Forty patients scheduled for surgical treatment of a both-column acetabular fracture were randomized to receive pre-contoured plate and screw length determination developed using a 3D model of the hemi-pelvis or standard plate contouring and screw length determination occurring after fracture reduction. Outcomes of interest included operative time, instrumentation time, blood loss, transfusion volume, time to bone union, reduction quality, hip function and the incidence of complications. Results revealed all outcomes to be significantly in favour of the 3D model group compared to the conventional method group, with exception of the incidence of complications which was not significantly different between the two groups.