Dear VH:
I'm not qualified to advise you in detail about this subject - nor many others - but I
would suggest a couple of people who very much are: One group that should know quite a bit
about the subject of SW, and education in general is:
Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America (MJSA) Inc.
45 Royal Little Drive
Providence, RI 02904
401-274-3840 ext. 3041
800-444-6572 ext. 3041
www.mjsainc.com
Suzanne B. Mascena
Director of Education
suzanne@mjsainc.com
Suzanne might be the right person to speak with in the org - but if not, she surely
knows who is.
One of the more renown programs in the field is at the Temple University, Tyler School
of Art in Philadelphia. If you'd like to really immerse yourself, that's one place to do
it:
http://www.temple.edu/crafts
The director is Stanley Lechtzin:
stanlech@temple.edu
If faced with a similar problem, my approach would be less structured: I'd take a look at
what other artists were using - many of their web pages discuss process - and get in touch
with them about pros and cons. If your questions are specific, you'll have a better chance
of a response. I'd also try to uncover some papers and articles on the subject. You can
find many artists working in the area on this page:
http://home.att.net/~castleisland/art_lks.htm
I'd suggest you use the bibliography and RP digest sections of our site for a quick search,
as well. They can easily be found from the directory page.
Then I'd just plunge in and try something to see what happened. It's been my experience
that once you learn one SW program well, you have a strong idea of the limitations it
presents. Then you can very easily discover and learn about other tools to get through
those barriers. Nothing you learn goes to waste.
Best regards,
Ed Grenda
Castle Island Co.
The Worldwide Guide to Rapid Prototyping
