I cam across an issue today where a composite fiberglass part had been modeled with no draft (angled faces). Production stopped because they couldn’t make it by the print and get it off the mold. A hostage situation ensued, the problem was corrected and production cheered the results. All was well, except for the unapologetic…
The innovation in prosthetics going on right now is phenomenal. With the Festo AG life-like arm an actual functional appendage for those without seems to be getting closer and closer. Dean Kamen and DARPA have revealed a little more in this peek inside the test lab at DARPA with Scott Kirsner of the Boston Globe.…
“That guy looks relaxed. what made his life so easy?” – He just implemented SolidWorks and knew how to do it. Becoming familiar with a CAD system can be a source of frustration and stress. That’s what turns people into bitter old people. We don’t want that. While some may find switching to SolidWorks from…
Things are about to get amazing in this box. That crumby video you currently see streaming online at sites like Youtube will soon be capable of using high definition technology. Social video site Vimeo has introduce High Definition to its onsite video capabilities and Adobe is about to release Flash 9, already in beta, that…
I would absolutely love not having a mess of wires wrapped around my computer desk. All-in-one computers come in different shapes and sizes. This one from Lumenlab comes in a 42″ streamline aluminum case with a 1080p screen on the front. Other feature include fanless 0db operation, 1TB of HDD storage, 2GB of ultra-fast ram…
I love sitting and waiting for a 50MB file to open, don’t you? Gives you plenty of time to take care of some bills and catch up on politics. File loading is one of the most inefficient times of the day because it invariably leads to 20 minute conversations about the best truck hitch to…
Well, it’s happening, when you wonder what the future of CAD is going to be, who is pushing development and innovation, you can mark this day. First there was the eDrawings compatibility with Sketchup around this time last year. Now, SolidWorks has co-founded a program with Google, along with Graphisoft and the Discovery Channel, that…
So, I’m wondering what you would do. Is it better to hire someone with SolidWorks experience and teach them the industry, or someone with industry experience and teach them SolidWorks? That is the question. Sometimes you don’t get both, so what do you think would work best? image: TurboForce3D
That is no excuse. A samurai always wins. I don’t care how many swords you have to go through or how many delicious cakes you have to make. Getting the two confused is very unwise indeed. 60 Advanced Photoshop Tutorials – The aboslute best! These will teach you a ton of useful techniques to use…
I’ve always disliked the ladder in this video. It’s like trying to set a mouse trap. You think he deserves what he gets?
Dassault Systemes in association with a stellar team of SolidWorks employees and community folk have launched SupplierSource Beta to give you access to a community of manufacturers. SupplierSource is being developed to provide a simple yet powerful network for the custom service manufacturing industry. Our mission is to connect buyers with suppliers in a whole…
If you’ve read my about page, you know I’m into drums, but few know I’m also a great appreciator of fine beat box break beats. Don’t know what that is? See below for the phenom Beardyman. For some more electrifying beat mix scratchy flicky bits check out beardyman.co.uk or check out my Drum Scratch Station…
What do these three have in common? They are all keynote speakers at SolidWorks World 2008. Jeff Ray is the CEO of SolidWorks who went to Texas A&M. Dr. Don Norman is the Professor who has a Lifetime achievement award. Dr. Bob Ballard is the Marine Explorer who designed the submersible camera. The keynote is…
Joel Orr from Cyon Research and COFES.com has some insight to the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) discussion. If you read his interview over at Novedge, you can clearly see he looks and sounds much wiser than me. The interview is great, because it make me think how, yeah, CAD has been around for ages, but…
I’ve always like the Harman brand home audio ever since my dad picked up some Harman/Kardon equipment years ago. When ever I search for something I start with that brand and compare. That’s why it was interesting when I heard that the Harman Specialty Group had switched from AutoCAD 2D to SolidWorks. HSG creates Mark…
Some of my blog friends were having a conversation offline about a post at PR, Marketing and the business of CAD that covered the Mechanical Media Summit where Autodesk revealed their new “forward-thinking solution” to do away with PLM. Digital Prototyping. “It is presented as a way to prove a new product, prototype it digitally,…
Have you ever dreamed of joining the ranks of the SolidWorks Elite? Yes? Well, there’s currently 5,327 Certified SolidWorks Professional and you could be the next one… for absolutely FREE. That’s darn right, pick yourself up off the ground. SolidWorks has opened up the doors to allow anyone who thinks they are worthy to take…
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…