A sheet metal fabricator in lower Delaware was awarded a subcontract for the New York City Transit Authority to manufacture a street-level entrance canopy. The goal was for the canopy to be completely assembled and finished off-site and then lowered into place with a crane with minimal on-site installation contractor time.

The architectural firm had provided a basic, undetailed 3D model to work from:

Using this input, 2D details and plenty of communication with the architectural firm, an intricate 3D model was created that incorporated every tiny detail of the manufacturing process, from nuts and bolts to acrylic signage and clamping, structural I-beams, sealed roofing integration, glass, sheet metal bending, drainage system, electrical conduits and Metro Transit Authority branding, fonts and colors.

The mayor of New York City was on site for a photo op on the day of the unveiling: