If you thought the Death Star was the biggest LEGO set in existence, then you’re still living in the 2010s, my friend. As of November 2020, the award for the biggest, baddest set in the Denmark-based toy company’s arsenal goes to the new 9,036-piece Roman Colosseum. Just ask LEGO designer Rok Kobe, who talks about…

Need a design taken from A to B or maybe A to Q? Going from A to B might take one skill set and from B to C, another. Do you know what Q through B looks like? Stuff that brain matter back in your ears and take a breath. Let’s review the ABCs of…

In this post, we’ll delve into the world of TRAJPAR. Now I’m not talk’n about some distant galaxy, but rather a somewhat hidden parameter nested inside PTC Creo Parametric modeling software. TRAJPAR is short for Trajectory Parameter. This puppy is one of the advanced modeling goodies that allows you to turbocharge your Variable Section Sweep…

You are a great designer. You have innate gifts with 3D and spatial relations and are a creative, original thinker. You have studied and mastered mechanical principles and fundamentals. Through industry experience, you’ve learned about manufacturing processes, rules of thumb and tools and tricks of the trade. You are an interesting “T-shaped” person pulling from…

At an abstract level, every new project is composed of three elements: The known knowns (the things that you know you know), the known unknowns (the things you know that you don’t know), and the unknown unknowns (the things you don’t know that you don’t know)*. Stay far far away from the known gnomes. Given…

It’s 3am. Visions of green and red shapes are swirling through your mind. Was it a bad batch of kombucha? No – it’s Autodesk Generative Design. Autodesk Generative Design provides a surprisingly addictive mix of novelty, somewhat mysterious results, and interesting shapes. If you can justify the cost – try it! Before I dive in,…

During his previous cellphone charger project, designer Eric Strebel had the misfortune of having a piece of metal get stuck in his eye. And since injury is something anyone working on a project should be ready for, Strebel has decided to put his skills to work and create a dusk mask with integrated eye protection.…

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…

Glassblowing is a fascinating artform. For those of us in the product development world it’s akin to blow-molding. Yet, the process of blowing glass holds more intrigue and an element of danger. Also as a medium, it more eloquently showcases the human touch. Instead of yielding myriads of homogeneous end products, hand-blown glass enables artisans…

With such a wide variety of camera lenses available to us these days, it’s easy to overlook the details that go into creating each and every precision-engineered “glass.” From the ultra wide-angle 24mm f/1.4L for expansive landscape shots to the behemoth 800mm f/5.6L monsters used to capture high detail from a distance, each and every…

If any of your hobbies involve turtles and/or squishing things with your fingers while giggling like a schoolchild hopped up on oatmeal pies, you’re going to love our model this week. Jacob Stanton, also known as ‘jakejake’, has created a small turtle toy that squishes down and bounces around on its springy little legs. They’re…

The centerpiece of Mathew Borrett’s Hypnogogic City peers into a hazy and shifted existence of Toronto’s city hall. From our view, we see a hybrid destruction of Toronto’s city hall both by man and by nature. Each building seems to hold its own function and host its own colony. Everything else is grown over with…

Efficiency. Glorious efficiency. The streamlined and punctual Japanese train system. The meticulous movement of precision components in a Swiss made watch. The time saving zzzchick of Velcro shoes. I don’t know about you, but I am getting goosebumps. Certain cultures, like the Germans and their engineers in particular, are known for prizing the concept of…

A new docu-series on design is set to premiere February 10th on Netflix. The title, Abstract: The Art of Design. Now for those of us who like to peek behind the scene or tap into the minds of the creators, the series should be a doozy! As for me, I’m looking forward to seeing the episode…

Say what you will about headphone jacks, dongles, and the post-Steve Jobs era, there’s no denying that Apple is still somewhere at the front (if not the very front) of the pack when it comes to their collective of industrial design and design engineering feats. While some of their more recent design decisions might be…

Robot hands. There was I time I wish I had a lab with robot hands hanging from the ceiling and the constant hum of industrial machining all around. Who am I kidding. I still wish that. The team at RightHand Robotics has a lab. They’ve got the robot hand making process down too; a process…

A great pleasure of mine is enjoying an overpriced hot caffeinated beverage while having esoteric conversations about design around like minded individuals. We rhapsodize about the coolest things we have designed, the crazy hours, and hurdles we overcame. We debate the merits and pitfalls (usually pitfalls) of different 3D printers and CAD packages. And, of…

The thought put into speaker design is astounding. It nearly makes me forget all about the chipper/shredder sound emanating from my car speakers. We’ve admired Portland-based Grovemade design for a while. They have an awesome habit of showing what goes on behind the design. We highly recommend following their journal (and taking note if you’re…

It’s not necessarily common to hear that somebody was “inspired by sushi” unless we’re talking about taking lunch early for a plate of California Rolls and a Sapporo. But for Tel Aviv-based product designer Ori Ravgad, “inspired by sushi” led to an entirely new dimension of constructing wooden veneer objects. Specifically, Ravgad was inspired by…

Cycling. It’s the ragingly popular/eco-friendly/healthy/cheap way to get around town. I like to ride my bicycle – we all do. But it can be a pain deciding where to store the bike, especially if you live in… yeah, just about any apartment. (I have to pay $60 a year to store mine.) Solutions?

When it comes to the expansive community of product designers focused on 3D printing as their medium of choice, few have offered more in the way of pushing the boundaries of what’s possible than Emerging Objects. Between printing a Utah Tea Set out of actual tea to creating a 3D printed house that you’d actually…

Love ’em or just plain prefer something else, there’s a reason why Nike stays at the top of the innovation food chain. Going all the way back to the original concept of making a shoe from a waffle iron, thinking outside the box has been embedded into the brand’s DNA since day one. Like Apple’s…

I love new types of Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs). When it comes to demonstrating design projects, you typically need both hands – unless you’re a badass who can fold origami cranes with one hand like it’s nothing. Now imagine trying to capture images while simultaneously working on a dual-wielding project. Yeah, it’s not that easy,…

Today, we’re looking at something a little different. We don’t often cover topics outside industrial design and engineering, but we’re all about the process, the business of design, and particularly about how to successfully bring a product to market. VESTIGE is a shirt brand created by Kyle Derleth and Mark DiMuzio in 2015. They started small,…

It goes without saying that one of the best ways to get better at your craft is to watch others do it. Unfortunately, this hasn’t necessarily been easy in the digital age with software tools. Of course, we’ve seen our fair share of CAD or Photoshop tutorials on YouTube, but something usually gets lost when…

I want to introduce you to someone. Let’s call this person Gary. Gary works nights and weekends in a garage on a project based on the same technology you work on. Gary is a Maker. Picture this, you stand around the water cooler complaining about how last year’s holiday party was better because they had…

As the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) – which can be best described as the CES of video games – wraps up today, it will cap off a monumental week that is perhaps more important than any other E3 in history; the rise of virtual reality is on the horizon and it’s going to start with…

Known primarily for being one of the best typographers of all time, German typographer Erik Spiekermann has created dozens of iconic typefaces for both commercial and corporate clients that many have come to recognize; he was also among those interviewed in Gary Hustwit’s 2007 documentary Helvetica. The designer, who Monocle Magazine has called the “world’s…

In the case that the onslaught of superhero-themed movies coming out over the next few years isn’t enough to keep comic book fans busy, publishers including Marvel and DC Comics are in the process of announcing literally truckloads of toys and action figures ranging from your run-of-the-mill $10 posable figures to more complex trophy case-worthy…

It’s no secret that tablets and smartphones have changed the way we gather inspiration images and formulate the beginning stages of a creative process. Whether its through their constant presence while out in the ‘real world’ when ideas actually manifest or simply because of the functions of a clever app design, our devices have become…

When it comes to the process of designing something – anything – in the 21st century, the internet is awash with millions of ‘resources’ that are both free and for sale. Whether the resources are 3D CAD files for a motor assembly, an After Effects template for a video transition, a Photoshop mock-up for a…

This is part II (see part I here) of a series that will give an inside look at how my friends and I are attempting to turn an idea into a real product. It is my goal to make this an accurate representation of what it’s like to create a product completely from scratch, without…

Unless you’re a professional iPad sketcher – chances are you like to use a little bit of assistance with your (lack of) drawing abilities. For this, it’s hard to deny that Paper by FiftyThree is without a doubt the best in its category; some people have even admitted to being swayed into purchasing an iPad…

A couple of months ago, I left my day job to give myself the freedom to explore my curiosities and pursue some nagging, deep rooted – but altogether indefinite – ideas. The best way I can describe it is that it feels like there is some rope tied around my waist pulling me forward, and…

Let’s start with the basics: you have an awesome job. You get to use cool tools to create awesome stuff. You may very well have the job that you wanted as a kid – a job that kids today still desire (but don’t let kids do your job, that would be irresponsible). Not many people…

Regardless of one’s design or engineering background, one of the first steps in any design process is to seek some compelling reference images to help guide the direction of the design. Even concept and fantasy artists – those who create characters, vehicles and worlds that don’t exist – consistently come back to photographs of real…

Looking at incredible structures such as the Sphinx in Egypt or the genius of Leonardo Da Vinci’s self propelled cart, it’s even more impressive when you think about the rudimentary resources that the designers had hundreds and even thousands of years ago. Today, we have highly sophisticated tools like CAD software and rapid prototyping to…

We live in a world full of amazing design software and hi-tech automated machines. These “tools” are designed to reduce design cycle times and leverage productivity. Companies spend a lot of money on these tools and expect a productivity pay off from their designers. Some of the new expectations are realistic and some are not.…

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 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…

Last week we gave you a heads up about a new short film from creative firm Bassett & Partners that explores what the meaning of a design brief is from the point of view of a variety of creative visionaries. This morning, the informative short film went live and is totally worth 26 minutes of…

It’s not very often when you come across an industrial designer who has a desire to bring what is commonly hidden by a panel or housing out into the open in all of its glorious and mechanical gleam. Such is the case with industrial designer Simon Williamson. The Britain-born designer honed his chops at Frog…

If you’ve been hanging around the SolidSmack block for awhile, chances are your hands are sticky from drinking too much root beer and your stomach hurts from eating too many cheese balls. You’ve also likely come across one of our favorite YouTube channels Frank Makes. Created by retired architect and master woodworker Frank Howarth, the…

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…

Documenting an industrial design process can be a challenging task when your primary focus is on getting the actual product design out of the door and into the hands of your client or manufacturer in time. Whether the documentation is for a student portfolio or for a world-class design firm, the combination of research data,…

Let’s admit it: wireframe views in CAD are awesome. While they may not be functional or necessary 100% of the time, the combination of even line weights and simple, informative curves to guide your eye really do standout as a unique form of digital and art. Inspired by the unique look of the wireframe display,…

What happens in the top-secret design lab at Apple’s Cupertino HQ has been a topic of interest for years now. Regardless if you use and appreciate Apple products or are a devoted Dell or Samsung user, it’s hard not to appreciate the contributions to industrial design that Jony Ive and team have cooked up in…

When it comes to creating innovative products for musicians, leave it up to the industrial designers who are musicians themselves to solve some of the more infuriating problems of traveling with musical equipment. Such is the case with Portland, Oregon-based industrial designer Patrick Triato, vocalist/guitarist for the band Bears. Along with fellow Portland industrial designer…

We’re living in a world of daily product launches. If you’re reading this, you’re likely considering your own or, at the very least, dream of making riches by bringing the ultimate, life-altering product to market. Whether that is done through crowd sourcing, investor sourcing or mother-in-law sourcing, there will always be a point when that…

Released in 1950–and still just as relevant today as it was nearly 65 years ago–the classic Eames Shell chair was the world’s first mass-produced plastic chair. While the original design has gone through countless iterations (an example of Charles and Ray’s ode to constantly refining details), the general gist of the original design still stands…

Ever since the original GoPro hit the extreme sports world in 2007 (2004 if you include 35mm), the footage of adrenaline junkies going faster, higher and getting more creative has been a whirlwind of fun for those of us who might not have the cajones to surf 50 foot waves or do triple backflips on…