In a world where new “makerspaces” seem to open their doors each week, there is an increasing need for creative folks – designers, artists, and other so-called “makers” – to be able bring their concepts, ideas, and creations into the digital 3D world in order to make use of common makerspace tools, such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and CNC-router tables. However, creatives have often found themselves wading through a sea of irrelevant, out of date, overly technical, paywall-prohibited, or otherwise inaccessible educational content on common platforms such as YouTube.

To address the gap in 3D media resources for a growing population of would-be makers, Assistant Professor William Nickley, alongside undergraduate industrial design students Erika Strazinsky and Grace Gerber, set out to design a resource for a core audience of creatives. The resulting not-so-textbook - 3D Media for Creatives: An Open-access Living Library - was published through Ohio State’s Pressbooks platform under a Creative Commons license, making it freely accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

Access 3D Media for Creatives for free at https://go.osu.edu/3dmediabook

3D Media for Creatives: An Open-Access Living Library has three key features:

1. Up close: 3D modeling features – short videos that introduce specific 3D modeling techniques using animations, screen-captures, and easy-to-understand language
2. All at once: Planning and creativity to combine 3D modeling features – strategy videos that show how separate 3D modeling techniques come together to create a complex object
3. The wild west of 3D modeling: Resources to build your skills – a thoughtfully assembled resource guide, which includes “The List,” curated by creatives and referencing the best 3D modeling content across the Internet

3D Media for Creatives is living – the co-authors plan to expand its original video content and update “The List,” a curated collection of the best complimentary 3D modeling content available online, annually. 3D Media for Creatives will be integrated into the core industrial design curriculum.

Access 3D Media for Creatives for free at https://go.osu.edu/3dmediabook

This project was made possible by a grant from the Affordable Learning Exchange (ALX) at Ohio State.