missing people of 'necrophilia,' comments that drew criticism this week.