Right when you think everyone gave up on putting parametric 3D CAD software on an iPad, a small, rebellious group of software developers launches an app that puts those large, money-laden software companies to shame. When we first saw Shapr3D, it was well on its way to cracking the CAD app conundrum – How do you put functional parametric 3D modeling on an iPad? Well, they’ve doneit, and just released Shapr3D 2.0 that brings a few things it was missing. With powerful laptops and 2-in-1s flooding the market, why put CAD on iOS now? I thought as much, giving up on ever seeing ‘SolidWorks for iPad’, but with the big CAD companies losing…

We get it. Taking the time to learn how to code either sounds like a luxury or a nightmare, depending on how you look at it. That said, there have never been more opportunities to learn at your own pace as there is today—be it Javascript, Python, Ruby, Swift or any other keystone programming language. Fortunately, this Learn to Code 2017 Bundle has everything you need to initiate blast off and make 2017 the year that you (or your son/daughter/grandma/dog) learns how to code. The best part? While the bundle is valued at over $1,500, SolidSmack readers get to pay whatever they want for the next three days: Bundled Courses…

Nestor Llanos is a 3D designer who has done a great deal pushing the envelope of 3D printing forward, but now he’s helping start others on the same path, with a book called “The Little Designer”. Llanos was the Lead Design Engineer for the “Strati” 3D printed car developed by Local Motors, one of the more recent projects in his twenty year career in car design and 3D printing. As an expert on the topic, he wanted to have his children get involved, saying: Basically, I wanted to engage my own children in age appropriate 3D printing and 3D digital modeling technology. After that, I saw and I found that…

Formlabs, who is now responsible for making a generation of designers and engineers giggle gleefully when they hear the word ‘resin’, has recently released a whole array of new engineering resins aimed at professionals for use in prototyping, molding and more. Formlabs is widely known for their consumer and commercial grade resin… and their 3D printers too, I suppose. Though I don’t have a Formlabs printer (yet), seeing what people and companies are doing with the printer, along with the new materials, have rekindled ideas for products I had long ago, products that would have required a lot of work and even more mold/die cost. These new (and one improved) resins come on the coattail…

Despite there being more options than ever before for on-the-go digital sketching, it’s still all too easy to get lost in the maze of accessories, dongles, and apps needed to create a single line. Oftentimes, just pulling out an actual piece of paper is more effective when creativity strikes. And while tablets such as the Surface Pro and iPad Pro are capable of taking on much more than digital sketching, might they be overkill for those tasks that are supposed to be meditative and free of constant Twitter alerts? Such is the premise behind reMarkable, a new tablet designed to clear the clutter away from digital reading, writing, and sketching.…

It’s time for another round of apps that cover the spectrum of your beloved mobile device, be it iPhone, Android or Windows! 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! Copied Copied is a full-featured clipboard manager. Save text, links, and images that you’ve…