BOM’s. Bill o’ Materials. That list of parts that moves across the disco floor like only you wish you could. DID I really just compare a BOM to a dance genre we long to forget? Yes, yes I did, and I’m feeling the nostalgic and stomach-churning affects of doing so. Nevertheless, a BOM provides that…
Despite the fact that it looks like a very large, very colorful, yet well designed, doily, this is one of the winners of the lucrative 2008 Red Dot Design Award. This year alone 3,203 designs were entered ranging from textiles, like this fancy rug, to technology and just about anything else that spans product, conceptual…
They didn’t attack at first, but then Earl threw one of his gravy biscuits at’em and right after they made some real weird screeching noises, they devoured all these links. Dale Mathis Gear Sculpture – Yes, you too can make gear sculpture, but not like this guy. 101 Photoshop Tip in Five Minutes – Try…
MCAD is running like heck from the desktop. The possibilities of where CAD data is accessed from and where you are when you access it just keeps on growing I tell ya. First you have laptops coming out sporting the AMD Turion X2 Ultra to integrate processor and graphics card capabilities. That equals more power,…
As if our soon to be robot overlords are not scary enough, now there’s a Robot University for them to systematically learn how to take over the minds of small children and impressionable young college students. I exaggerate a bit. This is actually a place where the academics and the automaton-interested can gather via an…
Oh man, your SolidWorks assembly is looking a little crooked my friend. In fact, I’d say it’s just about to tip over and probably hurt a small family of mice or a vagabond waiting for you to set some scraps out on the porch. I’m going to suggest a way to improve assembly creation, so…
That atomic rubidium vapor you’ve been storing in those old canning jars may soon be put to good use as a storage medium for images which, in turn, could allow 3D data storage, display and possibly manipulation. A group of physicists from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel… yeah, that place, warmed up…
I was working on a somebody’s computer this morning and their email notification kept popping up asking you to choose to go to the email or not. For one thing, that was incredibly annoying, and incredibly inefficient for another. A little experiment So it made me want to offer up a little experiment to show…
Last week on June 20th, Google Trends for websites was launched to allow a look into competing sites and aid your plans for worldwide domination. Similar sites, like Compete (my favorite) and Alexa already exist, but this leverages the power of Google’s simple, yet masterful use of analytical data. Anyone can use it to find…
I’ve been playing with the Spore 3D Creature Creator for the past couple days and I gotta say it is one of the funnest, most addictive ways to create creatures that I’ve ever seen. Not only that, the 3D controls and manipulation are just amazing. It’s drag-n-drop-n-modify creature makin’ hilarity at it’s best… and it’s…
If I hadn’t gone there, who knows, I may have gotten a few more appendages, but I’m pretty happy with the one’s I have. These links certainly help. Desktopia – Yeah, you can pretty much always go here from now on for cool backgrounds. Upgrade your skill level in 24 hours – That’s darn quick,…
Ok folks, so here it is. The beginning of the end of the mouse and 3D desktop controls. The first I saw of this was a craptastic video back in March of some guys fiddling with a glove and a wiimote to control SolidWorks. Little did I know, a cool guy named Brian put up…
It’s inevitable. A hundred models of a screw and they’re all created a different way. I’m telling ya, it’s an open flesh wound just waiting to get infected. Companies often jump into the 3D modeling fray without laying out an SolidWorks implementation plan. But, even when things are implemented correctly, the details of model creation…
The brand spankin’ new 3D technology magazine, Develop3D, has just gone to print. You’ll definitely want to get your hands on this, because for one thing, yours truly is a columnist for the fine outfit based out of UK. I gotta say, I’m not a regular industry magazine reader, but the way this is laid…
Designing a door seems like the simplest thing you could attempt right? A panel, some holes, and a bit of glass. Contemporary door design makes it even easier with all the straight lines. These doors from Swedish designer Snickarper caught my attention though.
Today is the official Download Day 2008 for the new version of the Firefox web browser. Their mission: to set a Guinness World Record for the most software downloaded in 24 hours. Since Firefox will probably be the first browser you use 3D CAD on in the future, you’ll probably want to download it. The…
The SolidWorks Confirmation Corner. That little island in the corner just tempting you to become a more decisive person. One option, to accept the ensuing fate of the changes you’ve made to your sketch. The other, to abandon all the relations you’ve jacked up.
I’ll agree with you, workstations nowadays are just not cuttin’ it. Our desires for widescreen monitors, THX Dolby surround sound, air filtering, light therapy, web cams, and battery backups are diminished by plain old systems that just ‘get the job done.’ NO MORE! NovelQuest introduces… to you… in July… the ultimate in killer workstations… THE…
It’s one thing if you’re just standing there waiting for the subway to come by, it’s a completely different thing if you’re standing there minding your business, maybe reading a paper, and someone throws beans point-blank into your face. These links help the stinging though. Creatures in my Head – The enchanting and wonderful illustrative…
“Son, that boy is faster at sketchin’ some 3D than a greased zebra chasin’ a three-legged yak.” Now wouldn’t you want to be described like that? Well, there’s more to being fast in SolidWorks, than flipping through commands and some fancy assembly tricks. The System Options have a few setting that are not always used,…
What incredibly functional complex designs could you possibly think up if you only had fabric, sheet metal or wood to work with? More than you could do carpet scraps and hot glue I imagine. Design can be interesting, but it gets downright inspiring when you see common flat panel materials used in different areas you…
The SolidWorks 2009 Beta program that was rumored to launch Monday (yesterday) has just gone live at the customer portal. If you’re a subscriptions service customer, and signed up to be notified for beta launch, you can download it and enjoy the new version till your eyes shoot blood. So, get on board, man the…
SolidSmack has been around for just over a year and I’m lovin’ every bit of every juicy 3D/Tech/Design/SolidWorks Tip post I put up, but last night in the wee hours of a foggy night I wondered, “What the heck do all the wonderful people that visit SolidSmack like (not like) about the site?” So, the…
If you look over the edge of your coffee cup you’ll notice everything is going 3D. There’s more news about 3D maps, 3D TV’s and 3D games than ever before. Then I see this article from the January 1931 issue of Modern Mechanix about a 17,000 sq. ft. model of what modern day (1980) New…
Right now, everything is in this amazing state of flux. The Apple WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) is kicking off (10AM PST) on the WestCoast and on the East Coast SolidWorks 2009 Beta may be announce (12AM EST). It’s just about more than someone interested in new technology can handle. These two things are obviously not…
Ok, all you crazy SolidWorks people that want to get your hands on the next version of software. Mark next Monday, June 9th, 2008 Noon EST. That programmer guy in the corner’s at SolidWorks Corp. has been unchained from his desk and the ink is drying on the launch e-mail. Make sure you’ve checked the…
I picked’em off one by one, but it was actually the giant multi-headed caterpillars that really made things a mess. Had to use these links to clean up. Spiral Coverpop – Jim Bumgardner can make photos pop-up. These are Spirals from Flickr. Check out the other ones too. DIY Ballistics Gel – You never know…
AMD has just been making all sorts of Duo-core, 64-bit waves with their new mobile ‘Puma’ platform release yesterday. There’s a lot of news, but not much meat about what this chipset will do for mobile computing or 3D, so here’s some key points to start a discussion. Maybe some others, more hardware savvy than…
We’ve seen some really sweet cars partially designed in SolidWorks, but the new Falen concept from Dowdeswell and Hardie has the unique pleasure of being designed completely in SolidWorks. The design team, nestled between the glens and highlands of Perthshire, Scotland, plans to debut The Falen at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2009. This…
Sometimes, flipping back and forth between a PDF or AutoCAD drawing is enough to make you start humming loudly and spinning in tight circles. That’s ok… when you don’t have to get a drawing out, but when you need to get some concepts going or figure out how things fit together, you can use some…
Out of the 50 or so things I fear the most, one of the top is, not flying or crashing in a plane, but being hit head-on by a plane, and even more, by a GyroPlane. The one you see here just happens to be designed in SolidWorks. These planes typically look like a small…
Close your eyes. Imagine sending a plain ol’ PDF to someone. Ok, now imagine sending a 3D PDF… got that? Now, picture being slapped out of your daze by the Adobe Acrobat development team and having the ability to send someone all your project files in a single PDF, upload, share and discuss it with…
Look out people, there’s a new breed of CAD in town and it might make you slightly more social. Last week Dassualt Systèmes formally launched their V6 Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) platform that includes CATIA, ENOVIA, DELMIA, SUMULIA and 3DVIA. If you don’t use CATIA, you probably don’t care too much. However, this release has…