Right when you think everyone gave up on putting parametric 3D CAD software on an iPad, a small, rebellious group of software developers launches an app that puts those large, money-laden software companies to shame.
SolidSmack.com
This is a very small behemoth of an online community about 3D CAD, technology, design, robots, ninjas… Ok, maybe not ninjas so much, but those guys are COOL so there just might be something about some dang ninjas. Besides the occasional blast of intensely cool product design and technology, we look at what’s going on in the world of 3D, add a splash of business insight and web tech into the mix and there ya got your SolidSmack.
James Dyson Opens His Own Engineering School to Curb UK Skills Shortage
Despite drastic efforts to increase STEM education across the country, as well as a renewed interest in industrial design thanks to a new crop of product design startups in London, the number of skilled UK engineers is actually on the decline.
5 New, Must See Features Coming to Fusion 360
If you want to find out what Autodesk is up too, Autodesk University is the place to be each year.
This Insane Wood Chair Was Created Using Generative Design
While plenty of exciting developments are happening in the product design space, few are as revolutionary as advancements in generative design.
Onshape Switches Up Subscription Options, Unlimited Docs, Pushes for Pro
Well, well, well. Just as you were getting comfy with the limited private storage of Onshape’s free plan and dumping your Documents occasionally to clear room for others, they’ve gone and switched things up on you.
Kniterate is One Step Closer to Their 3D Printing Garment Platform
Remember Openknit? The open source knitting machine made from 3D printed parts? Creator Gerard Rubio is back with the next generation of making DIY clothes easy and more accessible.
Microsoft Announces Surface Studio, Makes Working on a Monitor Look Cool
Microsoft just did what nobody thought they could ever do–Make people fall in love with one of their products.
my.SketchUp Browser Test Drive (and hotkey secrets)
Last week we sent out a quick post to spread the word about Sketch Browser beta. This week I had the opportunity to delve a little deeper.
I Just Used SketchUp in the Browser, And It’s Awesome
Trimble sent out an email earlier announcing my.SketchUp and, as you can imagine, it looks just like SketchUp–a wide open modeling area, simple interface and east-to-use tools.
What’s Up With the Terms of Use for the New MakerBot Print Software?
Just last week, MakerBot announced a new product lineup—hardware and software included—geared towards professionals and educators that MakerBot CEO Jonathan Jaglom said was the result of a “cultural shift” at the company as they gained further insight into the specific needs of the professional market.
This Stunning Full-Sized Nissan Sedan Wireframe Sculpture Was Made Using a 3D Printing Pen
Despite raising nearly $4 million across two Kickstarter campaigns, the 3Doodler 3D printing pen never really took off as a tool for professional designers and architects to hash out 3D sketches quickly (note: they are trying to change this).
Watching Manufactured Plastic Objects Melt Up-Close is Strangely Fascinating
While Gallagher might have pioneered the act of destroying things for the amusement of a late night TV audience, YouTube has certainly helped reinvent it.
First Glimpse at Vectary Online 3D Modeling Tool
Well, we’ve been waiting a long six months, but we’ve finally received access to Vectary, the highly anticipated, online 3D modeling tool, and we’re all sorts of excited to pop open a browser and see what it can do.
20 Product Designers You Should Follow on Instagram Right Now
Love ’em or just plain don’t have time for ’em, social media platforms are here to stay.
The New Xerox Direct to Object Inket Printer Can Print Onto Any 3D Object
Although 3D printers have been hogging the bulk of the “printing” limelight within the past few years, 2D printing technologies have been quietly seeing their fair share of technological breakthroughs, too.
This Desktop CNC Machine Gets You Milling for Under $500
If you’re not getting your recommended daily allowance of sawdust and aluminum shavings, chances are you’re looking at desktop CNC milling machine options.
Autodesk Announces Gift of $25,000 in Product Design Software for Every Fab Lab
When it comes to equipping tomorrow’s designers and engineers with the tools they need to create compelling projects today, few companies have been as generous in offering access to software, tools and even fabrication facilities as Autodesk has.
This is How you Paint a 3D Printed Mech
Remember the Mechwarrior model we shared a few weeks ago? So. Good. We’re in the process of printing up one of our own and can’t wait to paint it.
BMW Group Sues Turbosquid for Selling 3D Models of Their Car Designs
If you’ve ever stood in the shower wondering if you could be sued because you made a certain 3D model of a certain brand of car, wonder no more.
Autodesk Announces Design Graph, Punches Shape Search in Solar Plexus
You know when you cried into that bucket of bolts because you couldn’t find the matching hardware? Those were sad, rough times.
Watch the Brute Force of Linear Friction Welding in Mind-Numbing 32x Slow Motion
Commonly used to seamlessly join dissimilar materials with different melting points, friction welding has been used to manufacture everything from airplane parts and rocket thruster tanks to even space shuttles and the razor-thin iMac.
The Top 5 Digital Platforms for Design Thinking
When it comes to designing that next great product – be it the latest device for a major client or your first side project
3DScanStore Sells the Best Human Scans We’ve Seen (Cheaper Than You Think)
3D models of humans are incredibly useful for designing wearable products, ergonomic studies, and in-situ renders.
Pollen Announces a $9,000 Multi-Material Desktop 3D Printer for Professionals
The excitement that used to come with each new “revolutionary” desktop 3D printer a few years ago has since quieted down in a major way.
Onshape FeatureScript 101 Series: Pump Up the Presets (Part 02)
In this video, we’ll build on last week’s hex nut code to add a drop-down list of standard metric nut sizes.
Designer Toys Meet 3D Printing with the Locknesters Toy Collection
While it’s not uncommon to take 3D printed parts to a high-level of finished quality, it’s not necessarily something we tend to see too often when it comes to stationary toys and objects that have become synonymous with consumer FDM 3D printers.
6 Steps to Understanding Integrated CAM in Fusion 360 (and Why It Matters)
The O’Jays. Remember those guys? Probably not, but I guarantee you’ve heard their most popular song, For the Love of Money.
This Large Format 3D Printer Made from Two $9.99 Side Tables is the Ultimate IKEA Hack
Except for perhaps the Raspberry Pi or Arduino, few products are as capable of going from zero to hero with a little DIY ingenuity than IKEA furniture – otherwise known as IKEA Hacks.
5 Ways Fusion 360 Improves Team Collaboration
Well, well, well. We have quite a cocktail coming together here. We’ve poured in some Fusion 360 part modeling and assembly features, and squeezed in a little simulation.
The Light Rider is a 3D Printed Motorcycle Designed by Aerospace Engineers
What happens when aerospace specialists develop a motorcycle with bionic algorithms instead of calculating spaceship engines?
MOON Is the Most Detailed Lunar Globe Ever Created
Never cared much for having a globe at home… until now.
Will Small Scale Desktop Production Tools Hurt or Further Enable Design Professionals?
Going back to the introduction of desktop publishing tools that allowed everyday Joes and Josephines to “design” and print documents with relative ease, the perceived value of professional design services has continued to decline as skills and processes that previously required years of training continue to be simplified and automated for nonprofessional users.
Why You Need to Be Prototyping More, Faster, Better, and Now | Part 1: Theory
Prototyping. An overused buzzword? A misunderstood concept? A noun, a verb, and an adjective? Prototyping is a philosophy. Actually, prototyping is the philosophy when it comes to making top notch designs in today’s hyper competitive market.
BoxBotix is an Open Source, 3D Printable Robotics System
There was a time when 3D printing and building robots seemed out of reach of regular civilians, reserved for experts in the technology field.
This New Manufacturing Method Uses Fabric and 6-Axis Robots to Bring Variation to Cast Objects
As conventional casting methods have taught us, the best way for reliably manufacturing multiples of any object is to start with an accurate and sturdy mold.