It may not look like it, but those tiny comics on the side of your tax returns could one day be the next Calvin and Hobbes hit. And while you really shouldn’t be drawing on your tax returns, it just goes to show how something so small can spark a really big idea. The 3Doodler Create+ takes your misplaced creativity and allows you to bring your doodles into the third dimension. Using a special nozzle, it extrudes hot PLA, ABS, and FLEXY plastics which harden rapidly as you draw your desired 3D object. Two buttons near the nozzle allow you to adapt the 3Doodler for slow or fast printing. Slow…

Sponsored by That crust around your 3D modeling joints? Don’t worry. That’s the sign of EXPERIENCE. But we’re about to chip those crusty bits away. We’ve been modeling more or less the same for decades–some use solids, some use polygons, some do it sitting, some do it standing. But, it’s always been US telling IT what to do. Well, times they are a-changin’. Imagine that 3D model–nay, the interface, 3D model, and even manufacturing process–adapting as you design? Seems crazy, doesn’t it, but it’s something we have long thought about. Now, we’re finally seeing it take shape, while others are getting a first glimpse, realizing what’s ahead, and still others…

You may take it for granted (what with all the cars in your neighborhood), but a large percentage of the Netherlands population (27% to be exact) heavily rely on bikes for their day-to-day commute. So it’s pretty sad when you realize most bicycles in the country are manufactured overseas— effectively increasing their cost. Due to the high labor costs needed to make a bicycle out of steel or aluminum tubing, not many Dutch companies want to invest in such a risky business. Enter Mokumono Bicycles, a bicycle company founded by brothers Bob & Tom Schiller in an effort to bring bike manufacturing closer to home. Taking notes from car production…

When it comes to side projects, hours become days, days become weeks, and weeks can often become months or years. But what if getting a minimum viable product created could happen on a Saturday…assuming you aren’t building a flying car? Many successful entrepreneurs have been touting the benefits of the 1-Day MVP—a one-day, all-out sprint to go from fresh idea to app or hardware prototype. Sure, some projects may take a little more energy and time than others, but having the process and infrastructure in place to successfully glide ideas along is what counts the most. Which is exactly the premise behind the 1-Day MVP 2.0 online training course; one…

It’s time for another round of apps that cover the spectrum of your beloved mobile device(s)! The Weekly App Smack is the best of new or updated 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 sure to make you more efficient. Do you have an app suggestion that has made your life easier or changed up your workflow? Let us know in the comments below or send it into tips@solidsmack.com. Hit it! Brilliant – solve, learn, grow (iOS — Free) Master concepts by solving fun, challenging problems. We’ll help you learn real math…

Just look at that desk. Where are you going to put all of those dismantled 1990’s sit-com action figure parts? Jennifer Aniston would be ashamed. I know what you’re thinking though–No ordinary storage box will do. You need a special type of storage box worthy of iconic plastic leg and arm parts. Why you took them apart in the first, we’ll never… oh, you wanted to make a 50-headed, fully-articulating sit-com monster? Ahhh… we’ll leave you to it. For all those leftover pieces or other items you need to store, we have a wonderful 3D printed lattice box design by Pascal Merkli. It’s not just one though. Pascal has five…