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Origins, introduction to and my perspective of the FreeForm™ modelling system. Written in 2002
FreeForm™ page 1
Origins - Contact - Access - Advantages - Creative - Realization - Creative
FreeForm™ page 2
Education
Sculpture
Magic
Advance
Commercial
Opportunities
Software
New Dynamic
FreeForm™ page 3
Engineering versus craft - Virtual Reality application
Education
Having worked in Art and Design education at all levels and also as a FreeForm™ trainer in industry, ranging from animation to industrial design, I firmly believe that the FreeForm™ Modelling
System can be an effective educational tool. It is now firmly established and proven to be an industrial standard tool, this will and should be reflected in education and skill training sectors.
It also goes without saying that it is very important to understand the properties of real materials and understand their characteristics for production and manufacture, just as it will be important to
know the new capabilities of a digital file and the various rapid prototyping and manufacturing processes and materials available. From FreeForm™ it can be a straightforward progression into other
CAD and CAM applications.
Access to a 3D printer is needed to complete the working package, systems such as the Zcorp or Objet printers offer a good solution for speed, model and ease of maintenance, the cost of the systems will
be a major factor in investing in these. Some design companies have these now and it follows that it may be cost effective for colleges to have one available for students in house. Bureau services are
available around the country, where you can have models rapid prototyped. These bureau's are continually up dating their systems and therefore this represents an economical way of getting the best models
available, without the huge investment needed.
Some universities along with some local, central, and European government funded bodies have invested in technology centres; these create a valuable resource for local industries and educational
establishments and often focus on regional specialisation. Loughborough University has a Rapid Manufacturing Centre, which is sponsored by companies like Dyson, to look into the direct manufacture of
products using rapid manufacture. The University of Central England has strong links with the Jewellery Industry and Staffordshire University with the Hothouse with the Ceramic Industry.
Sculpture
Interest and awareness in digital sculpture has developed a lot over the past few years, because of its digital nature, galleries have been created on the Internet. There are biennial conferences called
Intersculpt that have simultaneous exhibitions in many countries around the world and exhibiting work created digitally. Some work is made physically by rapid prototyping at the host galleries. The CALM
report in 1999 surveyed more than 20 artists working at colleges of higher education, in collaboration with technology centres around the country. It concluded that sculptors and artists were not likely
to work with digital tools, until it became more accessible and easier to translate ideas into this medium. Learning CAD was the biggest hurdle and the cost of the RP technology the other. Today costs
have reduced and technology like FreeForm™ has emerged that has clearly changed this scene, a new energy in sculptural exploration is inevitable in this medium as sculptors make the transition from
drawing in a real material to drawing in a digital medium. This in turn can foster a new broader understanding of the potential of this activity for all kinds of uses.
Magic
People will sometimes assume wrongly that the "magic box" can conjure up and miraculously solve all their design problems. You may hear correctly that a model, which would normally take 5 days to model,
has taken only 2 to create. This claim can often be misunderstood, firstly that the modeller has acquired new powers to enable him to physically model and interpret an idea at double speed, or that his
hand will be miraculously guided by the computer to give the exact product you were thinking of. There is no short cut for a modeller's direct contact with material, interpretation skills and creative ability. This system will need skilled, open minded and experienced people to operate it and deliver the quality designs that will be required for the wide range of materials and production processes employed. It will also need modellers who can adapt to and engage with the new working environment, new materials and new production technologies. FreeForm™ is only a tool, to be used as skilfully as any other tool in the workshop. It will need a commitment from all levels in a company, to see where the relevant advantages lie in this system for their products.
Advance
FreeForm™ can and does open up new areas to digital technology. It will compete in areas that have little experience of digital innovation, as well as in those companies that have very fixed and
established CAD engineering methodologies. Some CAD modellers are sceptical of the FreeForm™ virtual reality design process, this may be because they do not have, or feel confident in using their
practical skills, or they believe that FreeForm™ is not suitable for their product needs. These designers will continue to use the systems and language they are used to, unless specific design needs
force them to innovate to remain competitive. Likewise to use digital technology where there has been none, is taking on a large and relatively unknown step and this will take courage. Proof of
process is essential to support any transition and technology centres like the Hothouse in Stoke on Trent, have been created to address this need.
Commercial
As companies are forced economically to change their manufacturing base to overseas, it becomes even more important that the technology and skills such as FreeForm™ become more developed and common
place here. This technology, being digital, enables fast communication around the world so it is feasible that designers and design studios can and should compete in a global market place. The new Visual
Communication Package for FreeForm™ reflects this need to exchange information, develop products and be able to sign off work over the Internet.
In order to evaluate and understand the full benefits that FreeForm™ can bring to your production process, it will be essential that you have a good understanding of the whole design cycle you use,
from concept and manufacturing to packaging, along with the technology employed within that process and the roles and skills of the individuals involved. All these areas play a very big part in the
successful adoption of Freeform. Likewise your team will need to be aware of how FreeForm™ works and what it can do to achieve maximum benefit for the company as a whole. Savings occur through
shortening development processes, reducing time taken to arrive at a critical stage, or removing stages completely, opportunities for savings can happen in any area of the design process.
Cutting lead times is a commercial priority and FreeForm™ has proved that it can do this dramatically, especially in craft based industries. One prime example is Adidas who has stated that they were
able to cut their lead times by 80%. However the sales, or take up trend for the UK over the last two years has shown that for every FreeForm™ System sold in Northern Europe five were sold in Asia,
this imbalance clearly has to be addressed.
Opportunities
FreeForm™ is a very versatile system and as such will create more opportunities in the pursuit of producing three-dimensional form. New markets will be developed as people become aware of this system
and of wider technological advances and capabilities. A crossover of creative areas can be accessed much easier from a digital source. For example using a file exported from FreeForm™ of a ceramic
figurine, a marketing animation can be created by exporting into an animation package like Alias Wavefront. Likewise visuals of an animation character can be imported into FreeForm™ to create the
ceramic model.
3D Scanning is a way of capturing a real 3D form. This can be achieved by optical means through the use of a laser, or by reverse engineering that employs a mechanical method to trace a form. Both these
types result in a digital file being produced. The optical method is able to capture the form without touching the object and therefore presents enormous potential for capturing living objects, as well
as for accessing precious museum archive. The museum experience is an area that deals with knowledge, from Natural history to modern art; digitising artefacts from this source can drastically change our
experience of and access to these areas. For example an artefact can be digitised without touching it, this file can be imported into FreeForm™ if necessary, to create new products, or repair files.
These digital files can also be used to create virtual reality 'fly through' animations to visualise the provenance, or for creating visual information that can be accessed through interactive software,
or for placing on a web site.
As well as this a skilled modeller, or sculptor can now make copies of these items much faster and with more accuracy on Freeform, than could be achieved with previous CAD applications, or even manually.
Companies can use their own archives to enhance their products and reinforce market identity.
Software
At present FreeForm™ is offered in two levels, FreeForm™ and FreeForm™ Plus that has more technical functionality for more advanced work. An optional Visual Communications Package has just
been added. The system is not just available to industry; new packages have meant that it is both affordable and assessable to educational establishments. The costs involved in rapid prototyping models
have become cheaper and as new materials advance more of the process can be removed. Industry and education has to invest in this tool if we, as a creative nation are to stay competitive in a global
market.
New Dynamic
I firmly believe that FreeForm™ will be the primary application for 3D digital work in colleges and universities in the future. It is already being used in a wide range of trend and current design
industries, from shoe design to toys and from animation and special effects to jewellery. It is a digital tool that has a core role to play in Art and Design education, as well as being a practical tool
for skills development in the workplace and likely to be of great interest to a new Craft / Art and Design based sector.
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