Since time immemorial, CAD users have faced challenges when adding shell features to their designs. Typically used to convert solid 3D objects into hollow shells with walls of a specified thickness, challenges are met when adding shells to solids with small radii, unreasonably thick walls, intricate details and, sometimes, even very simple geometry. nPower Software’s new Power Shell and Power Thicken software additions for SOLIDWORKS were made to handle any and all problems related to shelling. With them, you’ll have fewer adjustments to make to your geometry and the ability to shell objects with the most intricate or challenging features. According to the official press release, Power Shell shells faces,…

Get your sculpt brushes and buckets of inspiration ready. Today, Pixologic introduced ZBrushCoreMini, a free entry-level version of its ZBrushCore and ZBrush software designed to help people get started with digital sculpting. ZBrushCoreMini provides a simplified version of the Academy Award Winning ZBrush software used by leading digital artists around the world. ZBrushCoreMini is designed for new artists of all ages, with a streamlined interface that lets anyone jump right in and start sculpting immediately.” ZBrushCoreMini The new software comes with some exceptional features for those who want to ease their way into ZBrush or need to 3D print their designs. ZBrushCoreMini includes the following features: Sculptris Pro – Frees…

It was a slow ride over to SketchUp subscription city but you saw the road signs along the way. First Trimble put SketchUp online bringing you SketchUp for Web. Then, in February 2019, they announced a subscription pricing option, retaining the perpetual license option. Now, they’ve announced a complete move to an annual subscription model with classic perpetual licenses and maintenance renewals no longer available after November 4th, 2020. If you own a Classic Perpetual License today, you will be able to use the latest version you own in perpetuity. In addition, if you’d like to update your Classic Perpetual License, you can do that until November 4th, 2020.  Please…

LEGO’s are known the world over! Their blocks excite our imagination. Give a kid a mess of Lego blocks and in no time they’ll have a structure reaching to the sky! Yet for all the fun of making buildings or secret caves, let’s face it, there wouldn’t be much life to LEGOs without those tiny, (mostly) yellow-faced Minifigures. Minifigs as they are called, allow children to infuse persona into their play. A child can be anyone and go anywhere there imagination takes them!In this post, you’ll get a sneak peek behind the scenes inside a Lego factory and see how Minifigs are made. There are many steps in the process…

Editing appearances inside Onshape just go better. Now applying custom color to any region or face is a snap! Gone are the days of needing a workaround to simply change the face color of solid or surface faces of part-studio geometry. It looks like my old “zero offset surface copy” workaround has been rendered obsolete. Another notable enhancement in the June 3rd CAD Improvements update is the addition of the Appearance Panel which allows for better management of color and the ability to use color to browse the feature tree. Additionally, colors can now be configured in the same manner as other features within the part-studio. Let’s have a look…

Woodturning wood, metal, and plastics are interesting and amazing in and of itself. From bowls in bowls to a cherry burl egg, the possibilities are endless. But who would have thought of woodturning a stack of colored straws into a vase? Well, the Wood Workshop is who. And they captured the entire, fascinating process that may make you wonder what else can be turned. While various pieces of walnut wood were used to create the center and base, the main attractions are the brightly colored straws that adorn its sides. Here’s how it came together. 1. Construct the Support Structure Before getting to the multi-colored straws, we can’t forget the…