Don your favorite bath robe, cream that coffee and get comfortable with this weekend’s SolidSmack Weekend Reader. This week we saw everything from a toy dinosaur get made from scratch in less than three minutes, how a new vinyl manufacturing company in Portland, Oregon came to be with antique equipment, the story behind Keyboardio, Autodesk’s…
With so many cool things coming out each week, it can be hard to wade through all the rock-awesomeness. With ‘Cool Tools’, we’ve done the hard work for you. This week we saw everything from how to create your own cushions for a converted camping van, how to create a box sofa from scratch, a…
As more small and medium-sized businesses continue to find success – both financially and in terms of testing a market – using crowdfunding methods, it would only seem natural that larger companies would also want to take advantage of ‘expanded focus groups’ in order to test the viability of a product concept before dumping thousands…
Time for another round of apps that cover the spectrum of your beloved mobile device, be it iPhone, Android or Windows! The Weekly App Smack is the best of design and productivity apps (and maybe a couple of fun ones, too) for the busy design or engineering professional and this week we have a list…
This week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist brings an entirely new playlist of face-melting great music to help propel you through those laborious, tedious design tasks for the next few days. So whether you find yourself inking markers until they’re dry, grinding material through a bandsaw or flying through a CAD model, consider these tracks as…
Since launching nearly four years ago, the IFTTT (If This Then That) web service platform has enabled its users to connect a variety of online tools and services through unique “recipes” that are based on an “if this happens, then do this” formula. To date, these recipes have included everything from automatically receiving an email…
While toy designs start out much like any other product design – with an idea and a sketch – they can quickly become a more involved modeling exercise that requires expert sculpting techniques using both digital tools – such as MODO or ZBrush – as well as traditional sculpting tools including clay or wax. While…
Don your favorite bath robe, cream that coffee and get comfortable with this weekend’s SolidSmack Weekend Reader. This week we saw everything from an update from Frame about when users can expect to install their apps in the Cloud, an interesting look at origami manipulation, a new piece of software that automates furniture designs into…
With so many cool things coming out each week, it can be hard to wade through all the rock-awesomeness. With ‘Cool Tools’, we’ve done the hard work for you. This week we saw everything from an impressive restoration of a classic Porsche Targa, a vertical record player that’s worthy of a spot in your office,…
When it comes to staying innovative in an age where toys are being replaced by touchscreen devices and apps, leave it to NERF to keep churning out new ways of experiencing the same toy over and over again. Yesterday, the toy blaster brand that’s responsible for more than a handful of office warfare battles announced…
Time for another round of apps that cover the spectrum of your beloved mobile device, be it iPhone, Android or Windows! The Weekly App Smack is the best of design and productivity apps (and maybe a couple of fun ones, too) for the busy design or engineering professional and this week we have a list…
Of all of the ‘futuristic’ gadgets that popular culture has dangled in front of consumers without the satisfaction of it being real, the Back to the Future hoverboard (okay, and self-lacing shoes) rank among the highest in the list. While we’ve seen various attempts to create hoverboards over the years – as evidenced by a…
This week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist brings an entirely new playlist of face-melting great music to help propel you through those laborious, tedious design tasks for the next few days. So whether you find yourself inking markers until they’re dry, grinding material through a bandsaw or flying through a CAD model, consider these tracks as…
As electronic manufacturers including Apple and Samsung race to produce the next great consumer electronics product with each season, its no surprise that over 152 million mobile devices – including smartphones and tablets – are disposed of each year (that’s over 416,000 per day) worldwide. So, while Moore’s Law has previously encouraged us to adopt…
Don your favorite bath robe, cream that coffee and get comfortable with this weekend’s SolidSmack Weekend Reader. This week we saw everything from an impressive new interface concept from Google that just might change 3D modeling forever to the much-anticipated release of Rhino 5 for Mac and more… So lay back, relax and take a…
Known for his prolific automotive art and custom car designs, Steve Sanford’s work has been commissioned over the years by custom car builders and car enthusiasts alike – not to mention he’s also helped inspire generations of car designers through his unique rendering techniques. But not only has Stanford been able to make a name…
As the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) – which can be best described as the CES of video games – wraps up today, it will cap off a monumental week that is perhaps more important than any other E3 in history; the rise of virtual reality is on the horizon and it’s going to start with…
With so many cool things coming out each week, it can be hard to wade through all the rock-awesomeness. With ‘Cool Tools’, we’ve done the hard work for you. This week we saw everything from a sleek new home security platform from Nest, a couple of convenient ways for learning how to code on-the-go, a…
Of all of the minor annoyances that occur in the workshop, the need for an easily-adjustable bright light while working with both hands certainly ranks high up there – especially when looking for ‘that missing screw’ ends up taking just as much time as a project assembly itself. Of course, the best solutions for these…
Time for another round of apps that cover the spectrum of your beloved mobile device, be it iPhone, Android or Windows! The Weekly App Smack is the best of design and productivity apps (and maybe a couple of fun ones, too) for the busy design or engineering professional and this week we have a list…
It’s no secret that one of the fastest ways to improve any digital workflow is to learn a program’s hot keys. Whether the program in question is Photoshop, SolidWorks, MODO or even your OS itself, knowing the keys can be a lifesaver for bouncing quickly between tasks. The problem of course – is actually learning…
This week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist brings an entirely new playlist of face-melting great music to help propel you through those laborious, tedious design tasks for the next few days. So whether you find yourself inking markers until they’re dry, grinding material through a bandsaw or flying through a CAD model, consider these tracks as…
Regardless of which stage of your career you’re in, having recent and relevant documentation of your work can oftentimes be just as important as the work itself – whether you’re using the proof of your abilities to level-up in a new job search or simply just want to keep a clean record of where you’ve…
Don your favorite bath robe, cream that coffee and get comfortable with this weekend’s SolidSmack Weekend Reader. This week we saw everything from an impressive 40W laser shotgun and a new kind of coffee cup that’s made from coffee grounds themselves to an update on the latest in Rhino 5 for Mac and more… So…
As we continue to move into an age where products can be produced at the push of a button, the question of “Will additive manufacturing ruin or enable the next generation of designers and engineers?” is one that keeps coming up. While being able to turn a CAD model into a physical object for all…
Although they’ve been putting a lot of focus and attention towards touting their new HoloLens and Windows 10, Microsoft has also been busy developing their gigantic touchscreen Surface Hub – which was first announced back in January. The device – which can best be described as a gigantic Microsoft Surface (literally) – was designed with…
With so many cool things coming out each week, it can be hard to wade through all the rock-awesomeness. With ‘Cool Tools’, we’ve done the hard work for you. This week we saw everything from two sleek new camera offerings for the pro-am photographer, an easier way to shoot and edit video on the iPhone,…
With the recent announcement that they will finally be releasing their Rhino for Mac after years in development, Rhino developers McNeel have been showing no signs of slowing down their launch. The company’s European branch presented a user event in London yesterday that, along with presentations from Marc Newson’s studio design director and a bevy…
Time for another round of apps that cover the spectrum of your beloved mobile device, be it iPhone, Android or Windows! The Weekly App Smack is the best of design and productivity apps (and maybe a couple of fun ones, too) for the busy design or engineering professional and this week we have a list…
This week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist brings an entirely new playlist of face-melting great music to help propel you through those laborious, tedious design tasks for the next few days. So whether you find yourself inking markers until they’re dry, grinding material through a bandsaw or flying through a CAD model, consider these tracks as…
When it comes to guilty pleasures in film geek land, look no further than the dozens of YouTube videos created by the group of blacksmiths, machinists and swordssmiths over at Man at Arms. The group, who have built everything from Oddjob’s Hat to Arya’s Needle, are masters of documenting the process of replicating forged weapons…
Don your favorite bath robe, cream that coffee and get comfortable with this weekend’s SolidSmack Weekend Reader. This week we saw everything from a crowdfunding campaign that was 100 years in the making to a new type of synthetic (and soft) wood-like material to a library of 70 open source 3D print designs that utilize…
It’s not surprising that using additive manufacturing to create large-scale objects – such as chairs – hasn’t really taken off; between the size of a 3D printer needed combined with the cost of filament, you may as well truck over to your nearest Design Within Reach and pick up your favorite Herman Miller or Eames.…
With so many cool things coming out each week, it can be hard to wade through all the rock-awesomeness. With ‘Cool Tools’, we’ve done the hard work for you. This week we saw everything from a sleek and smart indoor air quality monitor and a completely new take on the foosball table to how to…
Time for another round of apps that cover the spectrum of your beloved mobile device, be it iPhone, Android or Windows! The Weekly App Smack is the best of design and productivity apps (and maybe a couple of fun ones, too) for the busy design or engineering professional and this week we have a list…
Founded in 2002 by a group of architecture graduates who had recently visited the Milan Design Fair, Nendo has since become an internationally-renowned multidisciplinary design studio that’s been responsible for everything from mug designs for Starbucks and retail design for Camper shoes to ice cream cakes for Häagen-Dazs and furniture designs for Cappellini. Named after…
This week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist brings an entirely new playlist of face-melting great music to help propel you through those laborious, tedious design tasks for the next few days. So whether you find yourself inking markers until they’re dry, grinding material through a bandsaw or flying through a CAD model, consider these tracks as…
Of all of the things that came out in 1984 – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Spinal Tap, The Karate Kid, Transformers and the first John Hughes film, among others – an iPhone (or more appropriately – a Macintosh Phone) was not one of them. However, 1984 was also the year that Apple ran their iconic…
Don your favorite bath robe, cream that coffee and get comfortable with this weekend’s SolidSmack Weekend Reader. This week we saw everything from an entirely new way of thinking about action figures to an update on a rebuild of the iconic “Beast of Turin” and more… So lay back, relax and take a load off…
Since hitting the YouTube scene a handful of years ago, filmmaker and storyteller extraordinaire Casey Neistat has created everything from ad campaigns for the likes of Nike and Mercedes-Benz to gaining over 16 million views for a video of a casual trip to a waterpark in Germany. It seems like no matter what Neistat does…
With so many cool things coming out each week, it can be hard to wade through all the rock-awesomeness. With ‘Cool Tools’, we’ve done the hard work for you. This week we saw everything from a pocket-sized synthesizer to a vacuum-sealing carry-on bag and a beautiful new app from Moleskin to how to make an…
Although we’ve been seeing an increase in electric skateboard options as of late, few have really taken off to become go-to modes of transportation – yet. However, when it comes to the wide range of various water toys that allow us to become the Rocketeer or James Bond for a few minutes in our lives,…
Time for another round of apps that cover the spectrum of your beloved mobile device, be it iPhone, Android or Windows! The Weekly App Smack is the best of design and productivity apps (and maybe a couple of fun ones, too) for the busy design or engineering professional and this week we have a list…
This week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist brings an entirely new playlist of face-melting great music to help propel you through those laborious, tedious design tasks for the next few days. So whether you find yourself inking markers until they’re dry, grinding material through a bandsaw or flying through a CAD model, consider these tracks as…
Don your favorite bath robe, cream that coffee and get comfortable with this weekend’s SolidSmack Weekend Reader. This week we saw everything from an Adam Savage-designed and built functioning Star Trek Captain’s Chair replica, an update on the upcoming KeyShot 6 rendering and animations software, how Google is leveraging their new NYC-based hardware incubator, the…
Considering that most of the conversations we have about tools these days involve tools of the digital variety (and if they are based in the Cloud or not), it might be hard to imagine that at one time, a slightly-altered rock was considered the norm for manufacturing one’s own goods. In a recent article that…
If you were to take on a fourth-generation Italian company that produces chairs, sofas and other furniture as a client for a new furniture collection, the chances of straying too far from tradition are likely to be somewhat slim. Rather, the focus would more likely be on enhancing existing details and processes while maintaining the…
With so many cool things coming out each week, it can be hard to wade through all the rock-awesomeness. With ‘Cool Tools’, we’ve done the hard work for you. This week we saw everything from a custom motorcycle design worthy of a spot in the next Mad Max film, an entirely new way of buying…
With over 86% of the world’s existing engineers being male, it might appear that inspiring a new generation of female engineers is an uphill battle. Thanks to recent efforts to make STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) a more appealing career field for girls however, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Already, we’ve seen…
Time for another round of apps that cover the spectrum of your beloved mobile device, be it iPhone, Android or Windows! The Weekly App Smack is the best of design and productivity apps (and maybe a couple of fun ones, too) for the busy design or engineering professional and this week we have a list…