Shapeways 3D Printspiration

Intro to Parametric Design & 3D-Printed Jewelry

Together we will create an extraordinarily meaningful and beautiful small object using parametric design and 3D-printing. We will begin with a simple piece of jewelry (Day 1), end with an advanced object of your choosing (Day 2), and then reconvene to share our real designs and receive invaluable feedback from some of NYC’s most creative designers (Day 3). You will learn how a multitude of discrete things - a ring, a necklace, a bracelet; a desk, a shelf, a chair; and even a building structure - can be realized through the use of a single parametric definition. Furthermore, you will explore the behavior of your design through the modulation of its different characteristics, a process that some designers refer to as search, so that you might discover something new beyond what you had first imagined. With help from this workshop, the tools of Rhino, Grasshopper, and Shapeways will become easy and fun to use. This 3-day workshop is intended for new users of Rhino and Grasshopper. Intermediate knowledge of any other 3D modelling software is highly recommended, but not required. No 3D-printing experience necessary. No coding experience necessary. Kevin’s Credentials Kevin Wei is a Jewelry Artist and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Architecture at Columbia University. He holds advanced degrees in architecture, urbanism, and applied research from Columbia University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Carnegie Mellon University. He believes in the extraordinary value of objects with meaningful stories, but recognizes that the speed and brevity encouraged by our digital lives has perhaps fooled many of us into valuing objects that are without a story. He works to return meaning to form, and teaches others to engage the art of storytelling in everything they create.