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.
‘CAD’
Job Post: GrabCAD Hiring VP of Engineering and Community Manager
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 brass to join GrabCAD in creating the future of collaborative and open engineering.
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This week in Design, Tech, CAD and FAB – SolidSmack Update 1:10
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.
This week in Design, Tech, CAD and FAB – SolidSmack Update 1:09
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.
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SolidSmack Update 1:08
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.
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3D Holographic Touch or Kinect for CAD?
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 technology, with each sharp outcropping shattering another rib as we smile gleefully at the pain and possibility of unlimited data manipulating potential, the idea of direct interaction with our model becomes more real. All compounded and emotionally secured by endless iterations of 3D geometry that haunt our dreams throughout the night. Fabulous times. But, which way will it go? Will we touch the 3D data or will it simply see where we are and adapt accordingly? Or both?
How to Create 3D Non-Planar Sweeps in SolidWorks
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 need to sweep a profile along a non-planar edge? What if the profile needs to be centered or offset from the edge? There’s a very simple way to do it that can bring a lot more detail to that plastic part or profile design.
5 Unconventional Ways to Promote SolidWorks Mastery (and Avoid Being Stabbed)
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 lessons, there are other ways to be not-so-annoying when reveling in your 3D modeling mastery, most of which will keep sharp object from entering the space inhabited by your skin and organ sacks. Here are five to start with along with some custom SolidSmack 5-minute sketches to make it all less boring.
How To Really Create Vector Graphics of Zombie Monkeys in SolidWorks
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 a logo for your title block or maybe you want to grab the profile to start a model. You can do it in SolidWorks, and really… it couldn’t be easier.
SolidWorks Smart Components. How To Make Them Work In Large Assemblies.
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 the results simplify a lot of repetitive modeling and external references. Then there’s the issue of working with them in Large Assemblies. Nothing tells how to man-handle them…
…but you’re in luck. SolidSmack reader, Patrick Girvin, figured out how to trick SolidWorks into obeying your will when it comes to moving, grooving and organizing your Smart Components. Here’s how to do it…
