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Archive for March, 2010

Using Multi-touch in SpaceClaim. The Future of Direct Modeling and 3D Design.

30 Mar, 2010 by Josh Mings in TECH
3D Human CAD Models

While I was growing up, I’d occasionally run towards a wall, jam my fingers up into my arms, pass out and wake up to dogs dragging me off into the woods. Fortunately, the dogs were my pets and my fingers healed into agile implements of multi-touch destruction.

And thankfully so. At SolidWorks World 2010 I sat down with Blake Courter to try the new multi-touch features released with SpaceClaim 2009+ late last year. He snickered at my deformed knuckles, but observed in awe my reaction to what I’m positive will be tech that shapes the future of 3D modeling.

Here’s why.

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The Dawn of ‘HD’ Drawing Formats. The Age of Paperless Is Nigh!

29 Mar, 2010 by Josh Mings in CAD

I’m gonna bet a box of matches and some dry cedar that many of you work for companies who enjoy shoveling a fine mush of paper stacks and file cabinet dividers toward smiling documentation specialists. Who blames them… PAPER IS GLORIOUS!

Especially, those first sweet sounds of the day sipping vodka coffee to the whirring of copy machine and paper shredders. Glorious, I tell you… but NOT if you’re a company that has vowed to do away with paper through the entire engineering and manufacturing process.

How could one even fathomed that, you ask?

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Friday Smackdown: Juxstapleroot

26 Mar, 2010 by Josh Mings in SMACKDOWN

It was a noise we hadn’t heard before. A dull whirring with giggly snaps. Then it stopped, we pealed the membrane off and all we saw were these links.

Hodings – Hodong La’s has the best idea for a floating castle yet, plus more CG to become completely absorbed in.
13 Words not found in English – of course they forgot the Hungarian word for pounding leather against the side of a feral hog, whatever that is.
Ditch 800+ Pound of Clutter – Nothing some gasoline and a match can’t make quick work of… Ok, here’s the unfun alternative.
Samurai Slicer! – You’ve seen him before, but here he is last week, slicing a baseball with his samurai action.
Leaked IronMan 2 Footage – Behind the scenes Iron Man intensity! Add to that, paper plates and tennis balls.
Shooting space with a camera – you could launch yourself into the stratosphere… or use a small camera and some balloons.
DualTow NightEagle Watch – All about the development of the Christophe Claret NightEagle. with 582 parts and a belt-drive.

DIY lil’ CNC!! It’s So Cute, You Will Mill Your Pants.

24 Mar, 2010 by Josh Mings in RESOURCES

Look out folks, there’s a CNC storm a’comin’. A wee, cute little storm of laser cut, three-axis THUNDER! It’s the DIYLILCNC and it is so lil’ you’ll want to build it, give it a hug and then command it to do your gantry-mounted bidding!

In the same open-source artery as the Makerbot 3D Printer, Chris Reilly and Taylor Hokanson, with funding from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, have developed plans to create your very own desktop milling machine without having to even know what CNC means.

Earlier last month they gave a presentation at CAA Chicago 2010 that explains all you want to know. So, get your smock, align your cutting tools… GO.

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SolidSmack Promo Week: SolidWorks 2010: No Experience (or Headbutts) Required

24 Mar, 2010 by Josh Mings in RESOURCES

If you ever walk down the streets of Anaheim, California you may come across a fine young man who doesn’t look like a gangsta at all, throwin’ down rhymes about managing SolidWorks users and installing license servers. That young man is Alex “SWGeek” Ruiz and the author of SolidWorks 2010: No Experience Required.

This is the first book from my good friend Alex and perfect if you’re a beginner user or an expert user that can’t stand showing others how to extrude a solid.

It’s brand spanking new, just in time for your (eventual) upgrade to SolidWorks 2010, SP 5.2.1.a. Here’s what ya get in the 560 page book.

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SolidSmack Promo Week: Your 3D Print Hub, CloudFab Out Of Beta.

23 Mar, 2010 by Josh Mings in NEWS

Not all of us are able to build wild contraptions that strap to our backs and allow us to shoot plastic out the tips of our fingers. That’s why there are places like CloudFab who will take on the task for you.

However, instead of depending on a couple three-jointed appendages for plastic forming, they’ve harnessed the spidery power of the web by bringing the manufacturer direct to you. Today, they’re out of Beta, opening the doors and adding new features for Manufacturers and Designers. Features that allow you to ‘print’ cash… so to speak. HA!

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It’s Not a Tumor. It’s a Giant Mass of Infinite USB… Best Idea Ever

22 Mar, 2010 by Josh Mings in DESIGN

You know when you get on the bus or, even better, when you’re walking through the mall and people are looking at you like a mass of USB cords just exploded out of your jawbone? It’s because it has and it’s scaring the children.

Not to worry! You can tame those wily cords with Gonglue Jiang’s and his Infinite USB design. While it won’t keep you from looking like a hideous creature stuffed full of way too many devices which require USB connectivity, it will make you look a bit more tidy.

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SolidSmack Promo Week: Vuuch For Discussing Things About Design.

22 Mar, 2010 by Josh Mings in NEWS

vuuch-sceneWell, would you look at that. You’ve put on the ‘nice shirt’ to start the week off and nobody has said a thing. Well, TEAR. IT. OFF. and as you do, scream VUUCH! at the top of your lungs.

Sure it will get attention, but even more important, it will shred the vocal cords and remind you that this Thursday, they are having a very rare web preview to show you what Vuuch is and what it actually does for you. So, if you’re having trouble pronouncing words with two ‘U‘s in them or curious about what Vuuch does, here are the details.

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Friday Smackdown: Brow Ballast

19 Mar, 2010 by Josh Mings in SMACKDOWN

It’s the round about way they all bubble up at once, straight into your nose, out your eyelids and on to start families and businesses selling a wide assortment of pudding cakes, pudding cakes mixed with these links.

Wei Ming! – Nope, I’m not related, but I do like his 3D work and his 2D work and his concepts and his site.
Pianolina – We all know you’re a savant. This will prove it… or simply make a lot of racket.
Drumstick Pencil – Really, nothing else needs to be said. Buy. Thank Al.
AtlasObscura.com – The guide to the world’s oddities, except for that old guy that lives on the corner. I checked.
KittehKitteh – I once too dreamed I was a giant fire breathing cat and then realized I actually was.
Sound Sculptures – It’s not so much the sound, but the fact that 25 woodworms actually have a soothing softness to their gnawing.
ArcAttack – From the Dorkbot SXSWi show. Tesla would be proud. Also looks like a fun family activity.

Get Your Sketchbook Pro Competition Skills Juiced. It’s Go Time.

18 Mar, 2010 by Josh Mings in NEWS

I’m all for a good competition and if you like to guzzle pickle juice and Twinkies without twitching an eye against unforeseen odds, then there’s a competition for ya that won’t hurt near as bad at the end of the day.

LG and Autodesk are huggin’ buddies and they’ve teamed up once again to let you show off your sketching skills in the CrowdSPRING 2nd annual Design the Future competition. But check this out, there’s some cool info you get and also some fine print you want to read. OH YEAH.

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