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The mist clears and a brassy, leather-clad apparition appears towering above with nothing but a low hum and muffled wirring of clicks and springs. Prepare to inspire your rigid 3D mind into the most pliable, inventive machine of mechanical renaissance madness you’ve ever experienced.
Steampunk. It’s the coolest new ‘old’ on the internet. It brings in aspect of manufacturing and design long since forgotten.
People, have latched on to the sub-culture attempting to define it within context of different media, but leave the details overlooked and under-appreciated. Let’s change that and see what’s makes Steampunk so wickedly steamy.
Continue reading ‘The Engineer’s Guide to Smashing Steampunk Design’
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I’d have to say, forgive my Industrial Design tendencies, but then this site would not be SolidSmack if I did.
I’m not an Industrial Designer officially, but I like the drawin’ and the inkin’ and the sketchin’ and that is exactly where IDSketching.com curls up nice and snug in your arsenal of super freakin’ cool design sites.
It’s the brainchild of John Muhlenkamp and Spencer Nugent whose pure goal is to share their methodology with anyone interested.
Continue reading ‘Rock Your Product Design: IDSketching.com Shows You How’
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Of all the things you could use to get from point A to point B, the best and most obvious choice for the future, I’m convinced, will be the Jetpack. Martin Aircraft Company is making sure of this with the first mainstream jetpack to hit the market.
Efficient personal transport is certainly a hot commodity these days. News and video have been circulating about this fancy contraption, but what we’re most interested in is how and with what it was designed. But first some gritty details.
Continue reading ‘Martin JetPack: The Kids Will Want One’
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I imagine if you’re a regular reader of this colorfully pleasant blog you are perfectly capable of modeling a design idea up in SolidWorks. If you’re not, this site will help you realize your creative genius.
DesignmyIdea.com can work with you on a design and give you some guidance on how to get you’re idea out to the masses.
“Our designers have extensive knowledge and experience in the following CAD programs: ProE Wildfire, Rhinoceros and SolidWorks.”
Continue reading ‘Design My Idea: Your Invention Designed in SolidWorks’
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Thanks to Ricky Jordan, I’ve been reminded of one of the most frightening man-made beasts and have been glancing over my shoulder at the sound of any loud, mechanical whirring sound all weekend. 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 year ago, but this is the first time I’ve seen it in ACTION.
Continue reading ‘DARPA BigDog Robot Designed in SolidWorks: Scares Paranoid Doomsdayers’
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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 so happen to be using SolidWorks to design Nao, the two-legged, wi-fi totting mechbot with swappable heads. *shiver*
Continue reading ‘Nao Humanoid Robot Designed in SolidWorks: Farewell Human Race’
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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 pleasing designs you’ll feast your eyes upon.
Continue reading ‘Amazing Algorithms: 3D Visualization and Kinetic Design’
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“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 got loads of magical magic-ness - by which I mean, they’ve got some engineers, designers and fabbers that know a thing or two about creating fine architectural features using parametric modeling.
Continue reading ‘Feature Factory: Product Design and Architecture in SolidWorks’
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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 in the software? EVIL mice using radiating surface features to manipulate our brainwaves. hmmm…the dreams are now affecting my sanity.
This happens from time to time for me. It’s usually when I’m very involved with how I’m creating a design in SolidWorks or when I’ve been looking into the depths of the design for hours. What’s cool are the dreams where I feel like I’m floating around the model. Ok, I’m getting a little personal about my possible psychosis. Hit the comments and make me feel not so alone in my 3D altered reality. bless you.
Image Credit: BabyGene.net
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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 was recently one of the winners of the Design Within Reach M+d+F show for his Chaise style version of this fine chair. Much more comfy lookin’ don’t ya think?
The Billet Chair was designed a few years ago with the aid of Todd Courtois, an independent designer and engineer. Micheal Dreeben himself is an independent furniture designer.
The Ponoko Blog has an excerpt from a recent interview with Dreeben about the design process from sketches and prototypes to CAD and CNC. It’s a must read, if you are interested about the dynamic life of independent design and what materials are used to make it happen.
Continue reading ‘Michael Dreeben Billet Chair Designed in SolidWorks’
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