Understanding a problem and distilling the many possible directions into viable solutions is key to actually helping people. Many tools are needed to achieve that solution and industrial design is a way to use every tool to solve a problem. 

Sketching and quick 2D representation is great for all stages of product creation. These sketches speed communication by giving an image of someone's concept so the idea may spread more readily. 

I have always excelled in the areas of physical and 3D modeling as I feel getting a prototype in the hands of potential users to see what it’s able to do and what it’s like to use can reveal the most about the user experience.  I appreciate an iterative prototyping process as I can go in and out the shop, back and forth to the computer and pencil until the best design evolves. 

3D modeling always helps a design evolve and quickly became one of my favorite tools for design. Primarily I use Solidworks and Rhino for modeling and while these tools refine form, they still require proper consideration of physical properties of the material and manufacturing methods being used. 

Rendering a concept can employ skills from multiple media avenues, 3D modeling, ray tracing software, video editing, photography, and of course Photoshop may all be used in a typical rendering to create a photo realistic view.

When i'm not doing industrial design i'm obsessively making, although there is hardly a difference.