Visualizing Massive 3D Models with Precision at Carmelite Gothic

The Carmelite Monks of Wyoming are a community of monks with a mission to pray for the world. The first monks arrived in Wyoming about 20 years ago with a vision to build a monastery on a mountain. The monks have no distractions, allowing them to meditate, pray, and focus on their monastery's design and construction. Following a Gothic style of architecture and construction that originated in the 1100s, their design incorporates the same intricate stone carving patterns and models monks have used for centuries.

When the time came to begin construction, the monks began soliciting bids from outside contractors to design and build the monastery. Unfortunately, the resulting bids were well beyond their budget. They were told they shouldn’t work with stone or focus on making it last so long. But those requirements were non-negotiable. 

Brother Isidore performs general contractor, design, and modeling duties for the monastery construction project. In response to those expensive contract bids, he shared, “Our immediate reaction was, that’s too expensive, so how do we do it ourselves?” So the Carmelite Monks began their journey to become a team of master stonecutters, and Carmelite Gothic was born! 

Carmelite Gothic determined they needed a software solution
that would meet several essential requirements:

Vertex addressed all of Carmelite Gothic’s requirements. There is no file preparation required. Vertex imports over 70 file formats and merges files across multiple CAD formats in seconds. Model updates that used to take 1-2 days refresh in about an hour. Vertex also enables real-time connections to all data sources of truth, so the metadata Carmelite Gothic requires is always accessible to search, filter, and leverage. In addition, Vertex’s cloud-based 3D visualization solution streams context-aware pixels, so it doesn't move files or require data storage on local devices or browser caches. And critical to their success, Carmelite Gothic’s massive 3D models are easily viewable on low-powered smartphones and tablets, even with low-bandwidth internet. Brother Isidore shared, “We’ve been very happy with how well Vertex has performed. The models load well even when our internet runs slow.”

Today, Carmelite Gothic is using Vertex to collaborate more effectively across its structural engineering team and with subcontractors. In addition, stonecutters crafting the stonework and the masons setting the stone in the field use Vertex to see the full context and orientation of where the stone belongs in the building. These team members also leverage this data to pull measurements and other valuable information from Vertex to support their efforts.

In addition to eliminating file preparation time when working with subcontractors, Carmelite Gothic has also saved significant time in drawing preparation for the setting of the actual stones. Previously, they would capture screenshots from Rhino 3D with each stone labeled for every building level. Vertex eliminates the need for that time-consuming process. Having Vertex on the front line of cutting and setting stones has also reduced the number of human errors. 

The monks at Carmelite Gothic continue to learn and innovate as they progress in their monastery construction. Brother Isidore estimates the project may not be complete until 2030 or beyond. As Brother Isidore shared about the completion date, “It’s hard to say, we’ve never done this before!” The monks have been working towards this vision for over 20 years, so what’s another 6-7 years when you’re constructing something that will last for centuries?