Why Teach CAD and which is the best 3D CAD Software for Education
Why Teach CAD?
Buzzwords like Metaverse, NFTs, and Web3 get many people excited and interested in learning 3D Modeling. However, education is all about discipline and objectives, so the question is, why teach 3D Modeling? STEM education introduced 3D modeling and Printing when 3D printing was going to take over manufacturing. However, besides prototyping, 3D printing is yet to become a viable manufacturing method, and its hype is waning. It is also true that learning 3D Modeling is a great way to improve spatial intelligence and overall artistic skills. Yet, it may not be justified to invest much time on this subject without a clear economic objective. This is why this article will focus mainly on future skilling and the amazing economic opportunities with 3D modeling skills.
Future Skilling for the Digital Economy
Before we explain 3D, we need to take a step back and look at 2D before the age of web 2.0. Back then, Digital design was predominantly a professional trade focused on designing for local print, and software like Photoshop was synonymous with professional artists. Now, let's fast forward to today, and we can all agree that 2D design is everywhere. So what has changed? Well, with the age of web 2.0 came all sorts of Buzzwords like Social Media, Banner ads, etc. These changes looked like Buzzwords, but in reality, they changed the way we think and, most importantly, how we consume digital art.
Digital art is nowadays mostly digital. A fraction of the designs are actually printed. The end result is that every small company needs a graphic designer, making digital art mainstream and an integral part of education. Now, we see how web 2.0 has transformed 2D art from a niche-based business into the mainstream. Will web3 transition 3D in the same way?
Is History Repeating Itself?
Well, to answer this question, we need to understand how web 2.0 changed our reality, and we can then see if the same factors are at play nowadays with the age of web3.
What is web 2.0?
Web 2.0 illustration. Image source:apc.org
Web 2.0 is not a tangible object and not very specific in its technical achievements. It’s more of a mindset change whereby people expect friendly interactive web pages. Gone are the days of simple black and white directories, and welcome to the age of attractive and user-friendly web pages. This new mindset gave rise to a wide range of online activities and advertisements, which got us all hooked on the internet. Hence we got this paradigm shift whereby everyone suddenly needed an agreeable webpage, subtle banner, and social media ads. This sudden rush of new design opportunities gave rise to self-taught designers, and 2D Design became a household staple. Now, let’s see what web3 has to offer and see if we can expect the same outcome.
Much like web 2.0, it is more of a mindset than a very well-defined objective. We are now bored with simple 2D graphics. 2D is nowadays too limited. We no longer like 2D representations, we need to see and feel everything in the most neutral way possible, and that can mean different things for different platforms and objectives. Even so, one thing is evident that we will all see a lot more 3D objects, and soon every website will need to include 3D elements. Similarly, advertisements will become interactive 3D objects, and this is all before considering the Metaverse whereby we will all become 3D robots talking to each other!
An Educational Perspective
If you are interested in teaching design, you need to start with 3D. Still, even if you are just interested in future skills, you should teach 3D as this will be required for almost any business within the next few years and offer tremendous job opportunities.
Which software is best positioned for this new age?
That depends on students' age and objectives as follows:
Age 5-8
Objective: Getting to know the 3D space
Software of choice: TinkerCAD
TinkerCAD comes with many built-in primitives and allows importing small STL files. It provides basic object transformations, while Its 3D Modeling tools are predominantly focused on two boolean devices, (Union) combining and (Difference) subtracting shapes from each other. These limited features are good to learn how to move around a 3D workspace, and the fact it has an extensive community makes it an excellent choice for education.
TinkerCAD Limitations
It takes a very long time, and one needs to have extraordinary design skills to make any meaningful and complex object with such a limited toolset. Often, most teachers and students stop using TinkerCAD after just a few short months and eagerly look for alternatives.
Age 8-12
Objective: Learning 3D Modeling Topology Basics
Software of choice: SelfCAD Free version
SelfCAD’s free version includes everything you get in TinkerCAD plus box modeling features such as Chamfer, Fillet, Extrusion, etc. It also contains Boolean intersection (Intersection makes it possible to design complex 3D shapes), but most importantly, it allows you to select and modify parts of any object. The SelfCAD free version also supports importing and modifying large, complex objects.
Parametric designed using the Loft and Boolean intersection tools of SelfCAD. Image source: SelfCAD Tutorial
SelfCAD’s free version is an amazing choice for box modeling which has traditionally been the most elementary way of 3D Modeling. Even though SelfCAD is a startup with an expanding online community, its Interactive Tutorials make it very easy to learn and teach, making SelfCAD the best option for education.
SelfCAD Free version limitations
Designing something meaningful with a limited toolset takes a lot of time and effort and requires various design skills. While the SelfCAD free version is much more powerful and versatile than TinkerCAD, it is still relatively limited.
Age 12+
Objective: Future skilling
Software of choice: SelfCAD PRO
SelfCAD paid version includes everything you need as a professional 3D artist and beyond- from technical to artistic design tools, all the way to rendering and FDM slicer. SelfCAD has everything you need for the entire design flow, and it’s all within an intuitive, user-friendly application. SelfCAD Interactive Tutorials make it easy to learn the entire application, and it teaches the whole 3D object design flow. SelfCAD PRO is already used and loved by many professional artists and prestigious Design schools. With the global rise of 3D printing, Metaverse, and NFTs, these skills are no longer limited to design schools, making SelfCAD the go-to software for Future skilling in 2022.
SelfCAD Limitations
Although SelfCAD has a wide range of technical tools, it is still not up to par with what’s required for Mechanical engineering software.
Age 18+
Objective: Mechanical engineering
Software of choice: Fusion 360
Fusion 360 is an entry-level Mechanical engineering software with a large online community making it a go-to software for engineering schools. With the absence of SelfCAD, many schools try upgrading from TinkerCAD into Fusion 360, but it creates an extra burden on learning such complex software and terminology, while it's not suitable for most artistic design requirements. The fact is that most students are not able to use Fusion 360 and are not interested in such a limited software as TinkerCAD. This problem is what gave birth to SelfCAD.
Fusion 360 Limitations
Limited support for imported meshes. Difficult or impossible to work on large objects. Lack of artistic tools. Steep learning curve.
In Conclusion
3D Modeling is no longer a niche-based skill. Most designers nowadays require to learn 3D software, and they prefer using an intuitive, complete, and accessible package that will solve all their 3D design requirements, and this is what SelfCAD is all about. Teaching SelfCAD is like teaching Adobe photoshop. It’s a skill that students can use throughout their entire design career with endless highly sought-after job opportunities.
Enjoy powerful modeling, rendering, and 3D printing tools without the steep learning curve.
Need to learn 3D modeling? Get started with interactive tutorials.