We have Jeff Smith, the industrial designer at Autodesk, as our guest speaker this week. Although Jeff used his most of time explaining how to use Fusion360 and why it is superior to the other competitive products, Jeff’s self-introduction indeed contained a lot of wisdom. First of all, he called him a “dinosaur”, because Jeff was the in the last generation in his college that purely used “analogy design methodology” (not sure whether this is the terminology he said) and Photoshop was barely in beta version. It is crazy to see that what people learned in college might immediately be replaced by other advanced technologies nowadays. Does that mean we do not need to study hard anymore? Absolutely not, we still do need to master the subjects in our curriculum. On one hand, no one knows exactly when the new technology will replace the old one; on the other hand, the experience we accumulated by studying the old method will broaden our perspective when applying new technology. All in all, we need to keep an open mind to new tool/ technology all the time.
Jeff also emphasized the importance of network. Before working for Autodesk, Jeff worked for Autodesk’s competing company for decades. It would be a nightmare for anyone when he/she is informed to leave the company after he/she had worked for such a long time. Unfortunately, Jeff faced this kind of tough situation. Though frustrated about his unemployment, Jeff found a new job with the help of his network in the following weeks. Jeff himself also said that he did not expect he would work for his original company’s competitor and his network would help him secure a new job when he needed most. These two episodes have nothing to do with 3D modeling, but I do believe we can learn a lot from these two events.
Fusion360 is a computer-aided design application for creating 3D digital prototypes. Similar to Cura, Fusion360 enables users to design prototypes or edit other’s projects. Under Jeff’s instruction, we have a quick overview of Fusion360’s user interface. Then, we start to sketch the basic 2D patterns such as line, curve, square, and circle. Then, Jeff introduced how to create 3D object like box and cylinder. Meanwhile, Jeff also demonstrated how to use extrude, revolve, and other functions to create new patterns based on these basic 3D objects. Finally, we learned how to use “Create Form” to create symmetric objects. The object I designed is my speaker. I used extrude function to create the control button on my speakers. It looks simple but it will work well. 😉
Hi Ben,
To your question about not needing to study anymore, I believe we need to study harder. Because of an increase of technology, in a way that means that we are no longer needed and can be easily replaced with technology. To increase our value, we must give something that technology doesn’t have. As for networking, as a business student its important to grasp the significance of having connections (as one can’t do business alone).
Hi Ben,
I totally agree with what you have written. The story that Jeff told us about his life was very inspiring and surely did learn a lesson. We should never stop learning as the next technology too will be a better version of the old ones. So I would say that no education is a waste and we should always be working hard. The way Jeff taught us to use the software was also helpful as it gave us time to explore each tool on our own.
Hi Ben,
I agree with Ian! I had forgotten about the networking example from the lecture until you brought it up. I also really like your discussion about constant growth and continuous learning in order to keep up with the ever-changing capabilities of technology. It was a little shocking to hear Jeff describe himself as a dinosaur, as he is much younger than even our parents; this exemplifies just how fast the industry is changing. This climate contributes to both an exciting, dynamic atmosphere, but also adds pressure to constantly learn and grow in accordance with demands.
Hi Ben,
I actually loved your note about Jeff’s talk about networking. I think that’s a part of the lecture that went kind of unnoticed but is super important! It was a really great story to show how much your peers around you matter. That is your peers at the end of the day from school that may one day help you out when you’re down. So it’s really important to try and extend your network while you’re here at college! Because the best resource we have is each other (not to sound too cheesy).
Best,
Ian Szetho