Team Spotlight: Darren Chilton

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When not spending time with his wife and kids, mountain biking or golfing, solidThinking Program Manager of Product Strategy and Development Darren Chilton is leading the global solidThinking team in pursuing industrial design needs and trends.

A senior designer with solidThinking since 2008 and formerly the studio lead for transportation design with parent company Altair, the Battle Creek, Mich.-native has come a long way since his days as an industrial design student at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. He specializes in using his knowledge of the industrial design process, product development and technology to create tools that enable designers to work more efficiently.

“Keeping pace with emerging technology and new manufacturing processes is a huge challenge and requirement for designers to be successful,” said Chilton. “It’s also a potential opportunity. As technology evolves it will enable designers to have a greater impact in the product development process and increase their control over the form and function of the final product. Designers who embrace this knowledge will have a distinct advantage over their competition.”

Peek into Chilton’s office studio at any given moment and you will rarely find him there. Why? Chilton has translated his love for design, sketching, and adventure into a passion for sharing solidThinking with designers all over the world – by visiting design studios, international trade shows, industrial design organizations, solidThinking and reseller events and more. So it was a rare opportunity that we captured to briefly chat with Chilton about industrial design trends, product development and the world as he seizes it. Below is a glimpse into our interview:

Q&A with Darren Chilton

Where do you feel your field/industrial design is headed?

The gap between traditional industrial design and pure engineering is narrowing. ID-ers are getting more and more pressure to understand and contribute in the early stages of engineering. Additionally, engineers are pressured to pay more attention to the ID aspects of their products, which is working to create a common middle ground for both groups. That’s why our company is focused on the entire product development process and creating products that will provide solutions for these evolving requirements.

What do you think is the most game-changing feature or benefit that solidThinking offers its users and why?

It’s difficult to narrow it down to just one, but one of our strongest product features would have to be our hybrid modeling approach that combines NURBS surfacing with parametric construction history. This combination provides organic free-form surface development together with flexibility to edit your design without having to manually rebuild the model. This allows designers to really sketch their ideas in 3D space and explore many design alternatives, which enables them to make better design decisions.

But I would have to say that our greatest benefit is the people that make up the solidThinking team. From the developers that write the technical code to the graphic designers sweating every last pixel in the user interface, the entire team is highly customer-focused and sensitive to the end users’ needs. We spend a great deal of time with our customers and designers to make sure we are in tune with their wants, needs, and desires so that we are producing products and tools that are really useful and relevant for our customers.

Who is the most influential person in your life?

My wife and kids – Mandy, Brooklyn and Brosnan – they prevent me from being a complete workaholic and continually provide me with reality checks to ensure I maintain the appropriate perspective in life.

What was the last book that you read?

I have to admit I have never been much of a bookworm and this is an area I am working on. I’m more of a visual person, which explains partly why I became an industrial designer. My ideal pastime is sitting down with a pen and paper and sketching. For now my book reading is more focused on bedtime stories to my kids before tucking them in for the night.

What are a few words that describe you?

Focused, driven, impatient, sarcastic, workaholic (all given by my wife).

What is your favorite electronic or technology gadget?

My Android smartphone.

Do you have a hidden talent?

I raced motorcycles professionally and semi-pro in AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) and WERA Motorcycle Road Racing (one of the oldest and largest national sanctioning bodies conducting motorcycle races across the United States).

What is your favorite food?

Butter Pecan ice cream minus the pecans, Cuban and Ecuadorian food, and cherry-flavored Lifesavers, but not necessarily all in the same meal.

How do you want to be remembered?

At the risk of sounding cliché, a great husband and dad, someone who never took himself too seriously, and someone who had a positive impact on others.

Thank you Darren

Be on the lookout for more on the solidThinking team in future Team Spotlights.