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You all are gonna flip, or rather, explode, when you see this. I’ve been looking for 3D CAD news out of Siggraph08 that happened last week, but have not found much beyond some announcements about rendering models.
Fortunately, Mark Treadwell from Premier Rides came across some info and filled me in. A team from Berkeley has developed an automated system for viewing interactive 3D exploded views of models. Check out the video after the break.
Continue reading ‘Explode Diagrams. The Next Cool Thing In 3D CAD’
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It’s both parametrically intense and oddly invigorating to look at. It’s like jumping in the air through a small hole and coming out on the other side with all the knowledge of perspective while marching rhythmically outside the confines of an inverted parallelogram.
What is it? Surrealism. An artistic expression of the early 1900’s that captured the fantasy of la-la-la reality and spread it like thick butter on minds across the world.
Defining it as an offshoot of Marxism and Freudian thought limits and ultimately destroys the passions many of the artist were trying to capture…
Yeah, yeah, yeah. What I really want to show you is some of the coolest examples and the paintings that inspire me. They magnify the field of 3D CAD we’re in, in a way that even some artists could not imagine in their art.
Continue reading ‘Salvador Dali Says Your 3D Product Design is INSANE’
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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 compiled a special post you can bookmark and comeback to this weekend to find out what’s been going on.
Here’s the rundown.
Continue reading ‘More 3D CAD News Than You Can Shake A StickMan At’
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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 photos will never be the same. Of course, nobody think of 3D CAD when it comes to this technology. What could it change?
Continue reading ‘Microsoft Surface Goes Spherical. Better Curves for 3D CAD?’
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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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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 Office 2007 program interfaces.
Think about it, how much can you really do with a the top left corner of a CAD program? Here’s the three - SpaceClaim, Siemens SolidEdge and AutoDesk Inventor.
Continue reading ‘SpaceClaim, SolidEdge, Inventor: User Interface A-Go-Go’
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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 out the keyword or website competition for a site they want to start, but what’s really quite interesting is the competition going on in big industry. In our case, that would be… the CAD industry.
Continue reading ‘Google Trends for 3D CAD Companies: Whose Competing?’
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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 huge implications for how CAD programs like SolidWorks, SpaceClaim and even the competing Siemens PLM and Synchronous Technology are going to develop over the coming years.
Continue reading ‘Dassault V6 Crumbles AntiSocial CAD and PLM’
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Yes folks, the CAD industry is alive and well with the raging pulse of an over-achieving band of gypsy circus performers.
You won’t see that description in the latest CAD Report from John Peddle Research though. What you will see, is a $5,000 price tag and words like renaissance, combined revenues, emerging economies and my favorite 3D.
What can you take away from the report, without dishing out the coin?
“The trend to 3D will continue but it’s important to note that not all of the 2D CAD users are going to make the transition to 3D. In many cases, the transition means a change of job description. Sometimes, the growth of 3D CAD is happening as professionals add CAD to their portfolio of tools. However, those 2D CAD users who do make the transition to 3D can expect to see increased job prestige and increased income.”
They also report a 20% increase of CAD users from 4.42 million in 2006 to 5.31 million in 2007. You all have been busy. It’s like a dang parasitic invasion of CAD proportions and it’s not slowin’ down. If you’ve bought the report, throw some interesting details our way in the comments.
Via DesignWorld
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Oh, the trials of being a Mac user in the CAD world. There’s just no justice for your simple and elegant character personified in a simple and elegant computer. Who is out there to understand you? SolidSmack has your back and we want to show you how easy it it is to get SolidWorks runnin’ on your Mac.
To show this, I turn to a friend that use SolidWorks with a Mac on a consistent basis. Ben Eadie, from SolidMentor, shares this step-by-step and has a few tips.
Continue reading ‘MAc Addict Alert! How To Use SolidWorks on a Mac’
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