Brian James has a passion for the world of 3D digital creation. Aside from his full-time work in software development and support (Rhino 3D), he enjoys teaching emerging designers at RISD the tips and tricks he utilizes daily. He also works as a freelance industrial designer, a role in which he embraces industry-standard surface and solid CAD data for manufacturing as well as polygonal and simulation technologies that serve as a foundation for the visual effects field. In this marriage of 3D worlds, he leverages the best tools for the goal at hand, be it NURBS geometry for transfer to engineering, material and finish renderings for marketing review or animated storytelling for sales and focus groups.
Courses
Fall 2024 Courses
ID 2477-01 - ADVANCED CAD
LevelUndergraduate
UnitIndustrial Design
Subject Industrial Design
Period Fall 2024
Credits 3
FormatStudio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date
ID 2477-01
ADVANCED CAD
LevelUndergraduate
UnitIndustrial Design
Subject Industrial Design
PeriodFall 2024
Credits3
FormatStudio
ModeIn-Person
Start and End2024-09-04 to 2024-12-11
Times: F | 8:00 AM - 1:00 PMInstructor(s): Brian JamesLocation(s): Industrial Design Building, Room 600-2Enrolled / Capacity: 15Status: Closed
SECTION DESCRIPTION
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to advanced CAD techniques for 3D modeling and rendering. Extending the department's CAD education from 'Designing with Solidworks,' multiple industrial design projects will be taught primarily using Rhino and Grasshopper. In this course, students will become familiar with polygonal Meshes, NURBS surfaces & solids, SubD surfaces and Voxel volumes. Additionally, the workflow of setting up physically based materials, texture mapping and lighting to communicate designs via digital renderings will be taught. Students will also be able to explore connections with other programs (e.g. Blender, Nomad Sculpt, KeyShot, Zbrush etc.) if desired. The specific offerings vary year to year.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $100.00
Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design
ID 2477-02 - ADVANCED CAD
LevelUndergraduate
UnitIndustrial Design
Subject Industrial Design
Period Fall 2024
Credits 3
FormatStudio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date
ID 2477-02
ADVANCED CAD
LevelUndergraduate
UnitIndustrial Design
Subject Industrial Design
PeriodFall 2024
Credits3
FormatStudio
ModeIn-Person
Start and End2024-09-04 to 2024-12-11
Times: F | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PMInstructor(s): Brian JamesLocation(s): Industrial Design Building, Room 600-2Enrolled / Capacity: 15Status: Closed
SECTION DESCRIPTION
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to advanced CAD techniques for 3D modeling and rendering. Extending the department's CAD education from 'Designing with Solidworks,' multiple industrial design projects will be taught primarily using Rhino and Grasshopper. In this course, students will become familiar with polygonal Meshes, NURBS surfaces & solids, SubD surfaces and Voxel volumes. Additionally, the workflow of setting up physically based materials, texture mapping and lighting to communicate designs via digital renderings will be taught. Students will also be able to explore connections with other programs (e.g. Blender, Nomad Sculpt, KeyShot, Zbrush etc.) if desired. The specific offerings vary year to year.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $100.00
Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design
Spring 2025 Courses
ID 2477-01 - ADVANCED CAD
LevelUndergraduate
UnitIndustrial Design
Subject Industrial Design
Period Spring 2025
Credits 3
FormatStudio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date
ID 2477-01
ADVANCED CAD
LevelUndergraduate
UnitIndustrial Design
Subject Industrial Design
PeriodSpring 2025
Credits3
FormatStudio
ModeIn-Person
Start and End2025-02-13 to 2025-05-23
Times: F | 8:00 AM - 1:00 PMInstructor(s): Brian JamesLocation(s): Industrial Design Building, Room 600-2Enrolled / Capacity: 15Status: Closed
SECTION DESCRIPTION
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to advanced CAD techniques for 3D modeling and rendering. Extending the department's CAD education from 'Designing with Solidworks,' multiple industrial design projects will be taught primarily using Rhino and Grasshopper. In this course, students will become familiar with polygonal Meshes, NURBS surfaces & solids, SubD surfaces and Voxel volumes. Additionally, the workflow of setting up physically based materials, texture mapping and lighting to communicate designs via digital renderings will be taught. Students will also be able to explore connections with other programs (e.g. Blender, Nomad Sculpt, KeyShot, Zbrush etc.) if desired. The specific offerings vary year to year.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $100.00
Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design
ID 2477-02 - ADVANCED CAD
LevelUndergraduate
UnitIndustrial Design
Subject Industrial Design
Period Spring 2025
Credits 3
FormatStudio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date
ID 2477-02
ADVANCED CAD
LevelUndergraduate
UnitIndustrial Design
Subject Industrial Design
PeriodSpring 2025
Credits3
FormatStudio
ModeIn-Person
Start and End2025-02-13 to 2025-05-23
Times: F | 2:00 PM - 7:00 PMInstructor(s): Brian JamesLocation(s): Industrial Design Building, Room 600-2Enrolled / Capacity: 15Status: Closed
SECTION DESCRIPTION
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to advanced CAD techniques for 3D modeling and rendering. Extending the department's CAD education from 'Designing with Solidworks,' multiple industrial design projects will be taught primarily using Rhino and Grasshopper. In this course, students will become familiar with polygonal Meshes, NURBS surfaces & solids, SubD surfaces and Voxel volumes. Additionally, the workflow of setting up physically based materials, texture mapping and lighting to communicate designs via digital renderings will be taught. Students will also be able to explore connections with other programs (e.g. Blender, Nomad Sculpt, KeyShot, Zbrush etc.) if desired. The specific offerings vary year to year.
