In the ever-evolving world of product design, product designers are constantly on the lookout for innovative tools that can streamline their workflow without compromising on the quality of their creations, in a timely and cost-effective manner. At present, product designers, 3D model designers and enthusiasts alike are absolutely amazed by Toggle3D - an AI-powered 3D Design Studio that has revolutionized the 3D design system. In this blog, we will discuss the history of product design in brief, understand the challenges faced by product designers and learn how Toggle3D has emerged as a game-changer in this industry.
Product design as a formal practice can trace its roots back to the industrial revolution when new modes of production made it possible to mass produce industrial products for the first time. As Boris Mueller, professor of interaction design at FH Potsdam and co-director of the Urban Complexity Lab has pointed out, “Industrial products are not crafted but designed and mass-produced. A design is a template, the production is the implementation of the design.”
That reality, born in the industrial age, continues to be true. In those days, the design process was a time-consuming paper and pencil exercise. One change and it was literally “back to the drawing board.” That continued to be the case until the middle of the 20th century when CAD software started to arrive on the scene.
CAD stands for computer-aided design, and for the first time, it made it possible to digitally create 2D and 3D drawings of real-world products before they moved to production. The computers needed to run these tools were complex and expensive. As a result, CAD software was reserved for high-precision, high-cost and high-value industries like aerospace and automotive.
By the 1970s, computers were becoming more powerful, less expensive, and more accessible. New 3D CAD products made it possible for designers to create accurate 3D models on a computer screen. Progress continued, and specialized purpose-built software began to give way to more generalized packages when companies like Autodesk and others arrived on the scene.
Today, CAD software is used to create solid 3D models whose real-world “properties” can be adjusted, tweaked and evaluated before a single product goes into production. Design has come to an incredible distance since those first roughly-shaped stones - but there is still so much more to the story.
To learn why 3D design is the future, read this.
The 3D product design and imaging market are at an inflection point. Traditional 3D CAD is the most common product design tool. CAD files are ideal for manufacturing and machining since they can be easily converted and fed directly into a CNC (computer numerical control) machine for prototyping or manufacturing.
CAD design files don’t require details like color or material - in fact, many don’t even include that information. Even when that information is present, however, it is too rudimentary to create photorealistic CGI (computer-generated imagery) images. And photorealism is essential for engaging consumers.
To achieve this goal, CGI requires tessellated 3D meshes, which can be exported from many CAD programs. However, unlike CAD, where models are made of solids, everything in the world of CGI becomes a surface that can be endlessly refined and manipulated. This conversion is critical, but that doesn’t mean it is easy.
Listed below are a few problems associated with extracting and exporting tessellated 3D meshes from CAD applications:
CAD files contain too much extraneous information for many use cases. An artist simply trying to place a model of a car in an advertisement doesn’t need all of the manufacturing details these files typically include.
The files are often too dense and too large and need to be reduced in size. The mesh can become distorted and unusable during this file size reduction process.
The output is a single complex mesh which is less than ideal for texturing or other manipulation. This makes it difficult to add materials or colors to the model or its constituent parts.
The fact is, 3D modeling as an area of expertise has only become popular in the past few decades. While these skills are in high demand, they can’t be acquired quickly. Programs in this area are becoming available through a growing number of educational institutions, but due to the fast pace of change, they can never be fully mastered.
Legacy 3D modeling software packages have a long and steep learning curve. This might be fine for professionals in the field, but those just starting off in the industry can struggle to take full advantage of all the power these packages provide. Additionally, they are also expensive and can turn off folks who are hesitating to commit to their complexity.
Toggle3D is the ultimate ai powered 3D design studio. Whether you’re looking for a 3D design software to convert and texture CAD files, prototype design or generate AR designs, Toggle3D is a web-based intuitive tool anyone can use to turn CAD into web 3D and AR designs without prior design experience or skill!
Make Prototypes Come to Life: Change colors, textures and finishes in real-time as you design and engage with the model in 360 degrees before even manufacturing.
Enhanced Collaboration: Seamlessly communicate design changes in a remote environment by sharing this with anyone on the web
Save Time and Cost: Repurpose the same 3D model for design iterations, product promotions, or presentations before ever building it saving both time and money.
Step 1: Import CAD or 3D file
Step 2: Add materials from our pre-built library or make your own
Step 3: Share!
“Overall Toggle3D is very user friendly, and very easy to understand all the features.”
“Toggle3D has a versatile, seamless material library.”
“My favorite part is image search and seamless tiling options.”
To learn more, try Toggle3D out today: the ultimate studio to bring your 3D models to life.