From the introduction of color television to the formation of NASA, few decades have offered a glimpse of endless possibilities quite like the 1950s. And while commercial jet travel and the wonder of Xerox copiers were making their way into dinner table conversations, the rise in post-war manufacturing also introduced cost competition and a growing increase in imported or alternative, cheaper materials. Produced by Hanna-Barbara in 1959 as part of U.S. Steel’s campaign against competing steel imports and alternative materials like aluminum, “Rhapsody Of Steel” was a big-budget animated theatrical release that was shown theatrically in Pittsburgh and seven other cities. Featuring an ambitious score performed by the Pittsburgh Symphony…
For some, electric motors and off-road vehicles go together about as well as pineapple bits on a pizza. But hey, other people actually like pineapples on their pizza (what are you?) So, an all-electric off-road vehicle design might not be such a bad idea… if it looks good. Bollinger Motors has done just that, designing the world’s first all-electric off-road vehicle. Dubbed the Bollinger B1, the thing is big, blocky, and apart from the terrain it lovingly shreds with its massive tires, is completely safe to any nature that stays out of its way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4f-ogepkug Designed by a team of engineers and designers from Hobart, New York, the Bollinger B1 can…
Get that stretch out of your system with this week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist. It’s fashioned up, ready to make you pull your shoulder blades back and knock out another week of meaningful work while you bob your head to the beat. Whether you’re in the shop milling aluminum, sketching the latest product prototypes or modeling up a 3D storm, consider these tracks as a tool for your process. This week we’ll kick things off with “Sun Medallion” from King Tuff before riding into the sweet sounds of Matt Costa, Boys Age, The Bats, and others before smoothing things out with “Star Stuff” from Chaz Bundick Meets Mattson 2. Rock!…
Valentine’s Day is only six months away, so this is super relevant. Actually, Cardiovascular Surgeon appreciation day is a lot closer and our 3D model this week works just as well for that, Valentine’s Day and even for serenading your co-workers, singing ‘Nothing Compares 2U’ WHICH Sinead OConnor just so happened to release the official video for this July. A coincidence? I THINK NOT. The low poly heart is a new model from the heart-throbbing talent at VECTARY who says, “A perfect 3D printed wedding gift, don’t you think?” And we’re all like… What are you saying? Do you want to marry us? We’ve not even KISSED YET. Your hands…
If you’re too busy living on planet Earth to bother with the rest of intergalactic space, you might be surprised at the sudden loss of sunlight August 21. The 2017 solar eclipse will cover the entire contiguous United States and will be the first one to hit the country since June 8, 1918. To prepare for this once-in-a-lifetime event, why not make your own do-it-yourself sun viewer? While your neighbors will no doubt whip out their digital cameras and video capture equipment, what they’ll be seeing is a tiny blotted out dot of sunlight. “Even an eleven-year-old can make a sun viewer”, says YouTuber CodyDon on his channel, Cody’s Lab.…
Having been practicing digital illustration since the early 1990s (this after years of practicing traditional art), Brazil’s Jomar Machado has amassed an impressive portfolio of 3D design work that spans decades. While the early years of his professional career were spent creating storyboards, layouts, and concept art for print at the advertising firm JW Thompson, he spent his nights at home on his Commodore Amiga busting out digital sketches and 3D renderings. More recently, the Brazilian designer has been remixing a variety of design influences into a collection of vehicles that combine iconic 20 and 21st-century design motifs into futuristic vehicles using Mental Ray, HDR Light Studio, Photoshop, and 3D…