With Siggraph 2015 coming up in just over a month, researchers and software engineers are gearing up to show off their latest 3D software developments that have been in works in progress over the past twelve months. Just earlier this week we saw a new piece of software from a team of researchers at Nanyang…

Although it’s become a part of everyday life, the use of connecting assemblies through the use of fasteners including glue, nails and screws – particularly furniture designs – isn’t necessarily ‘clean’. While more timeless pieces of furniture might be used for generations and passed down over the years, the surge of cheap flat-pack furniture designs…

As of June of 2015, over five million (and counting) Raspberry Pis have been sold to a new generation of Makers, Hackers, Developers, Tinkerers and Programmers. Already the fastest selling British personal computer, it has also shipped the second largest number of individual units behind Amstrad PCW – AKA the “Personal Computer Word Processor” -…

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Quirky since announcing that they’ve turned their focus from manufacturing their own products using their collaborative invention platform towards those made by others through a number of corporate partnerships. Among other companies that have signed on already to utilize the Quirky 2.0 platform include General Electric, Mattel…

When it comes to camping, everybody has their own levels of comfort that can range from the bare-bones necessities to all types of glamping. But if there’s one thing that everybody can agree on, it’s the fact that camping makes you hungry – and yes, campfire hot dogs do taste better in the middle of…

After years in development, those who have always wanted a solid, native version of Mcneel’s lightweight Rhino modeling environment on their Mac are finally in luck. Released on Monday, the new Rhino 5 for Mac marks the first time that the company has brought their NURBS-based modeling tool to the Mac, ever. While the young…

Although their products over the years have been hit or miss, the democratic design approach towards product development that Quirky has pioneered since being founded by Ben Kaufman in 2009 has always been front and center for the company; now, it’s looking like that’s all that they’re going to do with a new focus as…

Back in August of 2013, Elon Musk released a white paper on the Hyperloop, a concept for a high-speed ground transport that could – in theory – transport individuals from San Francisco to Los Angeles in just thirty minutes. The sci-fi concept, which has unsurprisingly sent ripples through the design and technology communities, has had…

While a broken shovel and a broken piece of concrete aren’t likely to generate a lot of of inspiration for most people, trained carpenter-turned paleolithic weapon craftsman John Heisz isn’t your average Joe. The Ontario, Canada-based Heisz operates a website and a YouTube channel that feature hundreds of made-from-scratch projects ranging from push brooms to…

Although we’ve come to know the Dyson brand as an authority on vacuum cleaners – and more recently, fans that utilize Bladeless Fan Technologies – the company has also been quietly improving the lighting experience, too. Led by Jake Dyson, son of company founder James, the company’s new CSYS line of lamps are capable of…

Although HP officially announced their ‘Blended Reality’ Ecosystem and Sprout immersive computer in late October of 2014, it’s taken a full eight months for the company to follow up with what is likely to be the most important feature of all: a 3D scanner peripheral that enables users to fully-scan 3D objects. The “all-in-one” computer,…

As design customization, 3D printing and wearable technology each continue to rise in popularity, experimental design collective Madlab has developed a solution that converges all three into a seamless user experience with no CAD skills required. Designed by Madlab director Madeline Gannon, Tactum was done in collaboration with Autodesk Research and uses projection mapping and…

With the amount of daily coffee consumption continuing to grow daily worldwide (last count: 2.25 billion cups of coffee per day), it would seem to make sense to start looking into alternative uses for both discarded material as well as the processed beans themselves. Among others who are looking into what’s possible with the coffee…

When it comes to weekend build projects that involve lasers, death rays and fire, few people can top 22-year-old chemistry, physics and math triple-major Drake Anthony in the badassery department. The self-described “old school” pyromaniac is responsible for a small library of videos on YouTube under his alter ego styropyro that document the process of…

Between the various product design entrepreneurs and hardware startups that continue to find success without formal industrial design or mechanical engineering training – as well as the increasing costs of college tuition, the line between needing to have a formal product development education or not for striking it out on your own is becoming increasingly…

Known primarily for being one of the best typographers of all time, German typographer Erik Spiekermann has created dozens of iconic typefaces for both commercial and corporate clients that many have come to recognize; he was also among those interviewed in Gary Hustwit’s 2007 documentary Helvetica. The designer, who Monocle Magazine has called the “world’s…

When it comes to working with sustainable materials, bamboo is among the most widely-used for good reason: although it is technically a grass, it is the fastest-growing woody plant on Earth. Additionally, the plant’s complex underground system of roots and rhizomes remain intact and a specimen is able to quickly regenerate itself at the rate…

Considered by many to be the “original French tumbler”, the tempered Picardie glasses from iconic French brand Duralex have become nearly as iconic as a crêpe or a beret when it comes to French style. The glassware’s easily identifiable curves have also made it recognizable (and famous) in a number of posters and films including…

For all of the noise that comes pummeling through the crowdfunding tunnel, every so often we hear a story that truly stands out amongst the latest 3D printers, minimal wallet designs and coffee makers. With over 100 years and four generations in the making, LunoWear just might be one of those stories. Founded by two…

The last time we heard from Swedish designer, craftsman and innovator Love Hultén, he was sending ripples through the design community with his modular Brix System of handcrafted wooden electronic devices. Inspired by his own childhood experiences of playing with the retro 1979-1987 “Legoland Space” LEGO bricks, the conceptual collection consists of eight 6:1 scale…

When it comes to speculating about what a user experience might be like in the future, it’s only natural to look towards the big screen to see what millions of dollars and a team of professional designers developed to make their vision of the future believable. Of course – just like a Rotten Tomatoes score…

Although we might have come to take physical books for granted over the years, their presence in an ever-increasing digital world of smartphones and e-readers has led many to reconsider the value of a well-constructed book. Of course – just like any other manufactured product – there are great examples of the craft that have…

When it comes to athletic footwear design, it can be difficult to wade through various marketing campaigns that tout various foot support or material innovations and the actual innovations themselves. With that being said, the actual innovations truly are groundbreaking when they end up in a finished and deliverable product – oftentimes shaving seconds off…

In the case that the onslaught of superhero-themed movies coming out over the next few years isn’t enough to keep comic book fans busy, publishers including Marvel and DC Comics are in the process of announcing literally truckloads of toys and action figures ranging from your run-of-the-mill $10 posable figures to more complex trophy case-worthy…

For just over a decade now, MODO has been defying expectations time and time again with their full-featured, all-in-one 3D modeling, animation and rendering package that’s been used by everybody from Pixar to Microsoft for applications ranging from animation shorts to product design renderings and more. Disclosure: We at SolidSmack have a soft spot for…

After moving to a small San Francisco apartment, architect Anton Willis was sadly forced to put his fiberglass kayak into storage. Aiming to solve the problem of kayak ownership in an urban environment for himself and many others like him, Willis set off on creating a city-friendly kayak design that was sensitive to the needs…

Known for churning out television show classics including The Young Ones, Black Adder, Keeping Up Appearances, Mr. Bean and legions of others, the BBC is no stranger to when it comes to developing entertaining content ranging from late night TV and car review shows to nature specials and various documentaries. More recently, the British Broadcasting…

For many of those that count McNeel’s Rhino among the tools in their toolset (and there’s a lot of you), having a native Mac app without the need to run Bootcamp or a virtual machine has been on the wishlist for quite a few years now. While McNeel has been actively developing a Rhino for…

Since announcing that they would be bundling the premium features of Fusion 360 Ultimate into the significantly cheaper Fusion 360 offering, many in the CAD community have deemed Fusion 360 as a true “next-generation contender” and “the (CAD) program to beat these days”. Although many existing design studios and firms may still be plugged into…

It’s no secret that tablets and smartphones have changed the way we gather inspiration images and formulate the beginning stages of a creative process. Whether its through their constant presence while out in the ‘real world’ when ideas actually manifest or simply because of the functions of a clever app design, our devices have become…

When it comes to the process of designing something – anything – in the 21st century, the internet is awash with millions of ‘resources’ that are both free and for sale. Whether the resources are 3D CAD files for a motor assembly, an After Effects template for a video transition, a Photoshop mock-up for a…

Since it was unveiled almost exactly one year ago, Google’s NYC-based 30 Weeks: A Founders Program for Designers incubator has been nothing short of a success story that even established design firms should probably take notes on. In collaboration with existing NYC design schools and institutions including Hyper Island, SVA, Parsons, Pratt, The Cooper Union…

Used by everyone from concept artists to industrial designers and architects to mechanical engineers, Luxion’s KeyShot has been a go-to rendering package for thousands of 3D modelers for good reason – it just works. While the release of KeyShot 5 last year brought us dozens of new bells and whistles to play with ranging from…

When it comes to that nagging, why-isn’t-it-the-end-of-the-week feeling you get on Thursday afternoons, it can be tempting to want to pack up your desk for good and figure out a way to make a career out of making whatever you feel like making – not unlike Colin Furze. The British garage inventor has made a…

For filmmaker Ben Proudfoot, churning out high-quality documentaries that tell the story of a Maker’s process is a walk in the park. The Nova Scotia-born filmmaker attended the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles and has since gone off to win dozens of festival awards worldwide and even a qualification…

Although we may not have functional hover boards yet (that don’t rely on a leaf blower at least), the past few years have presented skaters with a bevy of new technologies that have helped switch-up the four-wheeled board experience for the better. Of course, technology will never replace the raw skill of shredding the gnar…

Despite having some of the more interesting onscreen visuals we’ve seen in years, it’s likely that the 2010 film TRON: Legacy might not be in your Top Ten Films of All Time list. However, it’s hard to deny that – in addition to the unique visual effects – one of the most memorable aspects of…

Regardless of one’s design or engineering background, one of the first steps in any design process is to seek some compelling reference images to help guide the direction of the design. Even concept and fantasy artists – those who create characters, vehicles and worlds that don’t exist – consistently come back to photographs of real…

Anyone who plays the electric guitar knows the struggle of finding the perfect guitar – something that both sounds amazing and matches your personal style. While classic profiles such as the Les Paul, the Telecaster and of course, the infamous Stratocaster can fit the sound and style of many different musicians, it is sometimes the…

Between the trends of both designing products outside of a company’s product category and the rise of privatized space exploration, it was only a matter of time before we started seeing designers (and their brands) come out of the woodwork with their own take on spacecraft designs. While well known industrial/concept designers such as Scott…

It appears that inventing self-driving electric cars and launching rockets into space hasn’t been enough to keep serial inventor and entrepreneur Elon Musk grounded as of late. The founder of Tesla and Space X has been teasing the tech community over the past few weeks with hints towards a new product that’s “not a car”.…

It’s no secret that the HoloLens was among one of the most exciting tech announcements within the past year – if not years – when it was unveiled by Microsoft in January at their Windows 10 event. Yesterday, the device was presented again at the company’s annual Build Developer Conference in San Francisco and was…

These days – as sad as it may be – it’s not surprising for somebody to take out a smartphone or tablet during breakfast, lunch or dinner. What used to be “just checking email” or “responding to a text” has now become surfing the web, browsing Instagram and crushing opponents on Words with Friends. After…

If there’s one thing that the growing “Maker” community can continually count on, it’s just that: a community of like-minded individuals who support each other’s growth in search of the next great problem-solving idea. As some might say – “the proof is in the pudding” – one only needs to attend a Maker Faire event…

Last time we heard from Mininch, the new hand tool company had raised over a quarter-million dollars from their first Kickstarter campaign – where they were hawking a unique multi-tool design that featured multiple bits in a pen-sized package. Their product, which was simply called “Tool Pen”, was aimed at the “Fix It Yourself” generation…

Although IKEA products have become synonymous with various levels of hackability (see here, here and here), the company has (unsurprisingly) been yet to celebrate the “IKEA Hack” movement under their own brand, at least until now. Back in 2013, the Swedish house wares giant started a project along with IDEO, Lund University’s School of Industrial…

As cycling continues to increase as a standard form of transportation around the world, we’ve also naturally been seeing an increasing amount of accessory designs that aim to make riding a bike to work or to meet up with friends at the bar a more personal experience. Among other companies aimed at making the cycling…

When people think about surfing, New York City isn’t likely to be among the list of worldwide surf spots that pop up immediately. Despite this, many people are amazed to learn that some of the best surf spots on the East Coast are just a quick drive from the towering skyscrapers and hustle-and-bustle of Manhattan.…

Like most teenagers, Simon Morris dreamt of owning his own hoverboard. Naturally, this led to an obsession with magnetic levitation and he soon began building his own hoverboard prototypes with magnets – much to the amusement of his friends and family. With a working magnetic hoverboard prototype under his arm (which actually worked but wasn’t…

Despite the underwhelming release of the Apple Watch – particularly due to a lack of initial stock and an overly-hyped, adjective-heavy marketing campaign – it still managed to sell in the millions when pre-orders went on sale less than two weeks ago and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. In addition to being a…