I know you all get excited when you have the chance to read about CAD news and the excitement happening around our tiny globe. This week has been chock full of interesting tid-bits of info. There’s so much in fact, that I didn’t even get a chance to tell you about them earlier, so I’ve…
Twitter = accessibility. It has opened up clogged lines of communication and expanded personal and community networks around the world and it just keeps getting bigger, I tell ya. When some of us were on months ago, there’s wasn’t much buzz on the 3D CAD side of things. That has changed big time in the…
“Stop. You’re killin’ me. My models are immaculate. It’s the software that’s the problem.” A lot of people get riled up about bad performance and poor stability, blaming it on the SolidWorks software. I have too. But who would of thought it could actually be the way the models are created… by ME? Great, huh.…
Isn’t display technology just wonderful? No? You want something curved? well, if you’re not happy with the flat Microsoft Surface with multi-touch, get ready to literally wrap your hands around the Spherical version. Microsoft Research took the globular multi-touch screen out of the box today to reveal just how gaming, advertising and messing around with…
One week from NOW, yes, one week from this day we know and love as ‘Monday’, will be another day called ‘Monday’… It also happens to be the same day the veil of SolidWorks 2009 will be lifted and the lone Beta testers will be free to reveal all the goodness that is to come.…
I’ve been reminded lately of one of the most frightening man-made beasts, glancing over my shoulder and shuddering at the sound of any loud, mechanical whirring. If you thought humanoid bipedal robots were nightmarishly creepy, wait till you see the video below. I remember pictures of the DARPA ‘BigDog’ military troop support robot years ago,…
The random number generator from random.org picked the number 80. Out of 113 entries that means the winner is: John D! John works for GageMaker, maker of, yep, fine gages. His PDF video idea was to, “use video in PDF’s to demonstrate the use of our gages and assembly procedures of our gages.” So what…
Wondering what some of the most popular post on SolidSmack are? Me too. Here’s a rundown for the best of what SolidSmack has and am example of what you’ll see on this site.
I’m tellin’ ya now. One of those wiggly little creatures is bad enough, but I draw the line at two. That’s when you gotta get out an extra wetnap, a banana and some tasty links like these. The Sphere Project – What can you do with a sphere in 3D? Hurts the brain to think…
We’re doomed. The robot armies are massing. As if simple non-humanoid robots were bad enough, now tiny, toddler-like and highly functional robot are coming to the market very, very soon people. Start packing. Aldebaran Robotics is bringing on the dream that many have of a personal robot companion to romp around with and they just…
Hold on to your 3D lovin’ hats people. Shapeways is about to change how you feel about 3D Printing… and also how you go about doing it. The issue is getting a quality 3D Print of your design fast and cheap. ShapeWays is aiming it’s 3D hearted plastic extruders right at that market and plans…
I occasionally choose to point the fire hose of SolidWorks tips and information into an unsuspecting person’s face without realizing how overwhelming it can be. A few hours later I see the the expressionless blank stare of a skinless and slightly tattered face gazing, begging me to stop. A few tips to simply get started…
I’m lovin’ me some algorithms. I’ve actually become so interested in them it’s affected my posting frequency and I’m starting to see domino-like creatures forming beautiful patterns in my numerically challenged nightmares. An algorithmic approach to design. Boring huh? Well, the results these patterns of numerical data create are the most amazingly fluid and kinetically…
The giveaway is now closed. The winner will be announce Monday July 28th! Thanks for entering and be on the lookout for more contest coming up soon! This is the 500th post here at SolidSmack and what better way to celebrate than giving away an expensive piece of software that will make you so productive…
I’d say it’s about like when you’re in the barn moving bails of hay and you’re suddenly surrounded by all the farm animals for no apparent reason. Yeah, these links are kinda like that. 2008 Web Design Trends – Some of you think this web design stuff is cool. This link is for you and…
Why, it ws only a few weeks ago we did a comparison of the Twitter talk about SolidWorks and AutoCAD. Jeff Clark at Neoformix is at it again with their stream of consciousness version that shows the density of words used in for a term over time. What do you think the most used word…
Way back, in a recent post that showed all you Mac-ophiles how to use SolidWorks on a Mac a commenter named Peter Privitera was having graphics issues with his MacBook Pro when using SolidWorks. His MacBook Pro uses a NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT video card, a low-end 512MB card that runs around $130 and up.…
“That storefront looks spectacular. I’m tellin’ ya, it looks like it’s sizzlin’ right up from THE GROUND.” Yes, the colors are mesmerizing your eye holes and you grasp for word to explain how structures can seemingly float curvaceously in front of you. Steel, screws and a little SolidWorks magic, I say, and Feature Factory has…
It’s absolutely insane, I tell you. How are you suppose to get a good nights sleep when your brain is obsessing about the intricacies of how to model inventive new products? I wonder what it is that makes us bring our 3D models into our nightmares dreams. Is it the challenge? the hours? subliminal messages…
Funny thing, these 3D CAD user interfaces. I figured I’d spare you any 2008/09 SolidWorks interface opinions and show you what the other CAD companies are doing. It looks like some are getting a little inspiration from each other, but really it just the onslaught of Ribbon bar bliss brought about by Microsoft and their…
Lou Gallo of SolidWorks Heard (twitter) has apparently recorded a recent phone conversation between us and has put it up online so that all my glean my mildly incoherent ramblings. I told my friend Alex Ruiz that my voice sounds like a conversation between Kermit the frog and miss piggy, but in actually, it sounds…
Your SolidWorks drawings are standing out in the open like a very large and overly dressed target of 3D ninja violence. Hey, I’m just sayin. It’s actually a secret society of defected and very agitated ANSI and ISO standard authors that have passed this info on to me. Your fancy drawing is filled with more…
You may start to see some changes around the trusty ol’ SolidSmack site. For one, I’ve integrated the Disqus commenting system into the site. Sound fancy? It is, and it’s got some cool features that will make commenting 100% more fun than before. I’m using the Disqus commenting system for a few reasons, but mostly…
Really, are you saying you squeezed a blueberry between your elbows and created anti-matter? I believe sir, that you are a natural energy source. Please attach these links, it won’t hurt a bit. Texture Showcase – Wow, textures can be downright dangerous to play with in design, but when used like some of these sites,…
3D online maps are so yesterday, and so is the news of Google’s new web-based 3D Virtual World, but after looking into it more, I had to let all of you interested in 3D and CAD know what the possibilities could be. You may know about the popular Virtual World SecondLife. It’s a full-featured World…
I had a conversation with someone yesterday about how to create really great looking images without using the SolidWorks rendering add-in, PhotoWorks. I told him it was simple and you can do it in just a few steps. ‘No way, show me.’, he said. If you have PhotoWorks, great; you can create some very slick…
Ahhh, it’s the middle of the summer. Vacations are planned, mosquito are biting and there’s so much going on in the world of SolidWorks the coffee pot at SolidWorks HQ in Massachusetts is on 24/7. Yes, things are heating up and it’s a perfect chance for you to get all your incredibly helpful designs, thoughts,…
Feast your eyes upon this odd lookin’ chair. Some products you can just look at and know it was designed with SolidWorks. The The Dreeben Billet Chair is one of those. It’s as if you are looking right at the model and recognize the features used to create it. Micheal Dreeben is the designer and…
Recently, SolidWorks thwarted a would-be Zombie attack by launching the SolidWorks Geniuses marketing campaign. First up was the Leonardo Da Vince Self-Powered (Zombie-eliminating) Cart. You saw it, I’m sure, and desired to get your hands on the model so you too could prevent an ensuing Zombie onslaught. Well, you’re in luck. Rob Rodriguez is putting…
Suddenly and without warning, I leapt to my feet, only to realize I had no feet and the ceiling was much shorter than it was when I had a beard. That can really throw off your concentration. Fortunately I came across these links. Desktop wallpaper for July – I was gonna make one for ya,…
I know what you’re going through. Every time you boot your computer the Windows ‘Bliss’ background, circa 2001, burns holes right through your retinas. You desire something with a little more snap. Maybe a cool looking product design. huh? yeah? Then check out the SolidWorks World Wallpapers site. This isn’t new though. It was put…
Right now, I currently have 3 versions of SolidWorks installed on my computer – 2007, 2008, and 2009Beta. oh, and 2005 till just recently. It’s crazy I tell ya. I use 2008 mostly right now, but have to switch back to 2007 for some models. It made me wonder what everyone out there is actually…
Lena Gieseke has taken Picasso Guernica and transformed it into a version of the painting that will leave you deeply immersed in the canvas of the Cubist master, Picasso. Guernica has got to be incredible to see up close (it’s currently at the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid, Spain), But when you look at it…
I’m telling ya people, robots are taking over the world and SolidWorks is doing their part to aid in the onslaught of automated fulfillment like you wouldn’t believe. SHOES. The robots are in control of our footwear and it’s all starting at Zappos, perhaps the most brilliant shoe store you’ll ever find. Kiva Systems has…