We managed to wrangle Jon Hirschtick (Founder and Chairman, Onshape) and Carl Bass (CEO, Autodesk) into answering the same six questions about CAD in the Cloud, including the ultimate, whiz-bang question of the year at the end: “How do Fusion 360, Onshape, and 3DEXPERIENCE differ?” You saw it here first, folks. A SolidSmack exclusive, side-by-side…
After months of speculation, rumors and various tidbits surrounding “the future of CAD”, Onshape – the browser-based parametric CAD program that’s been in the works for years now – is finally live. Founded by SolidWorks founder Jon Hirschtick and a team of ex-SolidWorks corporate all-stars, the free (yes – free) program is being hailed by…
I was finally able to get a proper live demo of the new SolidWorks Industrial Design product at SolidWorks World 2015, and while we still lack some really critical information (Uh, price?), a lot of the fuzz is finally coming into focus. We spread some misinformation on The Twitters yesterday, so today we set the…
Today, 3Dconnexion announce a new product. They’re not pucking around with another SpaceMouse, though, oh no. Today, they announce the CadMouse, which is less like a 3D Mouse, and more like your regular mouse, but with smart scroll, command access and a special spot for that middle nubbin to send cad-jabs of pleasure to your central button-pressing unit.…
At only 12.7 MB, this new CAD package packs a punch! Although it may come with a bit of a steep learning curve, Monolith enables users to vary the quantity of multiple materials on a voxel-by-voxel basis. New 3D Printing technologies – such as those seen in Stratasys’ Objet multi-material 3D printers – allow the…
Confirming rumors, SpaceX has announced that they will be receiving a hefty $900 million investment from Google to help push the internet into orbit with a myriad of satellites. At a valuation of $12 billion, Google would hold roughly 7.5% in the burgeoning space company, joining existing investors including Founders Fund, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Valor Equity Partners and…
Morphi is a free iPad app that allows users to quickly design and print items using touch alone; targeting younger people to inspire interest in design for all things 3D and artists/designers interested in taking a new approach. Back in June 2014, we covered their first release and we’re fairly impressed with Morphi’s powerful set of…
If there’s one thing that the world seemingly doesn’t need any more of, it’s another reusable water bottle design. Between the combination of modular concepts that unscrew for easier cleaning to those that include an embedded lemon juicer, the human race has never had as many options for getting water into a mouth as they…
As far as animated movies go, The LEGO Movie ranks high on the list for not just simply having a great story, but also its impressive use of CG and the fact that everything – including water, explosions, smoke and landscapes – are actual LEGO bricks. Of course, creating a feature-length film of walking and…
After years of humans figuring out ways of getting analog sketches into a digital platform, design engineer Ken Nakagaki is reversing that notion and wants us to put our digital sketches onto an analog ‘platform’ with his COMP*PASS design…which was recently shortlisted for a 2014 James Dyson Award. Armed with the goal of drawing a…
When it comes to tearing through the steps required to build a CAD model, everybody has their own proven method. While some might prefer a 3D mouse paired with a traditional mouse, others prefer to keep their hotkeys close and one hand on a Wacom tablet. Ultimately, there is no right or wrong way…but everybody…
With products such as GoldieBlocks, LEGO Mindstorms and Arduino making waves in the toy industry and media, it’s easy to forget some of the more simple products that provide the basic foundation for making things…such as construction sets. Aiming to fill this overlooked niche is Ingocraft, a new 3D printing-focused company that offers both a…
While modern CAD tools have made the product design workflow easier than ever (depending on who you ask), the need for more simple tools including sketchbooks, a favorite pen and even a ball of clay and calipers are still essential tools on a product design or engineer’s desktop. But what if ‘going digital’ didn’t necessarily…
Do you know why its called “Complex Surfacing”? Because its complicated! I have spent several years specifically working with complex surfacing inside Solidworks. For awhile now I have been working on concept cars, motorcycles, consumer products and general ‘shape-y’ type stuff. I love the parametric design process, and I deal with all aspects of Solidworks…
3D printing and CAD software couldn’t function without each other, they go together like a match made in pythonOCC. As 3D printing continues to build its freight train like momentum for home users and hobbyists, so too does the adoption of CAD software that can be both expensive and difficult to master. Software such as…
As time goes on, we are quickly seeing an ever-changing job market. Many employers are looking for new designers with additive manufacturing skills in their bag of tricks. Along with new technology comes new opportunities, and in our realm of 3d design that means instant gratification, well pretty close anyways. These days, you can set…
Along with other Quirky hits such as the more recent Aros Smart Window Air Conditioner, the Pivot Power falls in line with one of Quirky’s well-positioned design strategies: make existing and dull products that people use daily ‘smarter’…whether it’s a simple reimagining of an age-old hardware design or by incorporating a connected software ‘smart home’…
Add this to our growing bucket of things we wish we would have thought of before. The Zcan is a new ergonomic wireless mouse design that lets users swipe in a zigzag motion to scan and instantly digitize analog documents. Currently in the last 40 hours of its campaign over on Indiegogo, the project has…
When it comes to superheroes, their weapons of choice are almost just as iconic as the heroes themselves. Superman has his superpowers, Batman has his Batarangs, Iron Man has his flying indestructible suit and Captain America has his iconic shield. It’s the latter that the talented CAD designers, swordsmiths, blacksmiths and fabricators at Baltimore Knife…
So far we’ve seen 3D printing being used at the consumer/prosumer level as a way to create static objects with relatively few—if any—moving parts. A large part of this is due to the rampant use of low-level CAD programs that offer little more than digital pushing and pulling combined with an output method that is…
For the ZBrush fanatics out there with a penchant for ooey-gooey digital clay modeling, this past weekend was an exciting one if you happened to be in Hollywood, California for the 2014 ZBrush Summit. The three-day event at the Gnomon Workshop featured everything from guest speakers and workshops to product demos and inspirational keynotes. Perhaps…
When it comes to rendering a 3D model, there are generally two directions one could go in: a drag and drop solution or a fine-tuned custom solution with more dials and knobs than a 747 cockpit. Full-stack programs such as MODO offer the latter for those who are particular about every last measurement of fresnel,…
If you have been with us, tracking the growth of Autodesk’s cloud-based CAD platform Fusion 360, we have some more good news for you. After the last update that brought KeyShot rendering, almost seven months ago, the new addition bring crispy CAM capabilities. Calling it an entrepreneurs’ single stop for all product design and manufacturing…
3D modelers of both the engineering and artistic flavors can probably agree that seeing the realization of their digital models is one of the most rewarding aspects of the job. Bringing digital dreams into the physical realm is what defines our current era, and it is the challenge of constructing unprecedented objects that pushes us…
As we all know, getting from 2D to 3D in various CAD packages has typically involved importing multiple sketches, centering at the origin of the XYZ, and building out from there. At the recent SIGGRAPH Asia however, a new software by the name of 3-Sweep was previewed that allows a user to extract 3D data…
Stepping back into the school routine after a summer of endless squirt gun fights, milk chugging competitions, and road trips to obscure Route 66 destinations can be hard…we’ve been there. Or perhaps you’re not a student but the first sight of a big yellow school bus and lunch box displays at your local Whole Foods…
Well folks, this week we’ve been in Anaheim, California for this year’s 2013 PTC Live Global event. We had a chance to sit down with Brian Thompson, VP Product Management, CAD Segment and talked with him about the Creo roadmap, 3.0 features, and why apps are getting into the 3D printing scene.
Okay, I admit. It’s more like a ‘Pen-on’ experience, but you get the idea. Why point and click on a model with a mouse on an ol’ 2D screen when you can pull them right off the screen in 3D – near holographic-like, virtual 3D. The zSpace platform by Infinite Z promises to “transform today’s…
We’re mobile. We want to be more mobile. Dell is unleashing their latest business class device with the new and improved Precision Mobile Workstations. With the release of the M4700, M6700 and the blazing red, fully-loaded M6700 Covet, Dell is reaching even further into maximum computing power with maximum portability. Available today, the updated Dell…
While watching the tweets from SEU 2012, Mark Burhop tweeted from a seminar on 3D Printing, “All this new #3Dprinting technology needs designs – “Great day to be a CAD person!” #seu12. But is it?
The Internet has given us access to resources unparalleled in the history of humankind. The volume of exchange for ideas, pictures, written text and now 3D models have been building to a climatic boom in creativity. To an extent, that depends on how you define ‘Creativity’. I see creativity as the synthesis of two previously…
It’s here! I’m doomed, you’re doomed, we are all DOOMED! Doomed to use a whole bucket of cool tools and apps for design, DIY and so much more. This is a brand new feature for SolidSmack (replacing the Weekly Update) providing you with resources to make being an incredibly creative person more enjoyable. Each week…
There should be five things that you do today. They should all involve string, live bait and an assortment of wild animals. Oh, and this, KICK IT.
GrabCAD just may be the latest and greatest resource in the world of CAD – a massive online community of engineers and designers building a user-generated CAD library with a litany of features to encourage collaboration on design projects. GrabCAD bagged a cool $4 million in venture capital recently. Now, they’re looking for the top…
When the bluebonnets are dancing in the field and you feel a large antler near your spine, it’s best you not turn around. Simply put your headphones, tighten your belt on and scream, KICK IT.
I know it’s the weekend. Time to work on the tan, take the horse for a ride, wax your bike and maybe even make that crumpet basket you’ve been reading about. But before you do all of that, sit back, relax and enjoy 3 minutes and 42 seconds of bliss. KICK IT.
Why, it looks like you’re enjoying your weekend. Spring hat, drink in your hand, veggie or steak kabob of your choice grilling on the hood of your neighbor’s car. If only life could be just a touch more exciting. May I introduce the SolidSmack Update? I may. KICK IT.
Who cares about the Cloud, when the ability to grab our models is out there? Virtually, that is, in a very awkward, ‘why is this sneeze guard in front of me’, ‘dangit I spilled the ranch dressing on the sunflower seeds’ type of way. Yet, as we fall down the rocky gorge of 3D software…
Sweeps. That’s what we love. The stringy morsels of 3D modeling that makes a part all the more difficult (and interesting) to create. Sweeping a profile along a path couldn’t be easier in SolidWorks. A profile, a path, bend it to your will with a few guide curves – perfection achieved. But what if you…
You know how it goes. You’re sitting hunched over the keyboard with a coffee in one hand, spinning your model around while singing “Weeeee little bird!” in your highest pitch, when a knife comes flying over the cubicle wall. That… can cause a mess the janitor is not use to cleaning up. Besides taking voice…
I appreciate a good zombie monkey. They’re a rarity and usually make for better sport than other types of chronically drooling, undead monkeys. So, if you’re like me, it’s pretty obvious that you may want to create some usable data from a 2D drawing or graphic of a zombie monkey. Maybe you want to create…
Before you pucker your lips up into your nasal cavity at the sight of something called Smart Components, take a breath. You’ll want to know about them if you haven’t used them already. Smart Components automatically put features into parts when you mate them into assemblies. They take a little bit to set up, but…
In the wide, wide, wide world of 3D training videos, there’s a lack of unfamiliar voices speaking dubbed over video of a guy picking around in your favorite CAD program. Not to worry. A small band of tech support pros on the West coast is putting that to an end. GoEngineer is a SolidWorks reseller…
You’re a hardcore SolidWorks model whipper, but maybe you haven’t flipped the program over to see what kinds of features lurk on the bristly backside of the history-based beast. What features are these? Direct Editing features. Do not FEAR! These are some that have been there in one form or another for some time, but…
At the center of all that is possible within a SolidWorks assembly model sits the standard bearer of complicated surface geometry villainy… a component that won’t let the darn thing load. Who knows what it is – CPU, OS, RAM, imported parts, geometry bunions or maybe a new user that patterned his name on every…
My math teacher hated me. She would beat me unmerciful and use sounds of warrior robot apes fighting over canned meat in equations in a feeble attempt to stifle my creativity… It didn’t work. And neither did her or anyone’s warnings of manipulating the estimated mass of objects. In SolidWorks you can apply materials to…
The least exciting part about modeling objects in 3D is, without a doubt, the back-end administration stuff. Glorious procedures like making sure users aren’t changing selection colors, adding jacked-up macros or forgetting to back-up their work. There’s nothing quite like shoving Giggabitties of SolidWorks 3D models onto your local hard drive. It makes that hard…
Ok, you’re in a room of SolidWorks experts and starting to sweat. You feel like bustin’ out you modely moves, but wonder if they’re good enough. You start to twitch a little and get into the groove, but only the cat gnawing it’s paw in the corner seems to notice you shakin’ like André 3000.…
You want’em? We got’em. Hot, steamy nuggets of SolidWorks tipage you can wad up and stick under your pillow, give to your coworker or completely ignore. Let me warn ya. These are not your regular old tips. These are the most obvious…and when I say obvious, I’m talking around 38-41% mostly obvious… give or take…