HD·PD·07 Basic → Advanced
Rapid Prototyping & Model Making
Making an idea real enough to test.
Rapid prototyping converts a digital or sketched concept into a physical object that can be held, tested, and evaluated. This course covers 3D printing, foam and card modelling, and choosing the right prototyping fidelity for the specific question a prototype needs to answer.
In Development
This course's full module content is being written. The outline below is final, subscribe for updates when it publishes.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
- 01 Select a prototyping method appropriate to the question being tested
- 02 Build quick, low-fidelity physical models using foam and card
- 03 Use 3D printing appropriately within a prototyping workflow
- 04 Evaluate ergonomic and scale questions using physical models
- 05 Iterate a prototype quickly based on physical testing feedback
- 06 Distinguish a looks-like prototype from a works-like prototype
- Fidelity should serve the question, not the maker's preference
- Over-building a prototype wastes time that should go toward more iterations
- Foam and card models answer scale questions in minutes, not hours
- Physical models reveal proportion problems screens can hide
- 3D printing is a tool within a workflow, not a workflow by itself
- Printer constraints should be considered while modelling, not just at print time
- Screens cannot substitute for the tactile test of holding a model
- Ergonomic surprises are common between screen and physical model
- Looks-like and works-like prototypes answer different questions
- Building both qualities into one early prototype is usually unnecessary effort
- A prototype's value comes from the iteration it produces
- Testing without a planned iteration cycle wastes the prototype's insight