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Changing the face of design education
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These pages are a copy of the official truespace forums prior to their removal somewhere around 2011.
They are retained here for archive purposes only.
Changing the face of design education // Roundtable
Post by splinters // Oct 16, 2008, 7:27am
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splinters
Total Posts: 4148
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A few years ago I contacted Caligari with a proposal to feature tS in a new book teaching Design and Technology. This book would be different as it would focus on product development, graphical techniques and portfolio presentation rather than materials and processes covered by so many other books.
Caligari were helpful and agreed support....I got sidetracked with other projects and the book went on ice but I looked at ways of using tS in the design process more and more. tS3 was downloaded and students got their own copies...as time went on it became difficult bringing all the projects into tS7 for rendering with HDRi or Vray.
And here we are now; Autumn (fall?) 2008. All my design students have tS7.6 and, because it is free, even the younger (10 years old) have access to it. I can only imagine what they will be turning out in a few years.
I looked across my class today with a dozen or so students sat at their laptops all working in their own copies of tS7.6. A huge grin appeared on my face. As I walked around I saw them testing out their ideas; hinging lids on recycle bins, folding up legs and telescopic handles...I grinned some more.
Now, little kids run up to me at break time asking where they can get it, others breaking their necks to tell me what they made last night.
My 11 year old daughter has just modelled her first DT project in tS and her teacher has asked to speak to me about this great free software next time we meet.
I have little interest in Virtual Earth at the moment but I wonder if you fully realise the impact this release could make in the education sector. I already posted info about it on the TES web site (Times Educational Supplement) which is massive here in the UK and I am going to contact the AQA (largest examining board) and DT Society to let them know that all those schools who cannot afford decent 3D stuff can now get it.
Who knows, I might even set myself up travelling around schools in the future doing tutorials and advising on CAD in design. And that is before we look at the potential of online collaboration and assessment.
So, in short, thank you Caligari. While you focus on the Virtual Earth applications for tS I really hope you realise what an amazing opportunity this is for teachers and students.....:jumpy: |
Post by TomG // Oct 16, 2008, 7:35am
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TomG
Total Posts: 3397
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Hmm nowhere have we said we are focusing on VE applications, what an odd statement.
We are focusing on every application for tS that there is out there. I did get in touch with some people, yourself included, who seemed to have projects that could have VE components, just so we could have some real world case studies of those. But that is not because VE is all we are doing :) I am in touch with many other people on projects that don't move outside of tS / tP and won't be including a VE component.
If that was the case, things like our own real-time engine, bones and animation, etc, would not be in tS, since they are of no use for VE. So our focus is on absolutely every project that can benefit from our real-time interactive shared space environments in particular, and from the offline uses of those too. But most definitely it is not just VE, neither are VE applications even our priority :)
We are very happy to talk with any educational establishment about the possibilities that tS offers, as we agree, it could revolutionize teaching in classrooms (and not just with things that require you to model, even subjects where you are just using a pre-made scene and tools to interact and have no thought of being a 3D modeler!).
HTH!
Tom |
Post by splinters // Oct 16, 2008, 8:30am
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splinters
Total Posts: 4148
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Sorry for the confusion Tom, the feedback from a number of people I have introduced tS to and who have used it for the first time, and read the reasons for the Caligari 'buyout(?) think it is a VE related program just like sketchup was for google earth. I should have worded it better but I actually think tS will be used a lot more in design visualisation now it is free.
Whatever the wording, I was trying to say a big thank you for making this available for all students and teachers to use. Now I have to do my bit to get them all downloading it...:D
Thanks to you all again, not sure why I have not extended my thanks publically before...:banana: |
Post by TomG // Oct 16, 2008, 8:47am
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TomG
Total Posts: 3397
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Well do disabuse them of their misconceptions :)
You can point to the continued development of various things that are not VE related, such as avatars, animations, bone systems, IK, etc, none of which have any role to play in VE.
We were actively hunting for VE examples since there are few of those (compared to ongoing examples of modeling and animating that users are doing), but we are also actively pursuing projects that are purely focused on the tS / tP spaces and environments.
As ever, we will happily talk to educational individuals, establishments, organizations and institutions on the possibilities opened up by tS, and on meeting any specific needs or projects they may have. Just put them in touch with me as an initial step if anyone is interested.
HTH!
Tom |
Post by Scala3D // Oct 16, 2008, 10:17am
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Scala3D
Total Posts: 157
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I to want to say thank you. I know I will never be an artist like all of the talented artists that show their work here in the forums. My background is GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and data analysis; but the thought of combining my love of 3D modeling and my profession with GIS and spatial imagery has got me all excited...lol. Now I just need to get good at using TS and THANKS for making the tutorials now free...I am in the process of going through them..all of them...wow. I have my work cut out for me...but I love it!!!! Tom, you might be hearing from me, I am starting a new job getting back into GIS and I want to show my new boss the potential of using TS with GIS and real time site remediation. So would you be the point of contact? |
Post by TomG // Oct 16, 2008, 11:03am
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TomG
Total Posts: 3397
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Hi Scala,
At least initially I would be the point of contact, yes. Should we need to put you in touch with others in the Virtual Earth team, or Microsoft as a whole, then we'd do that of course. But starting by contacting me would be the way to go and I'll redirect the contact as necessary.
I hope to hear from you, sounds like you have a lot of ideas and a lot of enthusiasm. Good luck in the new job either way!
Thanks,
Tom |
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