The purpose of this course is to expose students to SolidWorks, a widely used solid modeling software program. Students will learn how to translate their hand-sketches into three-dimensional CAD models. Lectures and assignments will focus on the development of form as it applies to plastic part design and assembly. Physical models will be realized through ABS rapid prototyping allowing students to experience true plastic part design. Students should anticipate additional costs for supplies and materials.

Enrollment is limited to Sophomore Industrial Design Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design

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

The purpose of the CAD course is to introduce students to CAD softwares and techniques used in Industrial Design for 3D modeling. Students may select from sections devoted to (a) solid modeling for manufacturing and assembly, using software like Solidworks or Fusion 360, (b) surface modeling and rendering, using Rhino and Grasshopper, and (c) other forms of computer aided design. Specific offerings vary year to year. The CAD requirement is fulfilled by taking a CAD offering within the department or in a comparable course offered outside the department with department approval.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $100.00

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design

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

The purpose of the CAD course is to introduce students to CAD softwares and techniques used in Industrial Design for 3D modeling. Students may select from sections devoted to (a) solid modeling for manufacturing and assembly, using software like Solidworks or Fusion 360, (b) surface modeling and rendering, using Rhino and Grasshopper, and (c) other forms of computer aided design. Specific offerings vary year to year. The CAD requirement is fulfilled by taking a CAD offering within the department or in a comparable course offered outside the department with department approval.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $100.00

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design

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

The purpose of the CAD course is to introduce students to CAD softwares and techniques used in Industrial Design for 3D modeling. Students may select from sections devoted to (a) solid modeling for manufacturing and assembly, using software like Solidworks or Fusion 360, (b) surface modeling and rendering, using Rhino and Grasshopper, and (c) other forms of computer aided design. Specific offerings vary year to year. The CAD requirement is fulfilled by taking a CAD offering within the department or in a comparable course offered outside the department with department approval.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $100.00

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design

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

This course introduces the Graduate Thesis project starting with the development of a research question through secondary research reading methods. This question has its assumptions articulated and verified through experimental making and primary research methods that engage specific audiences for qualitative discourse.

Enrollment in this course is limited to Graduate Industrial Design Students.

Major Requirement | MID Industrial Design

This course introduces the Graduate Thesis project starting with the development of a research question through secondary research reading methods. This question has its assumptions articulated and verified through experimental making and primary research methods that engage specific audiences for qualitative discourse.

Enrollment in this course is limited to Graduate Industrial Design Students.

Major Requirement | MID Industrial Design

This course introduces the students to methods, materials, and manufacturing processes that translate design activity into finished goods. A significant portion of downstream design activity is devoted to manufacturing issues - the techniques by which materials are selected, shaped, and then assembled. Students will be evaluated based upon success of weekly field study research assignments and a final exam.

Enrollment is limited to Junior Industrial Design Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design

This course introduces the students to methods, materials, and manufacturing processes that translate design activity into finished goods. A significant portion of downstream design activity is devoted to manufacturing issues - the techniques by which materials are selected, shaped, and then assembled. Students will be evaluated based upon success of weekly field study research assignments and a final exam.

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design

This course concludes the Graduate Thesis through iterative prototyping, application and verification that positions and delivers a human-centered, discipline-engaging proposal that will be communicated through an exhibition format, product, product prototype and a final Graduate Thesis document.

Enrollment is limited to Graduate Industrial Design Students.

Major Requirement | MID Industrial Design

This course concludes the Graduate Thesis through iterative prototyping, application and verification that positions and delivers a human-centered, discipline-engaging proposal that will be communicated through an exhibition format, product, product prototype and a final Graduate Thesis document.

Enrollment is limited to Graduate Industrial Design Students.

Major Requirement | MID Industrial Design

You will be introduced to the fundamentals of footwear design and construction based on two different shoe styles: pump/court/slip-on and derby. During that first project you will develop skills for working with a last, pattern making, sewing, construction and finishing techniques. These skills will be applied to a second project of your own choosing and design. You will gain general understanding of the parameters of the last and its correlation to feet and pattern-making. You will gain general understanding of footwear production. From Sketching demo to Spec Specification Sheet Overview to different construction techniques applied. You will acquire a general understanding of footwear construction and terminology. You will learn basic pattern making skills and how to develop your own ideas/styles using the skills acquired. You will acquire skills necessary to work with the tools/machines on hand (knives, sewing machine, lasting pliers etc.) You will develop the skills necessary for constructing basic cemented footwear from start to finish, applying it to different styles. You will learn about materials used in shoemaking, in particular leather, but also alternative materials. For the second half of the semester (final project) you will apply and experiment using techniques/skills learned on a style of your choosing, incorporating your personal skill set to design and build your own unique footwear project (either a pair or two singles).

Elective

Designing Process: From Exploration to Application approaches design through a hands-on
investigation of material properties and fabrication techniques in wood. This 6-credit studio will
delve further into advanced woodworking techniques as a means to understand a process-based practice and its role in the design of functional objects. A deep understanding of these methods will enable students to design and develop a unique component as the foundation for a collection and consider application at various scales. We will explore form and materiality through process and employ a design-for-production mindset, bridging the gap between free exploration and focused application. Throughout the semester, students will learn to systemize their creative process for consistency and repetition. Ultimately, students will design a cohesive collection and craft a distinctive visual language that is their own. 

The tools and techniques integral to the production process are at the core of this studio. Jigs and fixtures embody a set of instructions as well as the material properties and methodologies at play. This not only makes many operations possible but also reproducible. Beyond their technical functions, the design and use of a jig or fixture offers a process-oriented, systematic approach to making. We will explore how jigs and fixtures can be used to design a process rather than just a product and engage in iterative making as a means of formal exploration. Students will approach this in different ways and alternate between creating jigs/ fixtures for a desired result and creating jigs/ fixtures to inspire new outcomes. 

This studio will consist of in-class demonstrations and exercises, guest lectures, and short-term projects that lead into the final project. Students are free to choose how they might apply their explorations (i.e.: furniture, toys, table-top objects) and will finish the semester with a small collection of final artifacts, designed through and around their unique component. The studio demos and lectures will be based in woodworking, though students are welcome to bring in other materials and skill sets. Students should expect to spend the majority of class time and outside work time in the woodshop.
 

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design, MID (2.5yr): Industrial Design

Get ready to immerse yourself in Senior Studio, determine the independent project you will work on, and create a robust portfolio project at RISD over the semester with the support of the faculty lead and an external advisor/expert. Utilize the shops, apply your skills, conduct design research, and develop, design, and communicate your ideas.

Senior Studio is a juried six-credit course for second-semester senior industrial design students with a solid academic record of success, those who have demonstrated the ability to conduct qualitative and quantitative design research, iterate ideas, explore solutions, validate concepts through testing, think critically, effectively communicate verbally and in writing, and present and document work.
Students must be self-motivated, organized, capable of directing their own design decisions, and able to create and adhere to a work schedule. They must also be committed to making tangible deliverables and to attaining and providing evidence of third-party validation of design solutions through user testing.

The faculty lead will host an info session mid-semester, provide an information sheet and application guidelines, and answer any questions. Interested students can apply.

During Wintersession, students will meet remotely for a second info session, develop a project proposal and timeline, and review the proposal in an individual remote meeting with the faculty lead.
Students will be encouraged to apply for grant funding (e.g., ID Health & Wellness Design Fund and the Marc Harrison Sustainability Fund), submitted by mid-to-late January, in time for review, approval, and tool and material purchases. 

The spring studio will meet twice weekly. Students must work independently and rigorously on their projects throughout the semester. Students will present their work to a broader audience twice, at mid-semester and during Studio Review Week.

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design, MID (2.5yr): Industrial Design

Additive Manufacturing? 
Roaming and crisscrossing between craft, digital fabrication and serial production

Manufacture: from Latin manu factus, literally, made by hand (Merriam Webster online)

This studio will explore the objects and possibilities that arise from using additive manufacturing as a method for serial production. The semester will start with the mapping of all the current 3d printing technologies, their strengths and weaknesses, and continue to speculate about the future of these technologies and their incorporation in production facilities, from the small workshop to the large factory. What kind of potentials do these technologies offer? How can they be employed to make objects different from the ones possible in traditional manufacturing? How can they be combined with other materials and methods of making to expand the range of object potentials?

This is inherently a making studio, that will incorporate learning about and testing materials,
technologies, field trips, speculative scenario building and more, to create vibrant and enticing results on a broad spectrum of possibilities. Outcomes could include full-scale furniture pieces, consumer products, Grasshopper scripts, written verse, printer prototypes and more.

Recommended Prerequisite: this is a CAD intensive course, however, it is not a CAD class, and there will be few software demos. Fluency in 3d modeling software (Solidworks, Rhino or the like) is necessary to succeed in this course.

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design, MID (2.5yr): Industrial Design

Recent advancements in materials science have opened unprecedented opportunities for invention. By manipulating materials at the molecular level, researchers are fundamentally transforming the properties of matter, leading to exciting new possibilities for designers. This course takes a materials-driven approach to explore how these emerging technologies can serve as catalysts for design innovation, offering students a chance to rethink our relationship with materials.

Throughout the course, we will investigate a range of responsive materials (smart materials and biomaterials) that react dynamically to changes in their environment. These materials can alter their color, shape, stiffness, fluidity, or even generate electricity or emit light. Unlike conventional materials, responsive materials often behave in ways that are akin to living organisms, demonstrating observable changes when stimulated. This unique capability has propelled designers to explore new realms of innovation. What might you invent with them?

The first part of the course will consist of many quick, ungraded projects, each focused on a different type of responsive substance. These exploratory exercises are designed to encourage profound, adventurous experimentation and inspire original ideas. In the final four weeks, each student will propose and create a project that synthesizes some of the knowledge and insights gained through prior investigations.

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design, MID (2.5yr): Industrial Design

This studio course offers an opportunity to explore advanced biomaterials, engage with experts, collaborate with peers, and develop innovative climate solutions for water scarcity. Over the semester, we will work alongside faculty and students from the Department of Architecture, specifically within the ARCH-21ST: The Tall Building Workshop studio course. Together, we will design atmospheric water generators for tall buildings in arid regions, utilizing responsive biomaterials to transform dry desert air into liquid water.

In 2010, the United Nations recognized access to water as a fundamental human right and included it in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6.1). However, ensuring clean water access remains a challenge, particularly in climate-affected areas where global warming disrupts rainfall patterns, intensifies droughts, and depletes water resources. As freshwater availability declines due to environmental pressures, this project focuses on harnessing hygroscopic biocomposites and biodesign principles to support arid communities in adapting to climate change. The approach spans multiple scales, from standalone devices and installations to integrated roof and façade systems for skyscrapers.

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design, MID (2.5yr): Industrial Design