This week’s episode of Cool Tools of Doom n’ Stuff is live! Wrap yourself in your Snuggie with a mug of warm yak milk and have yourself a dandy listen! We love our SolidSmack readers! Do you have something cool you’ve come across and want to share it on SolidSmack? Don’t hide it in your…
This week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist brings an entirely new face-smack of great music to help propel you through those laborious, tedious design tasks for the next few days. This week’s playlist features all-new Jimi Hendrix (released today!) and a slew of other jelly jelly such as NOFX, Weezer, and Iggy Pop.
The concept of Designing for the Other 90% has been coming up more frequently in recent years…especially with the ease of putting your product out there and funding through crowd-funding sites like Kickstarter. However the challenge for raising these funds has usually been centered around creating a product that will not only be effective for…
MIT is in no shortage of true innovators these days, and the projects just keep on coming. The latest innovation by interaction researcher Jinha Lee involves “the enabling of humans to physically interact with machines to make computing more intuitive” through a transparent computer, allowing the user to reach inside of a ‘box’ and manipulate/adjust…
This week we have the great pleasure to speak with the one and only Chuck Cage, founder of the uber-rockin’ tool blog Toolmonger.com—-the ‘world’s first tool blog’ as a matter fact.
It was just a couple days ago that we reported on Nike’s 3D printed American Football cleat that’s specifically engineered to help professional athletes boost their 40-yard dash times. The significance of the cleat rests in the designers’ decision to use 3D printing as a final form of manufacturing (SLS). However, 3D printing is nothing…
Previously, explaining the concept of 3D printing to those at dinner parties who are perhaps two steps behind with technology may have involved awkwardly moving your hands around the air to mimic a print head squirting out fresh ABS juice. Perhaps you can save those skillz for another time and just pass along this perfect…
While modo (and the modo community) offer a wealth of free material presets, there’s always going to be a time when you’ve made your own adjustments and want to save your secret recipe-material as a preset for later use. In this quick tip we’ll give you a rundown on saving out your custom material to…
This week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist brings an entirely new face-smack of great music to help propel you through those laborious, tedious design tasks for the next few days. This week’s playlist features the perfect mashup of brand new Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, David Bowie, and a slew of other blood-pumpin’ good vibes.
In a collaboration between 3D printer manufacturer Stratasys’ Education and R&D Departments and MIT’s new Self-Assembly Lab, a new printing technique centered around self-assembling, ‘smart’ materials is being used right now. Hold onto your pants ladies and gentlemen, 4D Printing is here.
Having recently been voted as Fast Company’s Most Innovative Company of 2013, Nike is keeping the bar raised high with the announcement of their (SLS) 3D printed football cleat today. 3D printers have been used for years in the development of various components of performance athletic shoes, but in terms of 3D printing as a…
Airbnb has been one of the more famous startups in recent memory with their original ‘Air Bed and Breakfast’ idea: connecting empty bedrooms and guest houses to travelers and offering extra cash for those opening their homes to strangers. Many who have opened their homes to travelers have found so much success with Airbnb that…
In a recent TEDYouth talk, Tom Chi (Head of Special Projects at Google) spoke to wide-eyed young’uns about the process and theory behind developing a product experience for Google that overlays digital information and images onto the physical world.
This week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist brings an entirely new face-smack of great music to help propel you through those laborious, tedious design tasks for the next few days. This week’s playlist features the perfect mashup of The Doors, The Beastie Boys, Fever Ray, Gang Starr, and a slew of other get down-worthy artists.
It’s been a topic of speculation as of late and while Apple is known for having multiple patents and not doing anything with them, this one appears to be different. The timing couldn’t be any more perfect for stirring the pot of next-gen smart device competition.
One of the more exciting announcements to come out of SolidWorks World 2013 this year was the addition of an augmented reality-based update to SolidWorks’ popular eDrawings iOS app. What has been a go-to solution for many designers looking to present their models easily to clients and other designers in an easy-to-carry solution has now…
This week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist brings an entirely new face-smack of great music to help propel you through those laborious, tedious design tasks for the next few days. Starting with some punk from the Minutemen, we’ll move through some relaxing grooves from James Blake and Julianna Barwick before lifting you up again with some…
As if SolidWorks World 2013 couldn’t have been any more bangin’–it was. We got the chance to sit down with the guy who is controlling the future of your favorite CAD package like a gypsy with a crystal ball….Mr. Bertrand Sicot! In our video interview, we talk with Bertrand about what it’s been like as…
Released last week, the Caustic Series2 accelerator boards are a pair of ray tracing accelerator PC boards that use Imagination Technologies’ ray tracing technologies to bring us the world’s first chipset dedicated to high performance, fully interactive ray tracing in a workstation environment. I had the opportunity to sit down with VFX madman and Caustic…
As if 2013 couldn’t get any better folks, EngineerVsDesigner is BACK! Yes we caught a few fishes but mainly we slayed the dragons and drank hot toddies. Now that we’re back, it’s time to get the party started with an individual who not only resides over his wood shop with magical powers but is also…
Are you constantly listening to the same Pandora station? How about the same iTunes album on repeat? Not any more folks–today brings us the all-new SolidSmack Radio powered by Spotify! Each Tuesday we’ll bring you the best of what’s new, as well as the best of what’s around. From powering through sketch sessions to racing…
Mcor’s unique paper-based 3D print technology has been holding up strong at their select Staples locations in Europe. I had the opportunity to talk with Mcor’s CMO Deirdre MacCormack at SolidWorks World 2013 where she walked me through how their Iris 3D printer works (the one being used at Staples), as well as some updates…
Having been a user of Wacom pressure-sensitive products for years, my expectations going into testing the Pogo Connect pressure-sensitive iPad stylus were set at a pretty high bar. Up until the Pogo Connect came out, I always asked myself, “Do I really need to sketch something on my iPad or can I just wait until…
On par with the recent trend of 3D head scanning and printing, Shibuya’s FabCafe in Tokyo is offering a new service for those needing to get more personal than your typical box-of-chocolates-fare this Valentine’s Day by allowing new makers to scan their lovely mugs to be used as molds for chocolate delectables. Who knew my…
As previously reported by SolidSmack, the Power Surfacing for SolidWorks plug-in was bound to be a game changer for anybody looking to add a little more fun to their modeling workflow. Paul McCrorey of McCrorey Digital gave a presentation at SolidWorks World 2013 last week on using this powerful new plugin–specifically through giving us two…
Well, the dust has finally settled from all the excitement in Orlando this year as thousands flocked to the fifteenth annual SolidWorks World at the Dolphin Hotel at Walt Disney World. Between the amazing guest speakers (Art Thompson, Technical Project Director for Red Bull Stratos for example) and exciting announcements (Mechanical Conceptual, Augmented Reality eDrawings),…
Using his trademark futuristic lines on an otherwise nostalgic sci-fi centerpiece, Marc Newson’s latest design is a yin and yang of what could have been and what could be. Anybody who remembers the 1991 movie The Rocketeer may have a sudden flashback–but hold the steampunk; Marc injects this iconic fantasy product with a little bit…
Apple’s recent Q1 Earnings report showed two things: First, iPhone and iPad sales are up (surprise!), while overall Mac sales are down. Second, the company saw record sales. The posted revenue of US$54.4 billion and net profit of US$13.1 billion shows that revenue rose 17.7 percent from last year’s Q1 performance. “No technology company has…
3Dlt.com, a sort of stock photo-like site for 3D printing templates has created a marketplace for professional designers, students, companies, and consumers–however their mission is rooted in crowdsourcing solutions for solving some of the ‘world’s biggest problems’. Their current initiative? An Innovation Challenge using 3D Printing to improve gun safety with the finalists winning a…
EvD Media’s Adam O’Hern has been keeping our cadjunkie members busy with his latest SolidWorks tutorial series centered around developing a product from scratch with consideration to working within teams of engineers, graphic designers, and of course, industrial designers. What better way to start the first month of the new year than with some fresh…
The Replicator 2 has been screaming around the 3D printing industry’s racetrack as a go-to solution for both professionals and consumer hobbyists alike. MakerBot has capitalized on profiling the MakerBot users who are using their Replicator 2’s to do something outside of the box and have found success in doing so. Here’s an inspiring story…
It sits there…staring across the room, waiting for something, anything from you. As the dust gathers within the crevices of it’s numerical keypad, it silently weeps CMYK tears that splash off it’s matte ABS plastic cheeks. When you leave the office, it stares at your monitor with misty cartridges as it remembers a day when…
Having been open for a month, Keen Footwear’s Keen Garage in Portland, OR has seen nothing but glowing reviews from business leaders, architects, designers, environmentalists, and customers. Featuring everything from reclaimed barn doors to repurposed oil barrels upcycled into [comfy!] chairs, the retail environment is the penultimate museum of inspiration for repurposing…with purpose.
Releasing later this year, renowned interaction design guru Dan Saffer’s latest book Microinteractions is bound to spark some new thinking patterns for physical and digital good designers…and we have your passport to the pre-release excerpt here.
Advertised as ‘Miniature Mountain Majesties’ on their Shapeways site, TinyMtn probably couldn’t describe their product any better even if they were offered a contract with NASA to 3D print mars as the prize. By using USGS (United States Geological Survey) public data, the creators have produced a striking 3D print library that begs the question…why…
Barely coming off the heels of the OpenRov open-source underwater robot project he developed at TechShop, David Lang has since marketed himself as an ‘(unexpected maker) Maker’ to help ease those with weak knees into the Maker Movement. After losing his desk job, he decided that he would do something other than stare at the…
Introduced in 1985, the original NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) became nearly as desirable as a Farrah Fawcett poster for every teenage boy on planet earth. Over the following few years, the NES revolutionized the video game industry—selling over 60 million units (!!!) and brought Mario, Zelda, and of course, Duck Hunt to living rooms everywhere.…
London’s Design Museum is a marvel of inspiration for designers, engineers, architects, digital media artists, and pretty much anybody else. The awesome factor can maybe be compared to having a perfectly toasted giant marshmallow with a cup of spiced drinking chocolate on a blustery winter day next to a fireplace. For 22 years the museum…
3D Systems isn’t messing around in 2013. Despite some new products having lackluster performance, they have managed to prove that an arsenal of ‘whipped cream pies in your face’ is the best strategy for developing hype and getting your attention. Somehow amongst promoting their new product releases at CES 2013, they managed to earn the…
While you may or may not necessarily be a fan of his show, Glenn Beck welcomed a MakerBot Replicator 2 on his show recently and proclaimed the device “The latest, greatest technology…Jobs will come back to America.” Conservative radio isn’t necessarily known for insights on radical technology…but Glenn seems to be a 3D printing believer.
Industrial designer John Ford grew up with a professional woodworker by his side starting at the age of 7. A few decades later he’s still in the shop executing exceptionally-crafted furniture and other product designs. One of those designs just got funded on Kickstarter—and you should go check it out.
While you were enjoying your tuna fish sandwich at lunch, Panasonic unveiled one of their latest products at their keynote at CES in Las Vegas today–a freakin’ 3D printed TV.
Inspired by the Barnes Collection in Pennsylvania, where objects are curated by their common theme rather than a period in time or nationality, AWOL Trends functions as a curated database made by designers, for designers by unifying and organizing CMF and design trends throughout the creative world.
Amanda Ghassaei, a DIY audio geek and editor at Instructables, succeeded in 3D printing 12-inch records containing the music of Nirvana, The Pixies, and Daft Punk. Using an Objet Connex500, she printed the records at one of the highest 3d print resolutions available, but how does that resolution really sound?
Blake Maloof is a game designer at Toys for Bob, which recently released the incredibly popular game called Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure. In this exclusive interview for Make Magazine, Blake discusses rapid prototyping, humble roots, and the innovative process of developing this wildly popular franchise with Robert Leyland, the technical engineer behind the Skylanders hardware, and…
While most of us may have picked up a ‘101 things to (fill in the blank) before you die’ book at some point or another, none of those books have had the charismatic charm of an ‘Experience Passport’. Designed by Communication Designer Alex Egner, the Passport offers the design undergrad students at the University of…
As 3D Printing inches off the ground in mainstream culture more and more each day, it can be difficult for a new user to navigate the wide plethora of online 3D printing options. Perhaps it’s just me, but I see 3D Printing 2.0 as, among other improvements, involving more application-specific design and printing services. Twikit…
When asked to take part in the Designer Challenge in a recent issue of Computer Arts Projects centered around a new spin on the business card, designer Mikey Burton opted to omit the card altogether–creating a traveling ‘letterpress’ instead.
As Adobe seeks to plug holes as they increase their move into the Cloud, certain skeptics are weary of what will happen with otherwise free services such as Behance. Where did this acquisition come from and what does it mean for you?
Powered by a Raspberry Pi with a capacitive touch sensor and audio amplifier in a wooden enclosure, the BeetBox is a wonderkind amongst the potato-powered clocks and other vegetable-powered electronics available today. Through using the capacitive touch sensor, users are able to play drum beats through touching actual beets.