Part I of a 3 blog post series by rachael Dalton-Taggart
In a day filled with 3D experiences, 3D Systems joined with the G.R.E.A.T 3D team at Richmond County schools in North Carolina for a 3D Open House.
(Image above, a student tries out Cubify Sculpt for the first time.)
More than 60 students today learned 3D scanning, 3D design and 3D printing in their first-ever exposure to 3D technology. As a building point from the successful 3D classes being run by Jeffries Epps, an educator at the school and a recent White House award winner for his work, the classes are being expanded to encourage many more students of every age to experience 3D.
Epps sees this kind of exposure to 3D, even at very early ages, as being the key to the future.
"As educators we have an obligation to bring current and future skills to students and yet I see 9th graders instead being taught Microsoft Word." he commented. "3D is the future, it will be the future of employable skills, and as soon as 5-6 years time, people without 3D skills will be at a disadvantage. And yet, our education system is caught in the 1990s."
The software from 3D Systems Geomagic enables engineers, designers, artists and manufacturers to be able to create content in 3D. Any content. Starting with scanning, the software delivers every level of design skill from consumer through to professional. 3D printing offers everyone from consumer through to high end manuafcturing a way to easily create products at every level.
(Image above - scanning Jeff Epps and another attendee with a kinect scanner and Geomagic software.)