Though VR technology has come a long way since its inception in the late 19th century *ahem* 20th century, the methods of interacting with a virtual world have remained largely the same. Through the use of buttons and controllers, using a VR headset still feels very cumbersome despite its ability to add real actions into a virtual space. But what if you didn’t need a controller? What if you could control everything seamlessly through the use of your own two hands? This is exactly what Oculus has been working on. Early next 2020, the Oculus Quest VR headset will allow for true hand-based inputs straight from your hands into the…

As purveyors of prime Grade A web content, the SolidSmack crew has done some of the heavy-lifting to make sure you get your Mondays started on the right track. Welcome to The Monday List. Every Monday, we link you up with some of the most insightful, informative, and socially-relevant stories to keep tabbed, bookmarked, reading listed, pocketed, or what have you to get your week started on the right foot. Be sure to check in each week for a new crop of freshly sprouted words curated straight from the source of your favorite homegrown ‘Smack. What We’re Reading This Week: McDonald’s CEO Wants Big Macs to Keep Up With Big Tech…

If you ever wanted to create threaded fasteners for screws, nuts, bolts and the like on the fly using good old Fusion 360, Autodesk has a simple method to easily implement them using the Thread command: Under the ‘Create’ menu, choose the ‘Thread’ command and select a cylindrical shape you want the thread to be applied on to. You can then set the specifications of the thread, such as the size, type, class, and direction the thread is rotating towards. If you aren’t sure what specs to give your thread, Fusion 360 automatically finds the standard closest to your particular selection. You can also refer to McMaster-Carr or another part…

I sat down with Derek Roberts, the man behind the MillRight CNC company. Derek is an entrepreneur, tinkerer, designer, visionary and guy with a cool southern accent. He goes over everything, from how he got started, to MillRight’s first product, starting a business, running a business, manufacturing challenges and, oh yes, their new desktop CNC product, the Mega V Router and Plasma system. Dan Slaski:What does MillRight make and what are you all about? Derek Roberts: MillRight is a developer and manufacturer of CNC machines. Our mission is to deliver the best value in CNC. DS: How did you get started down this path? DR: I’ve always been into tinkering with…

It’s fall y’all, and that means football, hot wing juice on your keyboard, and a new version of SOLIDWORKS comin’ atcha fast. This month, SOLIDWORKS held their SOLIDWORKS 2020 launch event/sportscast online. And, let me tell ya, SOLIDWORKS 2020 is a shift. Maybe they don’t want you to see it like that, maybe they do, but along with a lot of great features like Large Assembly Drawing acceleration, Assembly Defeature, Faster Sketching and Simulation, there’s a shift in how you will access new features and gain more capabilities. But more on that in a moment. What about SOLIDWORKS 2020? What’s New in SOLIDWORKS 2020 Just prior to the launch event…

Since Apple’s new cheese grater-looking Mac Pro was announced last June, the company has released a statement that the new PCs will be made in the U.S.A., specifically in Austin, Texas – the same place where Mac Pros have been made since 2013. This new Mac Pro will include parts sourced from 36 states; including areas in Arizona, Maine, New York, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Vermont, and of course, Texas. According to Apple, the company is able to manufacture in the U.S. thanks to a “federal product exclusion” for some of the computer’s components. With this, this upcoming Mac Pro is said to have American-made components which are worth 2.5…