Minneapolis Transportation Interchange 3D Animation

The Minneapolis Transportation Interchange is perhaps the most important Twin Cities' transportation project in the last 10 years. The Interchange will unite regional transit and development, creating a civic space that connects multiple transportation options and increases mobility. Our role on this project began when Hennepin County selected our firm to provide topographic survey services for over 60 acres of urban area in downtown Minneapolis adjacent to and including the Target Field property. Stonebrooke staff obtained existing plat and available electronic data to prepare a comprehensive electronic model of the existing area.

During the initial phases of the public and agency involvement process, it became clear that the scope of this project could not be properly shown through flat 2D graphics. Hennepin County asked our staff to create an animated DVD video that would show a realistic depiction of the completed Interchange project based on the current conceptual designs. The data gathered by our staff during the surveying phase was utilized to create a 3D CAD model of the project location and surrounding neighborhood. Our graphics staff imported the 3D model into 3D Studio Max Design, a popular 3D modeling and animation software package. The proposed transportation hub was modeled, as well as all surrounding buildings, including Target Field.

The final product is a series of "fly-through" videos that showcase all of the features of this new transportation hub. These high resolution videos were formatted onto a comprehensive DVD and were used to solicit feedback from municipal agencies, utility companies, railroad companies, elected officials, local business owners, and neighborhood groups.

For more information about this project, including the photo essay seen at the end of the video, please visit our Interchange project page.