Virtually a Trade Show
There are some challenges when working through visualizing and communicating ideas, but technology has really enabled this type of remote workflow.
Prof. Mat Schwartz, speaking about his 2nd year industrial design studio, found that the push to use cloud based collaborative software and other leading edge programs that are being used in the industry were advantages. “Given the physical distance and collaborative aspect of previous research and design collaboration work I was doing with robot designers in South Korea, we had shifted our 3D modeling platform to Autodesk Fusion 360 which is cloud based. I have been a proponent of some features in Fusion 360 for a while, but having students do their work in the software, and me being able to easily load their file, help modify it for them, and save with comments, was a pretty ideal workflow for the unexpected online shift. Another lucky coincidence for us was that as students could not physically make their products, it opened up time for more exploration in digital tools. There have been some really interesting developments in the programs for industrial designers (e.g., generative design) where the designer can put a few constraints and requirements, and the software automatically constructs various models that would satisfy the desired criteria. With the shift to online classes and reduced access to physical prototyping equipment, exploring these functions and learning about tools of the future turned the situation into an equally meaningful learning experience.”
With a bit of practice I had helpful and enjoyable conversations with the people that were kind enough to drop by. In the midst of the trade show and the tension of having people come come by inquiring about your semester’s work I found it dovetailed well with how I felt I had to adapt in our online classes; to be direct and concise with your answers ready to go, to have a focused exchange on the topic at hand. Matthew F. Smith, Instrumentum
The transition from in-person to virtual was a bit jarring at first but after a few days of adjustment I was able to get back into the swing of things. One of the issues that our class had was our unfamiliarity with webex itself but once we got the hang of it, we were off to the races. Since we were able to still use our studio computers, we were in a good position to keep marching forward with our projects. I think the biggest sign that we were able to transition to a online world was our trade show. We were able to still hold a "in-person" show of our semesters work. It was a bit confusing at first but once we got the hang of it, it all clicked into place. It was an interesting way to finish off the end of the semester, but we were able to make the best of the situation we were thrust into. Joseph Oliveira (Only Pack project image by Rebecca Stalter)
