This workflow has major implications for how the team will approach future projects. Priority Designs uses KeyShot throughout the product design process – it offers a large material library and the renders help communicate ideas to clients. The ability to go from KeyShot render to 3D print with few steps in between saves time and makes it easier to create physical prototypes.
“The translation between KeyShot and GrabCAD is one step,” said Stokes. “It’s one file that’s all packaged together, and it translates perfectly when you import it into GrabCAD for printing. So it’s seamless and time saving.”
Not only does it save weeks of prototyping time, the J55 and GrabCAD Print workflow also saves money. Full color, multimaterial models are costly to outsource and produce, but they’re much
less expensive to create in-house. And because it requires less active labor than traditional manufacturing techniques, designers have more free time to spend perfecting products.
“Having a full color 3D model in the middle of the design process really changes the game,” explained design intern Alicia Koslowski. “Being able to get design feedback on a model that looks like the real thing is huge.”