Digital is one stage, not the whole story
A scan can record form, a digital model can test scale, and machining or printing can create a production pattern. Each translation introduces decisions about resolution, seams, supports and finish.
The workshop still needs material knowledge: how a wax behaves, where a mold opens, how a cast section moves and where hand finishing belongs.
Preserve authorship
Files should record version, scale, operator, date and the artist’s approval. If an external service changes geometry, that contribution belongs in the project record.
A clean digital surface can look lifeless next to an intentional hand-modeled one. The goal is not to hide the route, but to make every stage serve the object.
Ask what the tool improves
Good reasons include repeatable scale changes, complex measuring, accessible prototyping and safer separation of certain tasks. “Because it is newer” is not a sufficient production brief.