Inside Oakley's TOP SECRET Prototype Facility (aka The 'O' Model Shop)
Inside Oakley’s super secretive in-house model shop facility showcases a perfect example of where a high level low tech / high tech and model maker / designer team integration is crucial to the product develop cycle. Although the speed of 3d printers and additive manufacturing have become a factor of life, there still exists a true artistry and craftsmanship involved in building high-level presentation models for internal team evaluation. Talk to any hardcore designer working in the industry and they will agree — the high touch, emotional, and tactile sensibilities that go hand in hand with TRUE skill in fine craftsmanship can fully never be replaced — despite by whatever ‘latest and greatest’ new technologies may make their way into the equation.
The full HYPEBEAST feature is available here: Finding Purpose in Product Design with Oakley Eyewear
“We create beautiful designs and to realize them, we have to build them three-dimensionally. Our industrial designers have drawings that our modeling team will ultimately build. They take two-dimensional drawings and create three-dimensional forms. They do it both traditionally — by hand and sculpting — as well as in a 3d space, of CAD and 3d printing. We take that 3d model, evaluate it, and the designers and modelers continue to iterate and interact, so that the product actually fulfills what it is meant to do.” - Peter Yee, VP of Design
