3D-printed stadium created by FIU students helped Florida police prepare for the Super Bowl

In preparation for yesterday's Super Bowl, the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) utilized a highly detailed 3D-printed model of the Hard Rock Stadium. The model was created by students at Florida International University's (FIU) College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts along with the school's Robotics and Digital Fabrication Lab.

Measuring 4' x 5', the model intricately shows the stadium's bleachers, hallways, exits, rooms, and even structural elements. It can be separated and reconfigured, allowing viewers to focus in on focal areas of interest. In total the printing took over 3,500 hours and was the result of months examining digital documentation of the stadium, walkthroughs, and calibration and programming of the printers.

“This was something unique, for FIU and MDPD, the creation of a physical model to use in training,” said Professor Shahin Vassigh, Director of the RDF Lab in a statement. “It’s not necessarily the scale that is unique – architects make models for d...