Tag Archive for 'cad'

Interested in Boat Design? Well, Have Some Free Boat Plans

Published
by
Josh
on May 14, 2008
in Resources
. Comments

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My brother, who is trying to shed the hooks of life on dry ground for a life at sea, shared this site with me. It’s a giant repository for details of old boat plans that includes everything from row boats to ski boats and even a few sail boats. Ah, to escape to the islands, or end up stranded with a boat I created from an old boat plan. Sweet.

Some, but very few, of them have CAD drawings, like the cute, but burly, MiniMost. Some of the plans are really detailed and can even help you learn about what the parts of a boat are called, like mooring bits, bow sprit and keel rabber. So grab some, print them out and tuck them under your arm like you’ve been building boats for ages!

boat frame isometric view

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Social Media and Branding the CAD-osphere

Published
by
Josh
on May 9, 2008
in Business and Rockin' Cool
. Comments

You’ll want to read Wiring Up an Event if you’re interested in the least, what is starting to come about in the the CAD world as it relates to the Web and the realm of social media.

You’ve seen my post about Why I like Twitter and while Blogs and RSS are still a mystery to some, more attention has been given to sites like Twitter and FriendFeed because the amount of immediate information available and the relationships that develop.

Doesn’t it just dilute the web?
If you already feel like there’s too much to manage online with your online accounts, forums and feeds, you’re not alone. A lot of people say that new sites like these that pull in you and all your friends information create too much to manage. To me, you know

Too much stuff
You may think, “I can’t afford to spend the time to investigate and be part of every social network out there.” It’s hard, I know, trying to figure out where everyone is it. Seems like a mad rush to here… then to here… then to THERE. when will the frenzy END!

It’s actually not like that, in my opinion. Sure, there’s people carrying on conversations around you, but you’re having your own. You can choose and you get to know the people you closely relate to.

The company
For companies or anyone wanting a presence on the web to promote their service, it’s critical to be involved in the media that provides a presence. You can spend money all day on expensive advertisements, but nothing gets across to the consumer like an actual conversations.

The best example I see daily is Tony, the CEO of Zappos Shoes, interacting with poeple via his Twitter profile. Why does it matter so much to him?

Branding is just a word. It takes away from the real goal which is relationships and those are important whether you’re a multi-million dollar business or the cubicle engineer… especially if your the cubicle engineer. Get out there!

Traditional Once Again
So once there was traditional media. Now the current social media is becoming traditional, in the same sense, as new site emerge that promote more involvement of the users and interaction from the ivory tower inaccessibles. The CAD industry has been slow to pick this up… but I feel it gaining steam.

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What Does a LARGE 3D Interface Look Like?

Published
by
Josh
on May 7, 2008
in Tech to watch
. Comments

It looks like something that doesn’t exist except in the movies. Since the Ironman Movie launched last week I’ve been trying to get my hands on some video of the stinkin’ cool 3D holo-CAD user interface he uses to design the MarkIII he goes kickin’ butt in.

If you’ve seen the movie you already know what I’m talking about and are wondering what the heck is taking CAD companies so long to make a system that only traumatized alcoholic millionaires can afford. The best I can do is give you a link to a video of the UI (that might be infringing on copyright laws.)

What do you think?
Is this too far off? Whoever thought of this had some idea of how things are designed and what goes into the process of how CAD systems work. You can see Tony Stark interacting with the holographic objects - moving, exploding, rotating, touching and testing out the design with his hands. Some would say it’s unrealistic. Where’s the history? the parametrics? where’s the commands? Maybe it will be none of those things or maybe it’s something cooler. The way technology looked on star trek isn’t exactly the way it looks today ya know.

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Internet Trends: Affecting CAD and the Way You Work?

Published
by
Josh
on May 5, 2008
in Business
. Comments

“Yeah Josh? Ya know, what could be more boring that looking at trends?… especially ‘interweb’ trends?… la..ame. Move on!”

I kinda agree, trend watching is a bit DULL, but they can be oh so revealing when it comes to technology. Here’s the golden egg, Internet Trends are technology adoption trends. That’s key, cause those people adopting the tech are the same people buying software and designing the fine accoutrements of modern village living you enjoy.

Hey, look, those people are also you.

So, all this is why I’ve been totally devouring a report Morgan Stanley put out last month detailing internet trends that is actually very interesting.

Connect the dots please
This report shows how communication is changing and who’s using more technology. It may be hard to connect internet trends to CAD when you first look at the report, but as soon as you notice where online time is being spent (pg. 9) and peer into the margins of internet users (pg. 61) you can see 1) a huge market segment if you’re a CAD vendor and 2) the way you as a designer or engineer work (and possibly, where your jobs are going) changing rather drastically.

Here’s an example. I like the iPhone Facebook App. I’m not saying ‘raaaagggh!! CAD needs be on the iPhone in the future!!’. That’s just stupid… and also totally possible. (“you can draft an E-size sheet on a computer you fool. HAHAHAA.”)…. But anyway, when I use a Facebook app on an iPhone or spend time on a site with a easy-to-use interface, it makes me wonder why computer programs (that apparently have more programming capabilities) don’t work as easily. Ya know…I’m just sayin. You may be one of these people too. What do you think?

Does anyone think internet trends relate to CAD in any way?

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Putting Names With the CAD Blog Faces

Published
by
Josh
on April 29, 2008
in Resources
. Comments

Sometimes it takes a little while to get a blog post up. Franco Folini from the NovEdge Blog last posted on December 17th, 2007. Ya see, he’s been busy… creating THE MOTHER OF ALL CAD DIRECTORIES

… IN THE WORLD!

I’m sure he’s tired, passed out on the floor, waiting for you to tell him to stop groveling and get back to postin’ the interviews with interesting people. I hope he does also and throws in some other posts with his own opinions about this craziness.

While you’re waiting though, check out the new NovEdge Pulse, you’ll be able to put some faces to the names and blogs. These are the one’s I read that had photos associated with them… yes I listed mine first. Oh, and don’t worry, I’m actually not that pensive looking in real life… I was concerned about some children being tortured by a squirrel in a nearby tree.

UPDATE: Franco was instantly inspired by this post and created a page that has photos of ALL the bloggers. Check out the Blogger Directory.

Continue reading ‘Putting Names With the CAD Blog Faces’

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How Microsoft’s Live Mesh Will Affect 3D CAD

Published
by
Josh
on April 24, 2008
in Tech to watch
. Comments

microsoft-live-mesh.jpgLast night at 11 PM CST Microsoft let loose the fetters of Live Mesh, a new platform technology to synchronize and interact with data across any device and access it from anywhere from any computer or browser.

Oh, but it’s so much more and it could, and I think will, affect how you work with CAD in ways you may not realize.
Continue reading ‘How Microsoft’s Live Mesh Will Affect 3D CAD’

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Siemens PLM Excites Onlookers With ‘New’ 3D CAD Technology; Many Soaked

Published
by
Josh
on April 23, 2008
in Business
. Comments

excited.jpgIf you were standing on the corner of the CAD block yesterday, you had obscure CAD terminology splashed all over your new pants. Everyone and their step-uncle’s mom was waxing intellectual about the ‘newest-in-new, right-up-in-your-face- and-hit-you’ CAD tech announce by Siemens PLM called (prepare for large phrase that makes you mildly uninterested)… ready… “Synchronous Technology.”

Ok, before you head off to LifeHacker, check this out… the cadmosphere is a-changin’…
Continue reading ‘Siemens PLM Excites Onlookers With ‘New’ 3D CAD Technology; Many Soaked’

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PDM Assassin: Combine the Best, Eliminate the Rest (Could it Ever Be?)

Published
by
Josh
on April 9, 2008
in Working Smarter
. Comments

pdm-assassin.jpgI’m not sure about you, but I am increasingly frustrated in the separation between 3D design and data management. Yep, I have two hairs left on my head and permanent marker all over my face from nervous twitching each time something needs to be checked-in or out.

There’s creating a model and then there’s managing it. It’s separate, but for the most part you’re already managing the data in the assembly structure you create and the drawings you churn out. All that data is in the model files. For some reason it takes another program to structure the data, produce reports, handle revisions, etc. even though you build that every day into the model. Heck, not only models. Any document.

I imagine sooner or later this could merge and completely destroy what we know as PDM or PLM. Maybe it because we think of it in the sense of managing 3D CAD Data in lists instead of like filling a glass of water, so to speak. Part of this happens because companies want reports and revs to look like they always have. The hardest part about developing a new technology is convincing people that it’s better than how it has been done. That scary.

Hopefully, one day, the resource and data management will happen behind the scenes and data can be generated dynamically not matter if we start from a spreadsheet or a 3D environment. think it can happen?

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A Conference. It’s Big and All About CAD

Published
by
Josh
on April 7, 2008
in Business
. Comments

cofes2008.jpgThere’s a conference that has been taking place for, oh, about the past 9 years, where the elites of the CAD industry get together and mash-up all the collective information and emerging interests of the CAE (Computer-aided engineering) industry.

The conference is called COFES2008: The Future Of Engineering Software. It sounds like your boring my-stuff-is-better-than-your-stuff kinda shin-dig right? While it probably its stuffy moments, the agenda paints a different picture.

Great Topics
I’m particularly surprised at the amount of roundtables and keynotes on the social sphere and the semantics of information and knowledge. Ya know, all the networking type sites on the web and the push toward interoperability between each? These aspects are pretty much non-existent in the CAD industry. The  industry has seemed slow to adopt the idea of the web as a source of growth, or rather REVENUE, because exploiting it just doesn’t make that much sense. Oh, and there’s even a discussion on World of Warcraft and how the next generation will have different expectations about design tools. Interesting.

My Bet?
My bet is that many of the presidents, VPs, and other decision makers come out with a bunch of ideas about making more items available online before the other guy. Pessimistic huh? My hope, however, is that everyone comes out with better ideas on simplicity in program and technology design and understanding the problems of increased complexity for users. Is that too much to ask?

Via Deelip Menezes. Have fun out there.

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Hit Me! SolidWorks and “21″ The Movie

Published
by
Josh
on March 26, 2008
in SolidWorks News
. Comments

blackjack-cards.jpgI’d like to hear it from the man himself, but according to DesignNews Jon Hirschtick, the nicest guy and founder of SolidWorks, was one of the original MIT blackjack team members depicted in the upcoming film, 21.

The movie, based on the book of the real events, stars Kevin Spacey who leads a group of MIT student to huge winnings in Vegas.

The part I doubt they embellish is when one of the guys uses about $1 million of that coin to help startup your favorite CAD company, SolidWorks. Pretty cool if true, and the side of the story you always wish you could hear more about. Game of Blackjack Jon?

Here’s the trailer for the movie, it comes to a theater near you March 28th.

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