I first delved into 3D Modeling during my time at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, where I took classes utilizing 3D Studio release 4 alongside Autocad release 13. Outside of academic settings, I expanded my skills with Truespace. In 2005, my involvement with the game Second Life offered a practical platform to hone my 3D modeling skills, particularly in texture creation. The introduction of sculpties let me use tools like Blender to create objects. As the platform evolved to support mesh objects, so did my skills. With the rising popularity of 3D Printing, I diversified my toolkit to include software such as SketchUp and Tinkercad. I also explored more specialized applications, such as transforming a CAT scan of my mother’s brain into a 3D model and utilizing a Microsoft Kinect to scan myself. Once LIDAR was available on mobile devices, I learned how to monitor various objects, including my car, the Gazebo on Main Street in Front Royal, and my garage for precise measurements ahead of installing a subpanel and an EV charger. Part of the fun is figuring out how to convert one format into another for editing in another tool.
Lewis Moten 