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Archive for September, 2008

User Comment: Opening Up CAD Standards. Cool or Not Cool?

30 Sep, 2008 by Josh Mings in TECH
3D Human CAD Models

Each week, I’m going to start posting a comment from one of you wonderful readers that take the time to comment in the posts. I see a lot of discussion being missed, and that is just sad, don’t ya think? Here’s the first one.

In a previous article on OpenGL and Direct3D, a commenter named Mike made a really good point about the open source state of CAD and API standards. I agree with him, but there’s a lot more to it than software being tied to an OS and getting it all for free. Think of what companies like Google are doing.

Do we need open standard for 3D CAD?
Here’s what Mike thinks. What’s your opinion?
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Product Reveiw: Quadrispace Document3D. 3D PDF Creation For Free

30 Sep, 2008 by Josh Mings in REVIEWS

One of the coolest things about PDF’s lately, is the ability to churn out high-quality documents with a 3D model embedded directly inside. Not an image, but an actual 3-dimensional model you can pan, zoom and rotate all about. Ya getting that tingly feeling?

If you do have shivers in your geeky,3d-modeling spine about putting 3D directly into PDF’s to communicate design, Quadrispace’s may give you new reasons to look at possibly the most cost-cutting document type you can add to your workflow.

It’s called Document3D, and they have a Personal Edition that’s absolutely FREE.
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Giveaway Time! SolidSmack’s “I (Heart) 3D” with Ponoko’s PhotoMake + Tips

29 Sep, 2008 by Josh Mings in DESIGN

Is all 2D stuff LAME? Absolutely not. Ponoko just blew that outta the water (thanks, SolidSmack is down -1% 3D) by bringing you PhotoMake to draw something cool, take a snapshot or a scan, upload, choose material… wif, bam, boom… instant lazer cut bliss from the masters of think, make, sell.

Even though this is elementally a 2D process, the idea behind this is even more powerful. This changes some things about design and manufacturing and how all that jazz is going to link together… IN THE FUTURE.

And because it’s so powerful, SolidSmack is gonna giveaway the very first SolidSmack product using Ponoko’s PhotoMake Tool.

I (Heart) 3D
It’s here and I know, you want it bad. The SolidSmack clear acrylic ‘I (heart) 3D” thingy. Hit the comments and tell me why you love 3D and you’ll be entered to win it. Drill a hole through it to hang around your neck or set it in your cubicle to ward off AutoCad administrators. It’s pure 3D love.

Now, how about some tips?
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Oh, That’s My Fat Multi-Touch Modular Display… In HD Dude.

26 Sep, 2008 by Josh Mings in TECH

multi-touch for 3D cad possibilitiesYes that’s my monochrome body standing there, moving objects around on a very mobile, very modular and yeah, very cool multi-touch display.

It’s the newest in new future technology form none other than MultiTouch, the company. Moving stuff around on a screen with your fingers isn’t new, but theirs is the first completely modular, multi-touch HD LCD display unit and it’s about to slam the potential down on your peaceful afternoon.

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Friday Smackdown: Hammer Naught

26 Sep, 2008 by Josh Mings in SMACKDOWN

large backgrounds on websitesThe rotation doesn’t matter so much as the face you’re making during the rotation. That look, my friend, is absolutely stunning. Sure to strike fear into the hearts of onlookers and these links.

80 Large Background Websites – well there went those constraints. awesome. how many use 3D and perspective? adds that much more to it.
State of the Blogosphere 2008 – yes, the blogosphere is alive and well and even has some stats and interesting ideas about the future.
DutchTub – The hot tub heated with wood scraps. Put it anywhere, except maybe indoors.
How to Kickstart a Low Productivity Day – People still have these? well, these are pretty good but they left out #6 – Do a 3 minute Dance Session to your favorite song. c’mon!
Woot Shirt – my obsession with shirts continues. and Woot knows what it’s all about. here ye. here ye.
Ninja Cat – Because the last thing you want going into the weekend is a new fear of cats.

SolidWorks World 2009. Save Some CASH, Hit Disney World.

25 Sep, 2008 by Josh Mings in NEWS

solidworks world 2009 orlando magic kingdomGoing to SolidWorks World 2009? Oh, you haven’t decided yet. We’ll maybe this will convince you to drag yourself and your vacation starved family down for a nice little jaunt across Mickey’s organically fertilized lawn.

This year’s conference is being held at Walt Disney® World Swan & Dolphin, February 8 – 11, 2009. If you register by October 10th, you can save $200 bucks on the conference which will do nicely to help on the first item below.

Reduced Price Tickets
Hello Florida! is providing reduced price tickets for you and the family if you decide you want to take a little vacation while you’re down there in sunny Orlando.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Word is, that the offiste event this year is being held at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
 Dinoland? Kali Rapids? That huge tree and a bunch of animals? plus Food and drinks? yeah. cool.

FireWorks
Who doesn’t love a good fireworks show. Some people there might just get a special one.

SolidWorks. AutoDesk. That’s My TradeMark, Not Yours

25 Sep, 2008 by Josh Mings in NEWS

solidworks-real.jpgThis little orange square is raising all sorts of mean looks and a hefty lawsuit from AutoDesk to Dassault Systemes SolidWorks along with a list of other alleged misdeed.

Ralph Grabowski brings up the lawsuit (pdf) filed on September 19th that slaps it’s own lovemark, so to speak, across the cheek of Dassault Systemes SolidWorks for use of DWG in domain names, programs and marketing material and using similar marketing graphics.

The users? who cares.
The CAD users are dumb and are swayed easily. apparently. That’s part of what I get out of this. If this were the other way around and SolidWorks were suing AutoDesk, I’d think it pretty lame because 1) that DWG name/extension, while common, is used all over, which is a good thing that doesn’t need to be tied to a brand. 2) It would be about time for a new and better marketing campaign, especially since the competition has already spent the money on theirs.

It seems to me that AutoDesk is going to loose more money pursuing this than anything it could gain. It’s lost the battle with the Open Design Alliance for rights to the .DWG name…. I’ve officially bored myself. On to cooler things.

The Somewhat Odd SolidWorks Installation Guide of Doom… and Stuff

25 Sep, 2008 by Josh Mings in CAD

Listen.

Is that the sound of a 65% speed increase and 250 eye-peeling enhancements coming at you with the ferocity of a one-eyed lemur?

It is, give or take a few percentage points. Suddenly, your ability to blink repeatedly is compromised by the idea that SolidWorks 2009 is speedier. And perhaps you are perplexed by the question that faces many… “Should I upgrade to SolidWorks 2009?”

Over the next month or so, the installation DVD will show up. However, you can rise against the mail delivery system and download it right now from the SolidWorks customer portal.

Then what? Do you upgrade the old version or run multiple versions? Roll it out to everyone or test it out with a few? Let’s knock it around a little bit and get you going.

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The T-Mobile G1 Phone Doesn’t Run 3D CAD…Yet.

23 Sep, 2008 by Josh Mings in TECH

Today, the T-mobile G1 phone running the highly anticipated Google Android OS, that everyone is scraping the brick off of buildings to see, is being revealed. On top of that it’s cutting into position for iPhone/Blackberry replacement and plans to take over a large segment of smartphone users by the end of the year.

THe T-mobile G1 is a communications device. The Android Operating system is a free and open mobile platform. That means development, but will will communications and CAD ever collide?

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Bloggers (Heart) SolidWorks Press Events

23 Sep, 2008 by Josh Mings in NEWS

bloggers press mediaHot dang. Were you around last week? Did you get a SolidWorks 2009 taste in the back of your mouth that made your nose tickle and pupils dilate? Yeah? No? Kinda? Well, there were so many post about the SolidWorks Press event and goings on, that it may have happened if you consumed it all at once… which is what were gonna do about right now.

However, I’m just going to give you the top five favorites of mine for you to sink your thoughts into.

I left out SolidSmack’s Live coverage of the Press Event, cause I know ya’ll have already read that, right? But here’s the top 5 other post you should read.
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