Hi there
The gap between design and manufacturing is of such a size that it is very advantageous to be an industrial designer with core engineering skills that take a product beyond prototyping phase. The best designers take into account opportunities from technology, marketing and user interaction fields in the earliest phase of a project and this requires a specific level of conceptual thinking. That varies for every target market and product group so it is good to specialize in a specific segment. If you already have a sense for design and professional skill set, you can already start working as a designer nowadays with portfolio-based hiring processes. You can start with products close to your comfort zone and further bridge the gap towards ID over the years. You can also specialize in sculpting for 3D scanning/printing and will be able to gain numerous clients. From there on you can start designing simple functional objects. The automotive world is a great opportunity but not easy to get in unless you have real experience. You can also look at robot design where there is a high demand for manufacturable but highly sculpted parts without necessarily having to comply with enormous amounts of technical requirements and regulations.
The least skills I would expect from a sculptor turning to ID, if I were hiring, are:
- Mastering at least the knowledge to design for manufacturing processes for 2 material groups (plastics + metals for example)
- Ability to run a 3D printer
- Being able to quickly generate and sketch out product ideas to high detail
- Great set of 3D CAD skills
- Fair teamplayer and dealing with criticism