Virtual Bench Jeweler

Jewelry Discussion
1

Hi All,

New Approach School for Jewelers is excited to launch some new web
content called the Virtual Bench Jeweler. VBJ uses a browser plug-in
that allows viewers to interact with 3D jewelry object across the
web. I am really excited about the potential this has for teaching
intricate techniques that can be difficult to explain even with the
best video technology. You can rotate objects or zoom in on the fine
details while you manipulate tools and stones from a number of
different perspectives.

I have posted two examples of this at
http://newapproachschool.com/html/virtual.html The virtual
environments load incredibly fast even on a 28k modem. Please keep
in mind that this content is in its infancy. I look forward to
adding new and improved versions very soon. I welcome any feedback or
suggestions at @Blaine_Lewis1

Blaine lewis

1 Like
2

Blaine,

I took a look. Very impressive! It did load very fast, and I
couldn’t believe the resolution! I look forward to seeing this
develop. If you haven’t seen this, take a look. It’s worth it.
http://newapproachschool.com/html/virtual.html

Bob
Robert Wise Studio

3

Blaine–or anyone-- I’ve been trying since the original message to
open the “virtual bench.” It quickly loads to 81.6%, then stops,
sometimes freezing my computer. Any ideas what I’m doing wrong, or
need to do right, to get past the problem? Thanks!
Noel

4

Noel, It is not your computer. I have a DSL line and it took a long
time to come up and then it didn’t work very well after I got it
loaded. Very frustrating to work with. I Gave up, I have more
important things to do than try and use a program that doesn’t
perform.

JewelWood Studio
Jack McDaniel
POB 1409
4705 240th St SE
Bothell WA 98041
(425) 486-9205

5

Jack, I have a DSL line and had no problem with using it once I
loaded the plug-in and read the instructions. As a person confined
to a wheelchair I’ve encountered the classrooms somewhat challenging
to say the least. Whereas many 'able-bodied people have the ability
to look down on a instructor while showing a technical, I can only
watch from the side-line. By having this limitation, you miss out on
a great deal of detail.

As Blaine stated, this is still in it’s infant stage, I can see with
improvement, this could become a valuable tool to many.

Blaine, keep up the good work! I’m friends with Randy Smith who
attended your school last year, he has told me many wonderful things
about your setup. Good luck.

Terri Collier
Dallas, TX
@Terri_Collier

6

Jack, Actually, the program does work and it works very well… Also
it is very easy to use… I have a cable modem at my business and a
regular land line at my home, both internet connections work just
fine with the Virtual Bench… Maybe it is your system or maybe you
are just not using it properly… You shouldn’t be so harsh on
it…I think it isreally a great teaching and learning tool and
will be even better in the future. Blaine Lewis and his New Approach
school are on the cutting edge… Way to go Blaine!! I think the
virtual Bench is awesome… Marc Williams

7

Hi All,

We have updated our content for those of you that may have been
experiencing problems. We originally made our content for display on
a Macintosh G4 with a very fast video card. Some computers with
older video cards may have had problems with the way we set up our
content - which was hardware accelerated. We now offer a link that
will provide you with a software accelerated version. This version
will be slower on some machines but should be faster on machines with
older video cards. We are hoping to eventually find a good balance
of speed and quality that will work on as many computers as possible.
Thank you for your patience while we experiment and improve our
content. We welcome your feedback. This is an extremely cutting
edge process and we will do our best to solve any problems you may be
having.

Thank you,
Blaine Lewis