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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
Magic
Origins
 The FreeForm™ modelling system was created as the first commercial stand-alone software to use
the innovative Haptic 3Dtouch™ technology. Haptics is the term used or applied to the ability to feel data through the sense of touch, it is
similar to the way the word optics is used with the sense of sight. Haptic technology was created through the research of Thomas Massie and Kenneth Salisbury at MIT, Boston Massachusetts USA.
 SensAble Technologies is the name of the company that was set up to develop and market
Haptics technology in 1993. FreeForm™ being the first commercial software to use Haptics was launched on to the world market in September 1999. Today SensAble
has more than 500 customers in 30 countries, including Adidas-Salomon, Hasbro, Disney, Honda, Boeing, Shell, General Electric, Bandai, Motorola and leading universities world-wide.
 The Phantom Desktop is the name given to the apparatus, which is the physical connection between
sculptor and computer. Its control is similar to holding a pen, or modelling tool, that is connected at the nib end, through a series of freely articulating
joints, to a solid base unit that sits on the desktop. Movement of the modelling tool, or pen will generate numerical information that is read by the GHOST® SDK software.
 GHOST® SDK software is the key to the Phantom
operation, it receives information from the operator and returns touch sensation through the Phantom arm. The Phantom Desktop has motors that control the movements of the arm as it is being used. These
motors are there to restrain the movement of the arm, rather than drive and act more like a brake to a car wheel. The software recognises the contact, or collision, of the modelling tool and
the clay shown visually on the screen, and behaves in a set way according to the tool selected, add clay, remove clay, stretch clay and
so on. To the sculptor, or modeller, this feels like the clay material is solid, has resistance and is tangible.
 FreeForm™ uses the metaphor 'virtual clay' or
'clay' to describe the visual, digital material you see on the screen. Real clay is the closest real material and workflow to the digital FreeForm™
process. To make an artefact in real clay you would rough out the form in soft, wet clay, as it dries and becomes firmer you have more control over the definition and can add more detail
until the work is finished. I have used the word clay in the same context here. The digital name for a clay element is called a Voxel and
in close up you will be able to see the polygon edges of it. A Voxel is similar to the Pixel used in 2D images but with 3D information added.
Contact
 The real extent to which touch and the virtual environment are employed will not be
fully apparent until you have held and experienced the Phantom Desktop yourself. With FreeForm™ the physical feedback sensed could be initially surprising, firstly we
are not used to this form of interaction with computers and secondly we have forgotten how strong and intuitive our sense of touch is. As we work at a computer our primary experience is through sight and
sound, interpreting 3D space is achieved through a combination of 3D experience and a 2D language. We rely heavily on our eyes to comprehend our environment and information within it; this is made
possible through our personal experiences of materials and spatial understanding. FreeForm™ re-establishes the physical connection that has been absent from the 3D CAD process.
Access
 In the design industry the gap between hands on craft and the commercial
manufacturing process has been widening through economic pressures and technological advance. Very few traditional craftsman wish to learn to use CAD applications, in a way
this can be compared to the suspicion of, and resistance to, the new steam technology introduced into the work place at the time of the
industrial revolution. To learn to use a traditional CAD programme can take a few years and is a similar experience to learning a totally new
language. Craftsmen learn and develop their skills over many years, are immersed in a physical creative environment and are sometimes reluctant to change the safety of this workplace and move into a new
environment. FreeForm™ taps into this fundamental and intuitive need by engaging touch as an integral part of the applications
operating controls. FreeForm™ disarms the craft workers reluctance to learn the new technology, because it is initially familiar and makes
real connections. It is seen as a new tool and not a hurdle, learning to use computers are a means to an end. I have witnessed, in response to demonstrating the system, the feeling of empowerment that
FreeForm™ gives to people, which soon leads to a reaction of "I can use this". This is surprising when many of these people have not used
a computer before. They can also see that FreeForm™ can be a way for them to build on their own experience and develop their skills for a
new digital market place, as well as being a benefit to their employers.
I had this reaction when I was shown FreeForm™ as a research system
at the Hothouse Design Centre in 1999. I am a sculptor, carver, modeller and lecturer and had not used a PC or CAD application before
. Experiencing the FreeForm™ system made it clear to me that this was the tool I was looking for to unlock the creative 3D digital
manufacturing world. With this system I could bring my skills to the market place, without the constraint of having to learn a new technical, mathematical CAD language.
Learning to use the computer came through needing to make 3D
sculptural forms. Three years on I am a freelance digital sculptor and 3D modeller working with FreeForm™ in many different design areas,
such as automotive manufacture, soft toys, ceramic production, jewellery and sculpture conservation, as well as continuing to create my own sculpture.
Advantages
Freeform is intuitive and accessible, training will vary from person to
person depending on their practical modelling experience rather than their CAD knowledge. Some people can be productive in a matter of one or two days, others will need longer. If you haven't used a
computer before this will add time to your training. Essentially starting, getting information in and out of the computer and storing files is a necessity. Once you are made aware of the functionality of
all the tools in FreeForm™ and where to find them, the rest is practice and experience, as with any other new activity. This experience can
be similar to learning to drive a car, once you learn the basics of how to start up, where to find the controls and what they do, the process
of getting from A to B is the main activity of driving. Similarly it is not essential to know why the car works, for example how or why the engine functions, just that it does!
You will get a lot of satisfaction when your first model is made,
through rapid prototyping; this is the moment that closes the circle for most sculptors, modellers, 3D designers and craftsman, the physical object is the prime goal. How we see it, feel it and interact
with it, is an essential element of the creative process.
FreeForm™ really does free up the design activity and extends it
beyond the limitations of materials and process. Being able to digitally scale, mirror and copy/paste means that your thought processes can
continue where normally practicalities and time constraints would be prohibitive. This presents more design opportunity.
Creating a design or assembling a new idea can take a similar time to
that which is physically normal. In creating figurative work a sculptor will rely on his experience with the intrinsic qualities of the modelling
material, and how to achieve the form by the placement and shaping of elements. Time is spent in reflection and consideration of the three
dimensional arrangements, for their original intent and expression. The designer who will have a brief, or concept to work to can apply a similar approach to creating a form; here also there may be an
element of reflection, adjustment and articulation of intent that will require time. The engineering design can be defined on paper with specific dimensions and control. The creation of this model can be
more easily estimated in time, as it employs a more systematic process and can be seen to be finite.
If we compare the modelling of a figurine in FreeForm™ in comparison
to a clay material, many savings can be made during product development that are not so obvious initially. For example if a clay design is deemed to be finished but the wrong size, a modeller will
take the same time to re create it at a different size, whereas digitally changing scale is instantaneous. In a real material resizing may take about 5 days, including making an armature, preparing the
material, keeping it workable and allowing for shrinkage in construction etc. In FreeForm™ there are no physical constraints, it is workable from the time you switch on and will take a couple of
seconds to resize.
If a figurine is selling well and the company needs the range extended,
it would be easy to use the face of the successful figurine again. It therefore follows that once you have accumulated an archive of house
style, e.g. digital components of hands, feet, legs and arms etc, new figures can be created faster, speeding the process for future designs.
Creating a draft angle, and removing undercuts from a design can be
assessed and modified easily in FreeForm™. This adds an analytical tool for the casting process ensuring a model is ready for the production process. A digital model can be redesigned, or altered
easily and efficiently, it can be revisited in future work, used for parts, copied and pasted an infinite number of times and so on. A clay model is cast once and the clay destroyed.
Lead times can be considerably reduced by adopting a digital system,
communications can be faster, products can be assessed, verified, adjusted, quantified and analysed for marketing projections, before the major investment in tooling and manufacture needs to be taken.
FreeForm™ is a tool that contributes greatly to cutting lead times, it is a concept modeller with an interactive communication ability,
developed in partnership with many companies around the world, to fill the need for faster and more versatile product development and shorten lead times.
Creative
There is great potential in this digital medium to engage a creative
mind. Graphical computer packages have been available for some time and continue to be developed. Desktop publishing and word processing is commonplace today and our everyday life interacts more
and more with computers. General conventions in using computer equipment have emerged and a more standardized operating language established, making access to 3D digital applications more attractive.
The transition into this media has up until recently been too much for
artists and craftsman to adapt to readily. A study in 1999 of Artist and Lecturers use of digital technology to create work, called the CALM (Computer Art and Layer Manufacturing) project, involved 24
Universities and many Technology Centres around the country. Its conclusions were that this low take up is mainly due to the effort and time needed to learn the software applications and adapt their
practice, secondly due to the expense of having models made and thirdly access to the technology. I believe that there will be and should
be more opportunity for creative exploration of this new medium and expect higher education to be the main seedbed for this to happen.
Investments in new digital technologies have usually been in the broad
area of engineering, desktop publishing and information technology. Some universities have developed separate technology centres with local industries and companies but few have developed or introduced
3D CAD into and across all their creative 3D departments. Many factors have contributed to this limited investment and use. Applications that are quick to learn like FreeForm™ will change this
imbalance and inaccessibility in time, as more people become aware of its potential. This area will open up technology to a broader range of creative disciplines.
Time is a costly factor for all creative producers, whether they are
large commercial industries or an individual artist. It is essential that 3D digital design skills be developed comprehensively and quickly for
this country to compete in the global market. FreeForm™ provides an exciting and plausible tool for this to become a practical reality. It is
an unfortunate reality for us in the UK that for every system sold in Northern Europe, 5 systems are sold to companies and universities in Asia.
Realization
Creating a design can be inspirational and quick, or considered and
manicured, over a period of time. A complicated design can be easy to create and a simple design very complex, there are no rules, every
new form or product has unique needs. There is no magic involved in this process, only inspiration; to create a real thing from a CAD design
involves engaging in the production process and making decisions. A machine will only do what you tell it to do, it is constrained by its own
limitations, it cannot exceed these boundaries. It is the responsibility of the artist, or designer, to understand the production process. It is
also beneficial to have knowledge of the options and limitations of the technology available and choose the method that is appropriate to their needs.
FreeForm™ offers a new opportunity for designers and artists to
engage with these processes. Some engineers who are asked to Rapid prototype FreeForm™ models view the file sizes generated, and some
compositions created, with scepticism; the first reason for this is that it is a new experience. The organic sculptural forms that FreeForm™
can deliver are not the forms you might associate with an engineering process. As FreeForm™ is known for this sculptural type of file it can
become typecast, many people disregard its capability to produce regular, geometric design work like a cup and saucer or other component. Comparative research by some Industrial designers has
been done, which looks at how FreeForm™ measures up against the same CAD systems already in the work place, within a specific focussed design framework. FreeForm™ performs well. But it also
offers a new approach to solving design problems that has yet to be freely explored. Most evaluations of this system, as you would expect,
comes from an engineering, industrial design based perspective, as you would expect. Designers have been trained to think in a particular
way, with particular process, partly due to the CAD language they have had to learn. Craft and hands-on material workflow has inevitably become distant to new mathematical digital design inertia. As this
existing established environment for production advances, craft stays static; Freeform offers new input into this established arena.
Opportunity
There are many software packages available that can produce a cup,
mug, or plate design in a matter of minutes, it can be seen as a basic concept requirement. Companies who produce work digitally already use some of these applications and have established working
processes; they do not have an immediate need to try a new application; yet FreeForm™ also has the capability to produce designs for tableware. For the independent designer, or new company starting
up FreeForm™ offers a broad and versatile creative CAD package. As more systems are sold, general awareness will grow and more and more colleges will adopt the system, new designers will therefore
emerge with more liberated CAD skills. This is bound to, even in a small way, influence and pressure a change in the process and culture
of commissioning, creating and taking new design into production. As rapid prototyping and rapid manufacturing technologies develop and costs reduce, new commercial opportunities will emerge.
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