What’s that? You have enough snow globes? Wrong answer. You can NEVER have enough snow globes… to set up for target practice so you can work in the Sig Sauer Elite AR-15 with Noveske Flash Suppressor you got on Black Friday. People need hobbies. You could spend hours shopping, spending hard-earned money on snow globes, or your could spend that cash on slapping together your own snow globes with spare salsa jars and the glitter that’s piled up under your sofa cushions. Even better, you have something else to print on your 3D printer… or another excuse to buy one. Vectary, the online 3D modeling tool, is at it again,…
Industrial designer Eric Strebel is at it again – this time with a how-to guide on making reusable mold boxes for casting silicone or urethane parts. Eric has already skipped the boring part and cut the pieces out, so it’s just a matter of predrilling the sides to prevent the wood from splitting. He overlaps the pieces in such a way that each piece gets three screws and three screws screwed into them. This makes the box easier to reassemble later. These particular boxes are made of AC grade plywood with a veneer finish on one side for better casts. After sanding and assembling all the sides, he marks the…
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@www.solidsmack.com. Hit it! Yoink (iOS — $2.99) Yoink for iPad and iPhone lets you easily and quickly store items you drag, copy or share,…
It may look like a simple block of wood, but Nissha’s Mui does much more than sit on your wall as an aesthetically pleasing living room decoration; underneath that warm earthy texture is a touch-based internet-connected interactive display capable of displaying information and controlling IoT devices. The display is designed to match to your environment in an effort to help alleviate stress and provide relaxation, perhaps meaning a natural block of interactive wood is preferable over a cold metallic device anchored to a wall. Regardless of its relaxation-producing aura, the interactive panel can display messages, weather info, time/date and used to interact with smart thermostats and lighting. Kyoto, Japan-based Nissha…
Sure—we’re all for having the right tools at the right time. But let’s be honest: having any tool, when the need arises, is better than having none. Which is why having a multitool on your key chain makes perfect sense. But when it comes to multitools—keychain fobs or not—not all are created equal. And when it comes to the perfect combination of price and quality, it’s hard to go wrong with the original multi-tool manufacturer, Leatherman. The company’s Micra multi-tool lives on your keychain and includes ten handy functions that are always at the ready: Knife, Spring-action Scissors, Flat/Phillips Screwdriver, Ruler (4.7 in | 12.0 cm), Nail Cleaner, Tweezers, Bottle…
It’s not always easy to juggle multiple hats in the design and engineering worlds—but if there is a common language that will likely end up saving you a lot of time and frustration down the road, it’s having g basic knowledge of visual communication. While nobody can become an Aaron Draplin overnight, having a strong grasp on the fundamentals of color theory and layout could easily make or break your projects—particularly when communication specific details to stakeholders. Thankfully, you don’t need to go back to design school to get started with leveling up your visual communication game. From setting up an Adobe Creative Cloud environment to building a portfolio website,…