|
|
Santolupo's High School Students Tackle Real-World Design Challenges
10 Sep, 2009 By: Kenneth WongUnencumbered by preconceived notions, teens experiment with technologies of tomorrow.
Mike Santolupo was overseeing the development of a concept car, code-named Evolution. Set to be complete in four to six months, the exotic-looking passenger vehicle would incorporate wheelchair access, among other features. The rear hatch would open to release a ramp, allowing a wheelchair user to drive straight into the car.
Santolupo felt fortunate that he was surrounded by a team of designers unencumbered by preconceived notions of how a car is supposed to look. Some of the geometry and surfaces his team created might make old-school carmakers raise their eyebrows, but Santolupo wasn't the least bit troubled. After all, his mission was to create a new school of design.
In the 17 years he has been teaching design courses, Santolupo turned his classroom at John Paul II Catholic Secondary School in London, Ontario, Canada, into a ministudio. In his class, aspiring inventors, architects, and industrial designers ranging in age from 14 to 18 use Wacom tablets and refurbished HP workstations loaded with Autodesk AliasStudio, Autodesk SketchBook Pro, Autodesk Inventor, and Autodesk Showcase to put the theory of digital prototyping into practice.
At John Paul II Catholic Secondary School, former General Motors CAD designer Mike Santolupo teaches a design course in an environment modeled on a working studio.
Shedding Preconceived Ideas
One of the reasons John Paul II is able to get easy access to the professional titles in Autodesk manufacturing, media, and entertainment solutions is, according to Santolupo, a reciprocal relationship the school has struck with the software maker.
"Autodesk has been extremely generous in allowing us to use its software for free; in return, I share with them the students' works and serve as a presenter at the annual Autodesk University event," he explained.
Santolupo's students use professional 3D modeling software from Autodesk in a course that focuses on digital prototyping.
1 2 3
|
|
AutoCAD Tips!
Autodesk Technical Evangelist Lynn Allen guides you through a different AutoCAD feature in every edition of her popular "Circles and Lines" tutorial series. For even more AutoCAD how-to, check out Lynn's quick tips in the Cadalyst Video Gallery. Subscribe to Cadalyst's Tips & Tricks Tuesdays free e-newsletter and we'll notify you every time a new video tip is available. All exclusively from Cadalyst! |
|
