TESTIMONIALS
I’ve taken two classes with Akiyo and they have been extremely useful. As a sneakers designer I felt I really needed to learn 3D rendering. Knowing Rhino makes you a better designer and simplify the process of making outsoles molds.
My first class was the introduction to Rhino which gave me the basic understanding of the different Rhino tools. Later I took the Sub D class which I highly recommend to designers interested in organic shapes. It was very easy and fast to understand.
What makes Akiyo a great teacher is not only her superior understanding of the program itself but her patience with her students. Sometimes the tools are not that easy to learn but she encourages you ask questions and she answers them with the best attitude. At the end of the day she just want you to learn the best possible way.
Thanks Akiyo!
-Carlos L., September 2022
​
Akiyo’s online courses have been a huge help for me!
My first course was intermediate Rhino. She teaches us step by step until a problem is being solved during the session by sharing our screens to make sure that we would not fall behind. I was amazed by her depth of knowledge, she would answer any questions we ask in a concise, logical manner that they were easy for me to understand the complex techniques of Rhino & Keyshot.
The recordings from each session not only helped me to review the materials, but also strengthened my skills.
To be honest, the Intro & Intermediate Grasshopper courses were challenging for me at the beginning as the methods and tools are quite different from Rhino; however, Akiyo's well-organized approach broadened my perspective and concept of jewelry and other 3D objects as well.
I love Akiyo's classes so much that I took SubD, and am currently taking private lessons with her.
I highly recommend her online courses; she will inspire you and open doors to different dimensions of jewelry design!
-Setsuko O. January 2022
​
Rhino really intimidated me before I took Akiyo’s class. Akiyo does a great job of introducing the tools to use in both the Intro and Intermediate classes. She does an amazing job of breaking down each step and makes Rhino so much more accessible! She provides many helpful shortcuts and when presented with a problem, provides options to solve the problem as there are multiple ways to achieve the same result when creating a piece. I highly recommend Akiyo’s classes!
-Jennifer K. August 2021
Akiyo's Intro to Rhino class was really helpful for me as a new jewelry designer. I had never used CAD software before but this class was a great introduction to the software and I'm already making my own (simple) pendants. It's a great jumping-off point even for a total beginner like me. You are supposed to re-watch the class recordings and practice in between classes, and it does help you get the most out of the class.
-Lauren B. November 2020
​
I used Rhino in two courses in Grad School but never felt well versed or confident. I signed up for Akiyo’s beginner’s class hoping I wasn’t wasting my time or money covering things I already knew. Akiyo taught the course differently than my previous professor and I added so much to my skill set. Rhino frequently has more than one way of doing things and Akiyo made sure that every student understood each step before we moved on to more complicated techniques. Our course was completely online but we were able to share our screen’s with Akiyo when we were having problems and she was able to guide us and explain how to make techniques work. Akiyo is a patient, competent, knowledgeable Rhino instructor and I am thrilled that I learned so much; it was time and money well spent for me. I would definitely recommend Akiyo’s class.
-Lisa D T. September 2020
​
I have been using Rhino for years but have never taught it. Just about 6 weeks before the start of the semester at my university, I was assigned to teach a beginning Rhino class. I signed up with Akiyo so that I could fill in some gaps in my Rhino knowledge. The class was better than I hoped. I added so much to my skill set. Akiyo has a deep knowledge of the software and has a great way of presenting the information. I am looking forward to the Intermediate class coming up.
-Daniel C.
Sculptor/Professor, August 2020
Before I took Akiyo’s class, I had no idea how to use Rhino. I struggled to complete simple tasks, and no matter how many YouTube tutorials I watched I just couldn’t get it! After taking Akiyo’s Introductory and Advanced classes, my skills in Rhino drastically improved and I am able to complete complex assignments in Rhino in a shorter amount of time. My boss is very pleased with my progress and we couldn’t be more satisfied with Akiyo’s program. What really sealed the deal was Akiyo’s wonderful personality and patient teaching spirit. I strongly recommend Akiyo and her class to anyone who is willing to learn Rhino. Five stars!”
-Adrienne A. January 2020
Akiyo's class is really really good, and it is the most worthy investment of my 2019.
I work as an interior designer and my job demands 3d modeling and 2d drafting.
After the 3 Saturday's training, I became very excited about my job again because I transferred my working tool to Rhino.
Rhino makes design so much easier and fun to play with.
Akiyo is the most patient and clear 3D software teacher that any student can ask for. She keeps the class small scale so everyone is the class is taken care of. Akiyo uses various small exercise to knowledge us the concept behind each comment so we could explore the software even further and come back to her with questions. She always finds out the answer for you.
Akiyo not only teaches us the Rhino comments but also trains our hand muscle memory to be comfortable working with this software. Akiyo is so nice and this class is so clear. I highly recommend this class to everyone who is thinking about learning Rhino.
-Cindy C. December 2019
I recently took Akiyo ’s Rhino 3D for beginners level course this past Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9-5:30 each day (last week) and, it was intense, rewarding and satisfying at the same time while allowing me and the other students the ability to accomplish a great deal in a very short period of time. By the way and, for a little back story…, I was always extremely interested in learning 3D printing and using software like Rhino 3D however, I would never truly commit until I sat down with Akiyo and, knowing of my interest and listening, she saw something in my desire to move forward and provided that little extra nudge, the same thing she does in her class that both assist and inspire. She sees things in people that they don’t see in themselves and helps us to reach the next level in our development. Akiyo ’s class provides an extremely solid foundation for anyone looking to pursue a career or hobby in the field of 1D, 2D and 3D modelling for presentational purposes and 3D Printing in areas as wide spread as Jewelry, Military, Marketing, Advertising and, Real Estate with an endless list of other application that would benefit from understanding Rhino 3D. Akiyo ’s patience and guidance is an absolute benefit as she explains things clearly making it easy to understand for beginners to novice and, she’s quite good at handling pretty much any questions you throw at her and answering those questions in a way that’s both easy to understand and apply.
- Peter R. July 2019
Thank you Akiyo for the incredible Grasshopper course. For anyone considering whether or not to take the course, it is incredibly useful. Grasshopper is tricky, but Akiyo makes it approachable and I left feeling confident to continue using the software.
-Virginia G. November 2018
I took Akiyo's Introduction to Rhino 3 Day weekend class, and left feeling like I had a solid grasp of the fundamentals. More importantly, I'm now interested because I'm more confident, and can't wait to get better. I thoroughly recommend this class for those of you who want to see if you enjoy CAD design as well as those with some familiarity with the program already. You'll find that Akiyo's clear instructions and class projects will not just clarify some confusing concepts, but she may be able to offer you some quick tips that will significantly improve your work flow over time.
Thanks Akiyo.
-Reema K. May 2018
​
Akiyo's 3-day Rhino course was excellent. While the course is taught through jewelry exercises, the skills learned could be applied to any kind of work. Also, I was wondering if three eight-hour days would be too intensive to retain all the info, but thanks to Akiyo's clear instruction I felt that I was able to pick things up very effectively. What's especially helpful is that with small class sizes, Akiyo was able to help us one-on-one as needed. I highly recommend taking this class, and hope I can take her Grasshopper course some time soon!
-Thomas S. August 2017
​
I have been taking private lessons in Rhino with Akiyo and it has been a great experience. In just a few months time, using her syllabus and teachings, she has been able to help me progress to a level of understanding and capability with Rhino that I thought would take much longer. She was very patient and explained everything clearly and in ways that make a complicated program easy to understand. She helped me to take my sketches from 2D to 3D and to begin building my portfolio. I've already begun to produce some of the projects we worked on together. I would definitely recommend Akiyo to anyone looking to learn the program or to expand on what they already know. I've also taken her intermediate Rhino class which begins to cover Brazil for rendering. I look forward to taking more of her classes, like Grasshopper and continuing to learn more about modeling with Rhino.
-Rachel D. May 2017
​
I’d put off learning Rhino for a long time, but finally committed to taking Akiyo’s beginner class this summer. Akiyo is a very effective, organized and patient instructor. Her classes are small and her lesson plans cover all the basics you need to start using this highly complex program. Our class included things like drawing engagement rings, 3D manipulation, learning Rhino shortcuts and preparation for 3D printing. With the skills we learned, I was able to immediately apply them to my own jewelry projects. Since the class ended three weeks ago, I’ve already sent two projects to be 3-D printed and transformed into actual pieces. Akiyo was able to guide me step-by-step through a couple of more private lessons after our class ended. I also signed up for her intermediate class this fall, and look forward to learning more about Rhino. Thanks Akiyo!
-Lin J. August 2016
I took Akiyo’s Rhino 3D Beginner and Intermediate classes in January and March 2015. I initially learned Rhino 3D through a textbook, but Akiyo’s classes really helped to provide a solid foundation. In addition, her intermediate class included how to use the Brazil 2.0 plugin, which is what I use for my online portfolio. It really makes the jewelry look realistic and sharp. I couldn’t have been skilled at Rhino 3D if it weren’t for Akiyo’s patience and step-by-step direction. She explains clearly when I don’t understand something. It feels great seeing the finished piece on my computer screen! To this day, I refer back to all of the notes she provides in class. I also had a couple of privates with her, when I wanted to learn T-Splines. I am really glad that I did, since it gave me a good start to the program. I highly recommend Akiyo, and I can’t wait to take the Grasshopper course that she is holding this week-end!
- Minna K. September 2015
I took Akiyo's Rhino Level 1(Beginner's) class and Level 2(Advanced) class on this May and June.It was quite intensive schedule to take 3 hours class after work 2 days per week for 7 weeks.(like a boot camp!) but I'm really happy to take her class.I always wanted to study but I keep busy and couldn't focus to study by myself so I finally decided to take her class. I believe it was great decision for me.I could learn so much from her class.In her class, she teach each detail step by step. She is very kind.It was easy to understand even I didn't have much experience with Rhino before. I still need to keep studying by myself ; however, I feel that I could grasp some idea about Rhino. I truly recommend her class.Thank you, Akiyo!
- Ayaka N. June 2015
​
I took Akiyo's Intermediate modeling and Brazil rendering combo class last year.
Let me tell you this class was a quite eye opening to me!!
I am an intermediate Rhino user but taking this class taught me so many things which changed my everyday workflow.
Akiyo introduced us different way of working using the commands I already knew!
The knowledge she shared with us made it a super informative class.
Also Brazil Rendering is fabulous! I always thought this program is hard to learn and use. However she went step by step creating materials and environments, etc.
The best part is, I have Rendering Template in Rhino now and I can import my models and apply materials and ready to render with one button. Ready and go!!
I recommend her class to anyone who wants to advance their Rhino skills!
- Eleni W. May 2015
​
I am so happy I took this course with Akiyo. I learned so much in 4 weeks! She was patient and supportive throughout the course. Rhino isn't a easy program, so it takes a lot of patience and time. Akiyo gave attention to each student and helped each person one on one. She has made the Rhino learning process so much more easier. Very happy I took this course and recommend anyone who is interested in learning 3D modeling. I am looking forward to her intermediate class that I will be taking in few weeks! Thanks Akiyo!!!
- Hagit M., May 2015
I hired Akiyo while at Coach to train our jewelry development team on Rhino V5 and I was very pleased with the results. She taught a customized syllabus at our headquarters that was well suited for the variation in the digital skills of our jewelry team. She effectively took a group of six 1st time users and brought them along to become confident and productive with Rhino software. On a professional level I saw the positive impact of a well executed training event and was thrilled to see the people development value for the team.
Thanks, Akiyo!
- Michael S.L., May 2015
i took the advance class for rhino with akiyo. The 3 week class was filled with short cuts and commands that would make using rhino so much easier. The way akiyo teaches makes you understand rhino in simpler sense that it took away awkwardness i had previously. She incorporated brazil at the end of class and this was a big plus. As brazil would give you so much better presentation option, life like photograph of the model. Really amazing for portfolio or presentation for clients.
Very informative class and best of its kind. Thank you so much akiyo!
- Mieko T., January 2015
I'm taking private lesson with Akiyo, she's been wonderful at working around my schedule and needs, she adopts according to your pace. She is professional and knowledgeable educator that gives you personal attention. Akiyo knows rhino well and she's a great teacher ! this combination is a hard to find, especially when you want to get the most out of your investment and time. Rhino is a powerful program, commitment is crucial to master it ! once you got that, Akiyo is just the perfect match to help reach your objectives. Rhino uplifted me to a new realm and I'm happy I choose Akiyo as my guidance.
- Yosi B., November 2014
I recently completed the Rhino 3D class with Akiyo Matsuoka, and was a great experience. As a old school designer, sketches & pencil, my concern was loosing the personal touch, but the program is really well created and gives you the ability to retain your sensibility. Akiyo is an attentive teacher, that work closely with each individual in the class and helps you to understand every steps and functions of the program As a result, I now use Rhino for my projects, and I can create more detailed and complicate designs.
- Alberto B., August 2014
I really enjoyed this class, thanks Akiyo! In 4 weeks, I got all the basic knowledge of the software to put to practical use at work right away. I was on a project that required me to 3D print some objects for our prototypes, but in a matter of a couple of sessions, I was able to create simple objects in Rhino 3D to print on MakerBot, then onto more complex objects as the course progressed. I was able to present the prototype with what I printed, as close to the actual form factor as possible. I'm looking forward to using Rhino 3D for more prototypes. Thanks!
- Kumi T., July 2014
Absolutely amazing course. I was a little intimidated in the first couple of classes as I was completely new to 3D thinking, jewelry design, and non adobe soft ware, but as we learn more and more, I started to enjoy learning new techniques. The cufflink project was phenomenal and super exciting!!! I really appreciate Akiyo's attention to each and every student and patience. Would definitely come back for the higher level courses in near future. Thank you so much, Akiyo!
- Mayumi T., July 2014
Thank you Akiyo, the class was really productive and I am really glad to have been able to take this course during my few days in New York. Rhino is a powerful tool to design and to develop great jewelry projects. Totally recommend to jewellers to take this course, it is really innovative! Regards from PERU!
- Andrea C., July 2014
Such an inspirational supportive teacher!!!
- Kristen M.L., April, 2014