Many CAD packages I’ve worked with seem to approach 3D models from a geometric approach – simply mapping the geometric shape of objects within space. In my mind these are the Swiss Army Knives of CAD – they do 2D, 3D, etc. Then you have software like Rhino (which I have little experience with) which takes a more rigorous mathematical approach to modeling called NURBS to generate shapes in three dimensions – but these shapes are still not solid but are shells which have no material properties. Solidworks, by contrast, is a solid modeling tool – all operations are done on fully realized 3D models of solid objects which behave like real materials. It uses similar mathematical tools to generate curves but implicit in everything is material – everything you create is from real stuff. Add to that is that all parts relate to each other parametrically – there are mathematical relationships between shapes & objects – be they dimension based (length = 2x diameter) or constraint based  (keeping things parallel, for example).

As someone who takes creative ideas from others & makes them real, I love Solidworks – I first got introduced to the software by designing some architectural elements for Gratz Industries a few years ago, and life has never been the same. I use it on nearly every project these days, and I’m beginning to do nothing but Solidworks modeling for some clients.

When you start making big assemblies, or even medium sized ones (like the stairs I designed for Gratz) the incredible capabilities of the software can become pitfalls -  you can really waste quite a bit of time if you are not aware of all the features. So I’ve been working through some of the tutorials over at cadjunkie to try to hone my skills. I’m really impressed with the video content over there – there’s a lot of free tutorials, and their “premium” package is priced quite reasonably ($19/month). Also, since they are Industrial Designers, they cover a lot of the different software packages that ID uses and helps the user determine which software is best in different situations. AND – they are helpful at sorting out cross-platform issues, like cross platform importing/exporting etc which can be tricky & time consuming.

Check it out!

One of my favorite projects last year was the design & fabrication of the PicBot photo booth for the great folks over at Car of Tomorrow. Can’t go into the details of the design but there’s some pretty neat things going on in there. Check out more details at Car of Tomorrow’s website.

The event was to showcase student winners of science, technology, engineering & math  (STEM) competitions from across the country. Obama announced new policies to recruit and support science, technology, engineering and math teacher programs, including requesting $80 million in his upcoming budget for teacher preparation, with the goal of training one million additional STEM students over the next decade.

I’ve often thought that one of the great tragedies of the teaching profession lies in how teachers are perceived by the general public. So I was excited when I saw these great images at the Hyperakt website. WNYC’s Studio 360 asked them to create new visuals to help show teachers and teaching in a new light and I think they’re wonderful.

Been busy over the past few months but I’m kicking back now with the dog to write a few blog posts.

MakerBots were in full force – they were everywhere, not just at the MakerBot Industries booth  (seen here) but at the booths of many designers.

Bamboo bikes by Bamboo Bike Studio. Only metal parts are forks, rear drops, bottom bracket, seat, and head tubes. All else is bamboo, epoxy, and carbon fiber tape.

Ultimaker (web pic – mine from Faire were too blurry!)

Though Makerbot (MB) obviously had the most presence at the Faire, I was impressed by the Ultimaker, made by a Dutch team. Elegant design (no electronics hanging off the sides) and a nice large bed over 64 sq in. Unfortunately it costs more than the MB (€1200 ) and they have to ship from the Netherlands. Curious to see where this thing goes.

Finally, someone has determined a way to do at least one thing faster at airports. Physicist Jason Steffen developed a method for boarding passengers onto airplanes twice as fast.

(via swissmiss)

Since purchasing the Bridgeport mill this year, I’ve been trying to learn as much as possible about more refined techniques of metalworking and machining. As we all know, YouTube videos are a wonderful resource for learning anything, and metalwork is no exception (I’ve been recently been watching  videos by tubelcain (mrpete222)).  The author of  MachinistBlog has recently put together a new site called MachinistVideos.com which aims to be a pool for all the best in machining videos. I’m planning to spend a good amount of time over there.

Today making some parts on the Bridgeport for Sara VanDerBeek’s upcoming show at the Hammer Museum in LA. More pics later.

A few months ago my awesome clients over at CreativeFeed asked me if I could develop a device that could send Twitter posts every time a glass of wine is poured. Tweetelier is the result & I’m quite happy with the way it came out. Check out the video – very cool!