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
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Demonstrators kicked out of Ontario legislature for disruption after failed keffiyeh vote
A group of demonstrators were kicked out of the legislature after a second NDP motion calling for unanimous consent to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh failed to pass.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
RCMP uncovers alleged plot by 2 Montreal men to illegally sell drones, equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
BREAKING Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.