I have three pistoleros, two hands and eight itchy fingers. You can look at the links or eat some of mama’s spicy tacos. it’s your choice. Animoto.com – The absolute end of slideshows. See below. Threadless.com – t-shirts submitted and rated by you and your friends Wixi.com – sotore all your media on one page.…
Modeling in SolidWorks is pretty dang easy. Sure there’s little bits of wisdom that come with using it, but an installation and a day later and you’re on your way. The sheet metal features in SolidWorks are a little different. There more like trying to do a back flip. It looks easy, I can picture…
So what if you could go to an island that was 24/7 SolidWorks fun in the sun? Would you go? Well SolidWorks Labs has given you the opportunity for you to make the most of your life online by creating their very own island paradise on Second Life. I have really tried to avoid Second…
Dassault Systèmes announce that it has acquired Seemage, a company that develops products for creating 3D interactive product documentation. It imports most CAD formats and allows non-technical users to create a variety of content including assembly manuals, sale presentations, simulations, online product commerce, technical documentation and training media. It has three versions that range in…
The new season of ‘The Office’ started last week on NBC. It’s downright hilarious and uncomfortable as you could possibly make a show about relationships in an office. It’s also a veritable fountain of how not to do things at work. So in honor of the first episode, here’s some simple principles to take away…
If I was a pastry chef I think that freak everyone out a little too much… on the other hand, I could see the bewildering power in the ability to prepare delightfully beautiful cakes and sorbets. Zlango – a fun way to talk, post, and send messages with a global image language. ZiiTrend – A…
As if joining in the fun, is not enough, in one of the SolidWorks Tech Alerts, Greg at SolidWorks has asked you to “Joing” them for “SolidWorks Workd” coming up on January 20-23 in San Diego, CA. Greg, that sounds like alot more fun. I wasn’t sure about going before, but since you put it…
For all you crazy people going to SolidWorks World 2008 and want to know what to expect, the (partial) agenda has been posted. Hit the Click Here button at the top of the Agenda Overview. Looks like there’s plenty to get your fingers into. I’m thinking “Stump the Chump” in Tips and Tricks sounds like…
Concept models are a lot like cooked meat and pies. “Hey butcha! that looks like some tasty meat there; give me 5 lbs and a pie for the kiddos!” You see what you’re getting, you take it home and have a delicious and satisfying meal. And like a butcher shop, concept models take away all…
I started working as an engineer in the CAD industry at a pretty measly wage. I didn’t know it at the time. I was happy just to have a job in an area I was actually going to school for. One thing I wish they taught more in school is the business aspects of career…
While many of use would be happy with a No. 2 pencil and a blank sheet of paper, it just wasn’t good enough for Richard Ziade who decided to make it possible, and might I add easy, to do it online. Sketchcast.com eliminates that old pencil case and allows you to create and share sketches…
This is some slick stuff. I mean slick as in you look at it and you immediately fall on your hind-end and people are laughing at you and you are too, but don’t know why. That’s how slick it is. be careful. Wee planets – Panoramas made into tiny planets. HistoryShots.com – I love timelines.…
SolidWorks is known for it’s exceptional 3D design functionality, but what if you want to take some of those amazing products you’ve created and get them printed for a display, brochure or screenprinted t-shirt? You can get a print quality image straight from SolidWorks and it’s simple as saving a file. Technical stuff Typically a…
The TechCrunch40 is being held this week and Ponoko made an appearance. Ponoko is a site where you can turn your product ideas into income. When they were in Beta, I immediately went to sign up. Even though I didn’t get an invitation I’m still excited about using it now that it’s out of beta.…
What are the statistics you’ll die on a motorcycle designed in SolidWorks? I have no idea, but if you visit the SolidWorks homepage, their exclusive feature is a plug for Orange County Choppers (OCC) and HP with a video that shows Jason Pohl of OCC developing one of their motorcycle designs. The hardware he runs…
With all the crazy stuff going on in the world it’s kinda nice to get away once in a while from the all the busyness and concentrate on the details that really matter, like catching up with old friends, spending time with family and cleaning up your part geometry. Yes, I know cleaning up your…
I’m feeling sick today. The kind of sick where your head weighs 5 times the rest of your body. So if you try to contact me you’ll probably get one of these replies. I am currently out at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position. Be prepared…
Fighting isn’t going to solve anything, unless you are more nimble and able to take out my feet when I least expect it. Then all I’ll be able to do is cry and look at these links. Wallpaper from the 70’s – Get modern, get Retro, get Funkified. Sweet, sweet wallpapery goodness. Jason Statham Workout…
Well, we’re finally at that point in time that SolidWorks releases Service Pack 0.0 of the highly anticipated 2008 version. You’ll be receiving a nice box in 2-4 weeks with hopefully another notepad, but you can of course download it with the speed and agility of the improved Download Manager directly from SolidWorks. via
Warning: This involves changing registry settings in the .sldreg file created by the Copy Options Wizard, so before doing this be sure 1) that you know what you’re doing 2) that you’re comfortable doing it 3) that you’ve made a backup of your Options. Oh, and SolidWorks probably won’t recommend doing this. When you upgrade…
One reason why I like SolidWorks is because it’s very easy to put a design idea together. It’s a great tool, but creating something out of pure inspiration is a lot of fun. I find a lot of things that inspire me and Sternform is the most recent. They take some very simple ideas, create…
You may have noticed a poll over in the sidebar. Basically, I’m wondering if you are upgrading to SolidWorks 2008. If you just get the feed, I’ve included it here too.
Notes in SolidWorks didn’t use to be so easy to use. Now, there’s actually a lot you can do with them and SolidWorks 2008 is going to bring some new things, like adding balloons to notes. Here’s some tips for notes that only take a nimble finger 2.9 second each. Move right along To move…
I know what you’re thinking. I go and mention Ninjas on the about page and haven’t had much in the way of ninjas. Well, I know you can’t see that I wear a ninja outfit 24-7, so I’m going to give you the new video from AskaNinja.com and hope you live through the onslaught. What…
“Those that anger you, control you.” I’ve heard this quote many times and it true as many times as I’ve seen it. And what’s worst is when the agitator knows it. This happens all too often in the workplace and often catches you totally unaware. By the time its past, everyone has seen a side…
Thanks to everyone who joined in the contest. It was a great way to start off September and really interesting to see what you all enjoy. I’m please to announce that Shawn M ,who likes sun dresses and disc golf, is the proud new owner of a Sandisk 4GB Flash Drive. Way to go Shawn.…
Hey now, you and I both know that you can’t trap a three-toed, fire-breathing howler monkey with just any old super-powered ball of fire shot from the eyeballs. It gotta have a little UMPH behind it and summoned with the power of these time defying links. Raymond Loewy – Father of Industrial Design. Coca-Cola, Shell…
If you feel frustrated each time you have to re-create a drawing, you’re not alone. All of a sudden, five other configurations and five other drawings are needed, all the same. Typically, you may open the part, start a new drawing, rinse, repeat. But, with just a few steps, you can save tons of time…
So maybe I’ve said something that has really upset you or I didn’t respond to an email right away. I’m terribly sorry. I should be flogged very lightly with a chair rake stick. But instead I give you the opportunity to take out your rage on the website or to reduce some stress you may…
I originally titled this “How SolidWorks Viral Marketing Ideas Could be Funnier”, but from a marketing standpoint, being funny is only part of the mix. To truly be effective you need to convince me of something. Ever wonder why companies like SolidWorks run silly videos that have an old Japanese guy saying “kickass”? It’s all…
There’s nothing quite as cool sounding as Robotic or Bionic, unless you add Ninja on to the end. This Bionic arm developed by Festo AG brings us one step closer to something just like that. Airic Smash Rock Airics_arm is a bionic arm project initiated by Festo AG out of Germany. Their primary CAD package…
I wanted to start September off with another contest. This time it’s even easier to join in the fun and you have the chance to win this shiny new SanDisk 4GB Cruzer Micro USB 2.0 Flash Drive. You can store lots o’ junk on this thing. To enter this contest, just reply to this post…
I love the day after Labor Day. To me this is the first day of spring fall. It’s cool enough you can open the windows, football is starting up and it just feels like everything is slowing down a little bit. In college though, we didn’t get Labor Day off, and yesterday reminded me of…
Philips has taken the idea of 3D displays, shaken it vigorously, added some marketing genius and have turned out a display that requires no glasses to see 3D content. Philips has been developing these for a while with the 42″ version being introduced in March 2006. Find out more here. Now they’ve taken one of…
I don’t know if you know this but there are actually many ways an ant can reach the top of a tree. Why he would want to get up there is beyond me, but I’ve seen it happen twice already and let me tell ya, those ants… they’re crazy. 20 Plus Free and Fresh Icons…
A group from USC have created an Interactive 360º Light Field Display. I didn’t understand what was interactive about it until I saw the video. (below) These types of displays are called horizontal-parallax multiview 3D displays and this one is actually kinda scary. It’s basically a light field projected onto a mirror rotating 20 times…
Sometimes working with a SolidWorks BOM may seem like you’re bouncing away on a trampoline just fine, when all of a sudden your leg slides right through the springs on the side as your head slams against the metal support bar… more or less. The SolidWorks BOM (Bill of Material) is actually pretty cool. It’s…
There are a lot of people searching for different things about SolidWorks out there. A lot of the traffic I get is from other sites related to SolidWorks or CAD. In the vein of trying to get more exposure to this site, I read a few blogs to gain some insight on blogging, writing and…
A wife that loves you like crazy. It’s her birthday today. 🙂 I’ll tell you right now, there’s no better way to state the exactness of what “a meaningful life” can be, besides saying, the friendship that is formed and shared with a spouse is the most powerful elemental necessity in life and that any…
It’s one thing to have a 24″ or 30″ monitor to spread your work across, but when you’re working on a smaller monitor the toolbars and sidebars can take up half the screen. This little tip can change that and make a big difference in how you work. Quick Usability I like quick ways to…
For all of you that are going back to school or have kids going back to school, I thought I would give you some nice resources to help out. Check Out the School LocalSchools.com – Interactive site to check out schools, compare and discuss with others. Get Settled with Style IKEA – Roommateliving.com – This…
What in the world does it take to get a few good people to jump up and down at the same time? I mean, maybe I’m asking to much, but I do what I can and I end up having to jump up and down all by myself. At least I have this links. DesignFruit.com…
With Vista spreading like hazy mist, XP may not be around much longer so I thought I’d get this little tip out to you before we’re swimming in the elegance of a new “desktop experience.” I thought about this when Rob Rodriguez mentioned his computer upgrade and one of the tweaks he does called the…
If you’ve seen the movie Transformers or were a fan of the animated series you’ll know how super freakin’ cool this is. The truck that was used in the movie and played the part of Bonecrusher is an actual production vehicle that is developed in SolidWorks. Force Protection Inc. created this monstrous vehicle in their…
In the past 14 years of my experience in CAD the wood end grain hatch pattern has always been one of the most elusive of the nocturnal hatch patterns. At least, it has been in the 5 companies of the lower southern mid-west I’ve worked at. I doubt it has to do with temperate zone…
There’s been some interesting things going on the past week. Here’s some links you may find interesting and the one of the best from last week here on SolidSmack Interesting Posts SolidWorks Super User’s Group – Matt Lombard and Rob Rodriguez report the Central Mass/Norther CT User’s Group is getting a visit from the SolidWorks…
Imagine not paying thousands for a crumby, burnt-looking 3D print out of a part. These guys over in Russia have done it. (This page shows you) “How to make a 3D-printer for your home lab with $340 cnc kit and some junk. It uses cheapest plastic waste or powder paint as raw material to produce…
Ready for a knee-slapin’ good time? What’s that? You don’t like strawberries thrown at you? How bout if I mash’em up real good first? Still no? You are indeed a strange one. I think it best you sit and look at these. Fuzzwich Mini-vids – make your own little animations quick and easy like. Super…
You know the things in life you’ve always dreamt you would have the chance to do? If creating an Isometric Section View in SolidWorks is one of them, get ready to mark it off the list. Actually, dreaming about something like this may be a bit odd. Harnessing frustration might be a better term. Similar…
At Siggraph this year, ATI announced its line of super-powered, new generation, 3D whooping, FireGL™ graphics cards. With features that lends itself to perform better with 3D applications, you would think it’s what everyone with slow graphics performance would want. So what kind of KILLER video card is this going to be? Here’s what Efrat…