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There’s not enough explodin’ stuff in CAD these days. It’s all sketch this, extrude that. So, when I saw this, I just had to show it to you. Some of the 3D visualization out there just amaze me. But this video, blows my mind.
“TSNStudio’s Extreme Loading® is an engineered simulation technology originally designed for structural analysis…Extreme Loading® quickly generates iterative visuals with the added realism of material based physics.”
Yeah, that’s not CAD right? We don’t need the fancy images and effects to build a suitable valve clamp huh? But you gotta admit, having a 3D CAD System that is as realistic as possible would be really fun to use.
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Every year about this time the International Contemporary Furniture Fair ends and a bunch of trendy people have satisfied their desire for new designs and ideas about contemporary furniture. The rest of us admire it through the websites able to cover the event and hope there will be something interesting that comes of the whole affair.
This year was impressive and out of all the designs I’ve seen I come away inspired about some aspects of design I had not considered. Here are some of the Best in Show and designs that bring a lil’ bit o’ fun to functional design. These are from both established and new designers. What do you think? Could you create something like this in SolidWorks?
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Slap me sideways and constrain me to X/Y coordinates. SolidWorks Labs has released a new web app, called BluePrint Now, that allows you to create/edit/save DWG files online. That… is just wild people. Whatcha think the AutoDesk folks think about this. hmmm?
Honestly, when I first tried to use it, I felt like we have a loooong way till we get to 3D CAD online. It’s a step in the right direction though - different tech I imagine. So, before you uninstall AutoCAD and swarm toward the Lab, here are some things you’ll want to know. Continue reading ‘CAD on the Web: Toss AutoCAD, Edit DWG’s Online’
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Look, there’s a bunch of things you could do this week, but showering regularly, eating less beef jerky and discovering your unlimited potential for doing cool things with SolidWorks should be at the top of the list, don’t ‘cha think?
I’m finding there’s more and more ways of doing things with SolidWorks that have nothing to do with what I actually model in SolidWorks. But suddenly, I find it helps me with what I do actually model.
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Out of NOWHERE, your overwhelming hunger to stack colorful blocks, creating cities and worlds unknown… has been satiated. CubeScape puts the ability in the tip of your mouse-clickin’ finger to build isometric creations, watch replays, and then save it to share your mad creation with others.
Cameron Adams of The man in Blue came up with this PHP, javascripty goodness and has therefore brought alpha-transparent pixels into an interactive 3D-ish environment. Nice. Some added editing and viewing capabilities and you’ve got a near-CAD experience. Regardless, this is another great venture into 3D visualization on the web.
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As if Multi-touch technology wasn’t enough to make you sing and dance through the forest of TechBlogs, two developers have been working with Plasma and OLED technology to make whatever displays will be in the future thinner, more flexible… and yes, spreadable.
Flexible Plasma monitor
Shinoda Plasma has create a supper-thin (1 mil), super-flexible (wrap-around) plasma tube array (PTA) that measure at 1 x 1 meter each. They can be linked together to form long screen and they’re working on larger ones. The current resolution is crap-errific, but it’s as light as a 8 lb hamburger. Of course the only thing people can talk about using this for are signs and advertising. puh-lease! There’s other people out there that use monitors!
Spreadable OLED
No good photos here, but imagine accidently spreading some organic light-emitting diodes on your toast. yum. What’s super rockin’ about this is the same technology can be used for solar panels. So, you basically a mobile phone shell could be infused with a self-powered, self-lighting gel. Same with you monitor, watch, lawnmower, etc. Fixed screen OLED Monitors should be out more near 2009 (Sony has one now). Psst… they use a lot less power and have a glorious 1,000,000 to 1 contrast ratio, but are dang pricey now. It’s sad though, the spread-tech is still about two-years out for prototypes.
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Maybe it’s not fair, but I thought it would be a little fun to compare the conversation of SolidWorks vs. AutoCAD happening on Twitter.
I used an amazing tool that data visualization ar-teest, Jeff Clark, has come up with called Twitter Spectrum. It’s a visualization of the words used in two topics you enter into the search.
He also has NewsSpectrum, that analyzes Google News, which can give you another look at what words the press is using to describe two topics. Verdict: People use ‘a bad word‘ to describe AutoCAD more… but look, you can see ‘crashed’ more on the SolidWorks side and there’s SolidSmack right in the middle! oooo! I’m treading in the gray area between 2D and 3D! Say it ain’t so!
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Yes’m, the sky split open like one of them biscuit cans and then my mama takes out this laser shootin’ thing, but these links were downright mean I tell ya.
Piel.Skin Contemporary Architecture - An online architechture book, but whats cool about this is the live link to Google Maps that shows where the buildings are. How to Make a Physical Gmail Notifier - I love the links my brother finds. They use a lighted cub, but police sirens would be more approriate. TwittBuzz - What’s going on in the Twit-osphere? THIS is. Shows real-time most linked-to topics being discussed on Twitter. Vistas Best Features on XP - They’re not all in one program, but you may find something cool, like that 3D screen flippin’ stuff. Free Photoshop book - A totally free, and totally useful book for getting graphics going on the web with PS. Yes, that is really cool. BrandTags.com - What one word would you use to describe SolidSmack? This site shows what people feel a brand is.
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Since the dawn of time, man has contemplated the frustrating effects of the big read error icon and has come to the conclusion that, yes, veins can indeed pop out of your head whether your sitting down or standing in a defensive crouch in front of your computer.
Computer errors pretty much feel like being hit repeatedly in the face. Errors in a SolidWorks parts and assembly feel like the repeated face hits but with missing the face and popping you square, and very annoyingly, in the ear.
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While Micorsoft’s Surface is kinda cool, but also like the Pac-man console at that pizza place, the newly debut Microsoft Touchwall puts it all in perspective and drops an ax on what it would take to get multi-touch technology into your tech-grubby hands.
All this uses is a couple hundred bucks of readily-available, rear-projection hardware and the software technology called “Plex” that runs on top of Vista.
Before you run out and get a Vista tattoo though, you should know this isn’t commercially available yet and Microsoft doesn’t have any plans to make it so, until they realize how stupid that is.
CAD will never be the same
One of the first thoughts when someone sees this is how cool it will be for gaming. Fact is, it will be cool for a lot of applications. In my opinion, multi-touch and display technology has the greatest affect on how traditional CAD programs, user interaction and design functions will change. I say Microsoft needs to Open Source this software and let everyone go buckwild with development.
If you haven't already, consider subscribing to SolidSmack so you can easily receive updates when new articles are published or announcements are made.
There’s not enough explodin’ stuff in CAD these days. It’s all sketch this, extrude that. So, when I saw this, I just had to show it to you. Some of the 3D visualization out there just amaze me. But this video, blows my mind.
Every year about this time the 
Slap me sideways and constrain me to X/Y coordinates. SolidWorks Labs has released a new web app, called 
Look, there’s a bunch of things you could do this week, but showering regularly, eating less beef jerky and discovering your unlimited potential for doing cool things with SolidWorks should be at the top of the list, don’t ‘cha think?
Out of NOWHERE, your overwhelming hunger to stack colorful blocks, creating cities and worlds unknown… has been satiated. 
As if 
Maybe it’s not fair, but I thought it would be a little fun to compare the conversation of SolidWorks vs. AutoCAD happening on Twitter.
Since the dawn of time, man has contemplated the frustrating effects of the big read error icon and has come to the conclusion that, yes, veins can indeed pop out of your head whether your sitting down or standing in a defensive crouch in front of your computer. 
While Micorsoft’s 
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