Mesh Monthly - How to become Gravity Sketch Certified! A step-by-step guide.

Welcome back to #MeshMonthy, our monthly round-up of company and industry news! To follow up on April’s news about our Gravity Sketch Certified Trainer accreditation, we thought that it’s only right to delve deeper into the Gravity Sketch Certification scheme and break down how you too could become Gravity Sketch Certified!

But first, a little bit of context.

The certification scheme works in four stages, starting with ‘Designer’, then to ‘Professional’, followed by ‘Expert and completes with ‘Trainer’. Each certification level requires a deeper understanding of the software, covering the different Gravity Sketch tools, gestures and processes. By the time you’re a certified trainer, you should have a holistic and solidified bank of knowledge of the software and its capabilities.

I understand the software but why should I become certified?

There are a number of bonuses to become Gravity Sketch certified so we’ve knuckled it down to four key reasons:

• Skill validation

  • Accreditation is always a good thing to have, whatever you might do whether that's learning a new design software, piece of machinery or skill. It’s very easy for us to say we’re proficient in something but how do you quantify that you understand it to a professional level? Certification serves as proof of your proficiency with the software and shows that you have met a recognised standard of knowledge and skills.

• Professional Development

  • Employers are always looking for ways for their team to boost their skill set. One method of doing so is through Continued Professional Development (CPD) which contains a structured learning path (such as our courses!) to ensure you gain a comprehensive understanding of specific skills and implementation methods. CPDs ensure that you’re always learning something new and improving your output within your role. Not all CPD has to be directly related to your day-to-day tasks, it could involve shadowing someone else within the company, attending a conference or learning how to bring in new software to your company (such as Gravity Sketch!). Some companies run their CPD accreditations on a points basis, others may run it on an ad-hoc basis, requiring you to show your development at an annual or quarterly review/appraisal. Whichever method your company uses, feel free to get in-touch with the team if you need approval or additional information about our courses before you book.

• Increased efficiency and productivity

  • By mastering a skill such as Gravity Sketch, it should improve your design efficiency and productivity. If implemented correctly into your workflow, you should see an immediate reduction across your workflow.

• Personal Achievement

  • Who doesn’t like earning a certificate in something?! You’ve worked hard and learnt something new that will (hopefully!) make you more employable, knowledgable and experienced so why not be rewarded for it? Plus it’s something official to boost your professional credibility and put into your portfolio, CV and LinkedIn profiles.

How long does it take to complete?

• Each certification requires a different set of skills and software knowledge which will take more time to complete as you go up in certification. The certifications are based on your capabilities and confidence with the software and are paired with your time spent in the software.

• To achieve the Designer Certification, you must complete 8 hours in Gravity Sketch.

• To achieve the Professional Certification, you must complete 30 hours in Gravity Sketch.

• We've designed a series of accelerator courses to teach you the fundamental tools, for both accreditations in as little as 4 hours! Click here to view our courses!

What equipment do you need?

• If you are taking part in the certification process with us, you only need to bring your laptop/tablet to access LandingPad. If you’re completing the certification individually, you’ll need a VR headset (ideally a Meta Quest 2 or newer), LandingPad account and access to a PC/tablet.

• You will need to record your design process for submission which you can do in-headset however, this depends on your headset type. For tethered headsets such as Oculus Rift or HTC Vive Pro, you’ll need to install the Gravity Sketch app and OBS to record your screen. Watch this short video from Gravity Sketch to learn how to do this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaxtGefKG7Q

Level 1: Gravity Sketch Certified Designer

The designer certification is the starting point for anyone who wants to become certified. Without the Designer certification, you can not progress to any other level. This certification is ideal for new users and design students. As of July 2024, to be eligible for the certification, you must complete 8 hours in Gravity Sketch and be proficient in sketching, surfacing, iteration, screenshotting and sharing.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the content we cover through our certification accelerator to help you become a Gravity Sketch certified Designer:

• Onboarding

  • Breaking down the Gravity Sketch UI and walking you through the basic tools such as stroke and ink and layer organisation.

• Wireframing

  • Use sketch tools sub-menus to wireframe simple structures and understand the theory behind edit mode.

• Basic Surfacing

  • Collaboratively we’ll build a SubD model from a wireframe sketch to refine the shape of a model and add a sense of realism. All our courses are context led so we’ll help you design something based on your interests or industry.

• Ideation

  • Collating your new skills, we’ll move on to a series of design challenges to help develop your workflow and design process. Iteration is key here, so we’ll give you an in-depth look into smart move and object duplication.

Core Skills:

• LandingPad organisation

• Sketching

• Surface modelling

• Iteration

• Prefab imports

• Screenshots

• Sharing

Our course:

• Learn the core Gravity Sketch skills alongside our certified Trainers and ensure you’re starting your Gravity Sketch journey on the right foot with the correct technique.

• In-person. (Nottingham)

• 4 hours.

• Includes a certification review.

• Headsets are provided.

Level 2: Gravity Sketch Certified Professional

Within the Professional certification, you’ll want to refine your skills in your design industry whether that’s automotive, footwear, apparel or industrial design. To be eligible for the professional certification, you’ll need to have completed 30 hours in VR and be proficient in advanced surfacing, speed form iteration and presentations.

Here’s how we’ll support you to earn your Gravity Sketch Certified Professional accreditation:

• 2D to 3D conversion

  • We’ll start of the session with a brief recap of the core skills and then work towards converting 2D pen-to-paper sketches into a 3D model using planar sketching, edit mode and the mirror tool.

• Speedform and rapid ideation

  • Rapid ideation is incredibly easy in Gravity Sketch, but it’s imperative that you understand the basics before you create 100s of models. Using the mirrored ink tool we’ll show you how to create loose outline sketches that can then be refined for surface modelling at a later stage

• Advanced surface modelling

  • The second half of the session focuses on advanced surface modelling. This is where we’ll go through SubD theory such as topology and good practice.

• Design Presentation

  • The final part of the session focuses on product presentation and sharing your work with prospective clients. We’ll show you how to bring in a HDR and create multiple viewpoints to create immersive user journeys.

  • We’ll top off the session with a brief demo of how to export your work into your favourite rendering software allowing you to create a picture-perfect portfolio!

Core Skills:

• Speedform development

• Surface modelling

• Presentation

Our course:

• Looking to solidify your knowledge of Gravity Sketch’s advanced tools and abilities? With the support of our Gravity Sketch Certified Trainers, we regularly host a Certified Professional Accelerator to help you get up to speed and ensure you’re learning the correct techniques from the get-go!

• In-person/Online.

• 6 hours.

• Headsets are provided for in-person attendees.

Level 3: Gravity Sketch Certified Expert (coming soon!)

The Expert Certification is more about putting your skills to use rather than learning the intricacies of the software. During the certification process, you’ll need to submit a collection of work and a short presentation demonstrating how you use Gravity Sketch.

Core Skills:

• Workflow Integration

• Holistic and comprehensive understanding of the software

• Refined SubD modelling

• Presentation Room development

Submission Requirements:

• Have completed a minimum of 50 hours in Gravity Sketch (VR).

• Workflow Presentation

  • As part of the submission, you will need to detail your workflow from start to finish including ‘pre-gravity sketch’ work and other software used. The video will need to include narration or subtitles explaining your project and the process.

• Portfolio

  • You will also need to share three examples or projects where you’ve used Gravity Sketch within your design process.

Our course:

Through our bespoke training service, we have developed a specialist package to help you secure your Expert certification. The package will include:

• An Online consultation to help us understand the support you need and your current understanding of the software

• 3-6 hours of in-depth training and submission support, tailored to your workflow. Our Gravity Sketch-certified trainers will develop a specialist training course to help you to refine your submission with immediate feedback and model development, all in the context of your industry or interest.

• Once you’re ready to submit, the team will review your submission before it’s sent to Gravity Sketch. We’ll advise on where you could improve and ensure you’ve got your documents together for submission.

Earn your certifications with Mesh Training Ltd.!

We have a series of new courses and workshops coming up over the summer so be sure to follow us on our socials to keep in the loop with the latest updates!

Further information about the certification scheme can be found on the Gravity Sketch site here: https://www.gravitysketch.com/certification-program/