What is seducing a designer to use 100% digital equipment to documenting and developing ideas?

Capturing creativity is a sensual act with decisions taken within micro seconds. Nothing must disturb the magic moment when the ideas flow from brain to the documentation support. For centuries or even back to the stone age designers have relayed on a pencil and a box of color crayons to serve the purpose of documenting their design intent.

I recall the mid ‘90s when I visited at the Opel/GM development center in Rüsselsheim, Germany, for a business project. Open space offices were hung with impressive hand-made sketches and drawings of vehicles on transparent paper, thus manifesting the team’s creative outbursts.

Now a new generation of designers has been raised who are drawing directly on computer screens. And they seem to prefer this approach as their natural way to go about their job. In addition, with a digital input there are some advantages on the down-stream processes: the possibility of applying changes, the effectiveness of re-use and transfer to other media, as well as the ease of enriching content, such as varying colors, further detailing  or adding background for presentations up until photo-realistic rendering.

At the Dassault Systèmes European Customer Conference which took place two weeks ago in Paris we were able to observe what seems to be a breakthrough in this path of development towards a comprehensive approach: Designers now can use CATIA with a pen and tablet device from WACOM to directly draw in 3D.

WACOM has been a partner in our Emerging Technologies Program since last year and has been working with the teams from CATIA and the Design Studio to develop this integrated solution.

With the availability of this functionality the door opens to a closed digital loop from documenting the first idea to developing a product design which is ready to be manufactured.

This sounds like science fiction to you? It still does it to me. But it’s nevertheless real. Have a look at the video:

Listen to the 3D drawing experience of Julien Fournier, who is using this technology to design Haute Couture:

Up to the creative people of the world to check this out.

Best,
Michael

There are moments in life that call for particular reflection:  birthdays with a zero, weddings, etc. 

As I’m experiencing one of these moments, moving on to new professional adventures, I’d like to share my perspective on some topics we’ve been discussing on this blog the past three years. 

How have the worlds of 3D and product innovation evolved since 2008?

3D
For sure 3D has become more mainstream, although the ultimate sign will be when kids use 3D software to design their Mother’s Day decorative vase gifts and print them—both actions from home.  Some signs that we’re getting closer to widespread adoption, take LG’s recent Optimus 3D announcement.  Optimus 3D is a smartphone with a glasses-free 3D screen and 3D recording camera.  

Or what about 3D food printing?  And I’ll bet you at least thought about asking Santa for a Sony 3DTV last year . . . but you probably changed your mind because the quantity and quality of 3D content isn’t ready yet.  Rest assured it will be as soon as enough creatives have embraced 3D as their expression medium. 

Innovation
I’m not sure innovation is something that can evolve, but I do feel comfortable saying that the processes to capture and manufacture innovation have progressed.  With social computing platforms bleeding into the workplace, new fangled ideas are digitally captured, commented on, morphed into even crazier but ingenious concepts, and sometimes, when a business model can be agreed upon, produced and sold. 

As Orange Labs Sociologist Dominique Cardon said at our recent Design in Life event, “Bottom-up innovations must be local and personal, and because they are personal, their inventors are driven to share with others.  This is when the innovation process begins.”  Personal innovations for the greater good. 

With mobile technology conquering our hearts and pocketbooks, smartphones and tablets are slowly replacing the pulp-constituted idea notebook.  Armed with them at all times, we can now plug our ideas directly into the digital grid, rather than first writing them down on that sheet of paper that may get lost with our socks. 

Reality
I’d say how we consider reality has definitely changed.  Virtual is no longer considered fake or marginal.  We’re starting to trust it.  So much that we’re opting to test agricultural innovations, the safety of new mobility concepts, and Dr. Seuss-like building designs as real-life dress rehearsals.  Lifelike experience. 

We’re using devices to augment our physical world experiences and obtain complimentary information, even as urban tourists in some cases.  Digital has changed our notion of what’s really possible, and what you see is not only what you get.  Your cereal box is not just about cereal. 

PLM
When the likes of Oracle start taking interest in Product Lifecycle Management, I’d say we’re up to a new level.  This technology is no longer just for IT geeks. 

PLM is C-level strategic.  And once the boardroom decides to go for it, designers, engineers, purchasing, marketers, the supply chain, consumers, and, IT geeks all find their place and solution within the PLM network.  PLM, the united colors of making stuff.
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I will miss you once I’m gone.  But rest assured there are great people that will keep 3D Perspectives alive and feisty.  And most important there’s YOU. 

Like my High School Principal Dr. Jewel always said at the fall welcome assembly, “What you get out of Needham B. Broughton is a direct correlation to what you put into it.”  So replace my alma mater with 3D Perspectives and go for the purple and gold.  Oops, sorry, a pep rally slip.  Just go for the gold. 

I wish you the best and look forward to our next encounter, online or offline.

Warmest regards,

Kate

Twitter @KateBo

In case you haven’t noticed, I ran a quiz on Twitter for quite a few weeks now and I thought you guys may enjoy the results  summed up as it’s pretty amazing to see how much 3D evolved over the years.

First, you’ve got to know that the very first device that enabled people to see 3D pictures comes all the way from 1838! Right, it’s that old! It was invented by Charles Wheatstone who “was awarded the Royal Medal of the Royal Society […], [for] a research which led him to make stereoscopic drawings and construct the stereoscope”.

Quickly after that, in 1853, Wilhelm Rollmann developed the first red and cyan glasses and, in 1861, Coleman Seller Jr. patented the Kinematoscope which delivered stereoscopic animations, i.e. 3D movies!

It took some time before an actual movie popped up on cinema screens but, finally, in 1922, The Power of Love was released.

Not so long afterwards, in 1935, the 3D movie Audioscopiks was even nominated for an Oscar!

However, we had to wait until 2003 and James cameron’s Ghost of the Abyss to have a full length movie. By the way, it was a documentary about the Titanic’s jetsam!

Of course, it really exploded with Avatar in 2009 (still by James Cameron by the way) and since then you even have the possibility to have a personal 3D TV…

Can you imagine? We will be able to tell our kids “you know, I was there when we had 2D TVs!”

But first, let’s see if you’ve studied enough… I’ll give you the answer next week in the comment section!

Cheers,

Rémi