In DESIGN

Get the Analog On at SHIFT Design Camp

3 Mins Read

Dirt! When is the last time THAT was the part of any design challenge you were given? Better yet, when was the last time anything digital was NOT part of your design workflow? Before you count that 30-minute bathroom ideation session as the trigger that sparked the latest round of innovation, there’s a new event taking place that is setting the stage for a more natural, outdoorsy approach to design thinking. SHIFT Design Camp is the brainchild of the students and faculty at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). The goal is to get you out of the office and under the stars, away from the technological barriers, exploring the world and working with like-minded students and professional to attack design challenges with the perspective that only one week of roughing it can provide.

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In CAD

SketchUp 2013 Launches: Extension Warehouse, LayOut Updates, Changes Name to SketchUp Make

3 Mins Read

Low and behold, the newest version of SketchUp has arrived. Come hither you geometry shaping device of delight. Since being acquired from Google by Trimble Navigation last April, the only update has been a stylish new logo. That all changed last week with the launch of SketchUp 2013. The name changes from version number to year number with SketchUp 8 now relegated to the ‘old’ version. They have a new Extension Warehouse to find developer add-ons much easier. Pro Users get some fancy new features for completing the documentation of their models and the free version of SketchUp is now called SketchUp Make.

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In CONTESTS

Graft Concepts: Design a 3D Printed iPhone Case Backplate For Us and Win $500 Shapeways Credit

3 Mins Read

Ahh the world of iPhone case designs. It seems that ever since Apple posted the iPhone blueprints for case designers, it is impossible to escape ‘the next big thing in iPhone case design’…especially when it involves 3D printing. Perhaps Graft Concepts is one of the more unique case designers, however. By creating a system of interchangeable backplates, a user can swap out various ‘functions’ of their case for whatever the day/night brings them, such as a card case backplate that functions as a wallet for those nights on the town where carrying anything ‘extra’ doesn’t make much sense. Now, Graft is teaming up with Shapeways to create an open-source backplate design contest in hopes of discovering new uses for that age-old iPhone case design. Want to give it a go? Here’s what you need to know.

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In DESIGN

Woodskin: A New Material Offering for All Your Lo-Tech Polyhedral-Sculpting Pleasures

3 Mins Read

The art of manipulating wood can be traced back centuries ago when even stone was being manipulated to have more flexible properties. Last year, designer Elisa Strozyk created a range of household goods that are “half wood-half textile, between hard and soft, challenging what can be expected from a material or category. It looks and smells familiar but feels strange, as it is able to move and form in unexpected ways.” Perhaps it was from this description that inspired the Italian interaction design firm MammaFotogramma to create ‘Woodskin’ for interior and exterior architectural and interior design applications. So what is it?

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In DESIGN

RimbaTubes: The PVC Pipe Instrument That Will Slap Your Ears in the Face

6 Mins Read

When you’re walking through the hallway slapping a rubber mallet across your mouthhole and both ears to produce an ethereal, hollow song, people may first wonder how you’ve managed to grow a third arm from your lower torso, before becoming enchanted by the rhythm reaching past the waxy depths of their inner ear. Kent Jenkins (aka Snubby J) doesn’t have three arms or waxy ears, but he can play the PVC pipe instrument like nobody’s business. He calls his creation RimbaTubes and if you’ve seen the video that has circulated over the years, you know he is quite the delight to all who watch. He has quite a way with those rubber mallets he uses to create the ‘thuds’ and ‘chuds’ (best way I can describe that sound folks) and quite a story to go along with it. We caught up with Kent after his return from studies abroad to find out about his inspiration and challenges in making the instrument that captured his interest.

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