CAD stands for Computer-Aided Design, and refers to any program which allows you to create a 2D drawing or 3D object.

CAM stands for Computer-Aided manufacturing, and refers to 3D printers, CNC mills, laser engravers, or other such machines which take computer files and turn them into real objects.

Rapid prototyping is a category of CAM machines which use some type of 3D printing or CNC milling technology to produce objects based on a computer file.

Jewellery uses these programs and machines in conjunction with lost wax casting to manufacture precious metal jewellery.

For more details read my beginner's guide to jewellery CAD, 3D printing, and lost wax casting.

Currently, there are six commonly used major jewellery CAD programs: 3Design, JewelBeetle, MatrixGold, Rhino 3D, RhinoArtisan, and Zbrush.

But there are also several minor jewellery CAD programs still commonly used. Some are programs intended for specialist work, such as Adobe Illustrator and Carveco. We also have discontinued but still popular software such as JewelCAD, Matrix 9, and RhinoGold.

To learn more about the advantages of each program, and see some comparisons as to which programs are best for certain tasks, read my comparison of jewellery CAD programs.

Whether you've just left school and are looking for a vocation, or are already in work and looking to change your career, jewellery could be a good choice for you if you have an interest in gemstones and fashion accessories, and like the idea of making your own.

Read my article on getting started in jewellery design for some helpful tips for those just getting started and wanting to know where to begin.

Every city with a well-established jewellery industry has set up some resources for helping support the next generation of jewellers as they enter the business. This could be magazines, professional organisations, trade shows, or jewellery-specific online resources.

Read my trade and technology information resources for new jewellers for a list of the most useful of these I have discovered over the decades.

If you already have a jewellery CAD program you like but it cannot do everything you want, you might go looking for another program to fill in those gaps.
To save you some time, I've made a list of common programs which pair well together for certain jewellery-specific tasks. Read my article on good jewellery CAD software combinations.

Yes. Everything you learn about jewellery design drawing and jewellery making by hand will make you a better jewellery CAD modeller, and vice versa.

For many years many jewellery professionals worried if jewellery CAD will replace traditional handmaking skills, but as time went on it became clear jewellery CAD was merely another specialist skill in jewellery, and if anything the need for hand-making skills increased as jewellery CAD spread.

While most jewellery CAD programs have some capacity to produce photorealistic renders, very simple short animations, or export models for other game development programs to use, they are definitely not designed for these purposes.

Product design CAD, digital effects, and real time computer graphics (such as used in video games and virtual reality) are three different specialisms of 3D CAD modelling. While they share many of the same tools and core modelling concepts each has different priorities and workflows, and learning one won't teach you to make the others.

For more details on the differences, read my article on the differences between product design CAD, digital effects, and RT computer graphics.

The trouble with professional CAD programs is they're priced for businesses, not for individuals. These programs can be big investments for a professional business or self-employed individual.

That being said, most companies offer either payment plans, trial or student versions, or there are even lower cost alternatives available from third party developers.

Read my article on how to pay for jewellery CAD software for more details.

Nowadays, most CAD software can run on either PC or Mac, although some programs are much easier to set up on PC.

As for computer specifications, the short answer is get a gaming PC with a dedicated graphics card (either Nvidia or Radeon). But if you want to see more specific specifications, or learn a little more about what all these computer terms mean, read my article on recommended specifications for a Jewellery CAD PC.

3D printing technology seems to improve even more quickly than CAD software. But as of this last update there are several common recommendations for home and small scale business 3D printers, such as the Asiga and Solidscape.
For a more detailed list of my latest recommendations, read my article on the most recommended 3D printers and rapid prototyping machines for jewellery manufacturing.

3D scanning technology has come a long way over the past 18 years, and when I last checked the models produced by the scanners were more robust than ever.
Having said that, the models they produce still need a lot of additional refinement to be precise enough to make for good CAD models for 3D printing.
Read my article on Using 3D scanners for jewellery CAD/CAM for my full analysis.

Parametric CAD modelling is a variety of CAD which tracks the steps of building your model as a history tree, allowing you to change earlier steps and affect later steps.

Direct CAD modelling is a variation on the concept of parametric modelling which allows you to achieve a more limited amout of history control over the stages of a model's development without having to manage a history tree.

See my full description of how these processes work in my article on parametric modelling and direct modelling in jewellery CAD.

Even though many training schemes for helping newcomers to creative fields have disappeared over the past decade as government funding has been cut, there are still several schemes and training programs out there which can help jewellers grow their businesses.

In my article on mentoring and training schemes to help grow jewellery businesses, I provide a list of ones currently available.

There are different advantages and limitations to each type of training course. But after spending several years both teaching and taking classes in every one of these methods of course delivery, I have concluded the advantages of live online training are the best of all worlds.

Read my article comparing online CAD training, video tutorials, and offline CAD courses for my reasoning and their respective advantages.

While it's easy to understand why people might be skeptical of the need to upgrade with the advent of monthly subscription models for software, that doesn't mean the updates made by developers aren't worth it. It's just more a question of how often you use the software and how important it is to your business.

For my full thoughts on upgrading software, ready my article on CAD software upgrades.