My Studio
by: Andrew Rider

This Spring semester, I took Wojciech Lesnikowski’s studio where we worked in groups to design a performing arts center for Lawrence, KS.  For the final presentations, we needed to provide renderings of our buildings along with a full set of working drawings.  Rendering in the past have been done by hand, but today, we have the computer technology to produce realistic-looking 3d models.  Like all projects a student works on, we started with a piece of paper and pencil to work out our ideas.  Soon after, we moved into the computers where we could start getting more precise dimensions to create our models.  There are a variety of programs in architecture today that we can use to aid us in the design process.  I have taken it upon myself to learn as many different programs as I can to prepare myself for the work place.  There are different programs used in different firms.  As a student, I feel it is our responsibility to be prepared for this and be able to adapt to the different working conditions. 

Andrew Rider, while working on his studio projects in the Bridge Lab.

The first program I used for Wojciech Lesnikowski’s studio projects is AutoCAD. It allowed my group to create all of our 2D working drawings in the computer.  From AutoCAD, we then moved to a modeling program called Rhino and 3dsMax.  I personally like to use Rhino for modeling then I take the model into 3dsMax for rendering.  Rhino is a modeling software that is becoming more popular in this school.  It is very user-friendly especially to students that already have experience with AutoCAD and SketchUp. 

Working in a group makes it a little interesting when it comes to modeling in the computer.  A lot of times there is a range of computer skills.  For instance, in the group I was working in, when it came to modeling there were two of us working in Rhino and one that modeled in AutoCad.  This worked fine because the files can be combined in Max later.  After the final model was assembled in 3dsMax, I applied materials and set up our renderings.  Max provided all of the tools we needed to accomplish this.  Having a studio like this can be very challenging.  It is a lot of work but in the end it is a very rewarding experience.   

            My advice to students is to learn as much of the software as you can before you are involved in a more digital studio.  It is already challenging to come up with and work out your designs in a semester so don’t add on the strain of learning new software at the same time.  There are a few semester-long classes offered at the school to teach students some of these complex programs.  Also, take advantage of the FREE tutoring that is available through the technology department each semester.  Just make sure that you are ready for the workplace by preparing yourselves now.  Good luck to all of you.