Designer Rants
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If we can’t laugh at ourselves… After reading this WSJ article titled “Today’s Special at Wal-Mart: Something Weird” that I clicked through from a Gawker story, one comment lead to another, and before I knew it I was teaching a history lesson unlike anyone had ever heard before.
Presentation of 100 amazing monograph plates from book “Artforms of Nature” (1904), by German Biologist, Artist, Professor; Ernst Haeckel.
Post of CAD generated images that render unreal building concepts so well you’ll want to tour them.
A person building a new house while living in an older house asked to have new vent covers designed that are appropriately sized for modern HVAC ducting, but keep the ornate beauty and charm of the cold air return grates from their current home.
Prototyping & Reverse Engineering examples from my 3D CAD employment and real-world experience. Includes a Flat Panel TV & DVR Multimedia Stand modeled from a hand drawn note (prototype), and a part from a pair of Livestock Tagging Pliers that I had to model for a CNC Machine Operator (reverse engineering).
I got a new 3D CAD work computer last week, and it’s a huge improvement over what I was using before.
I recently designed a website, graphics, flash video, CAD models, content, & more for a local business that provides Septic System services. Want to see?
A fun project designed in SolidWorks, the detailed plans for this Fire Pit Table are available for free download (PDF format). If you have access to a metal fabrication shop, you can get this made. The tricky parts for most people is that there’s sheet metal that will need to be cut and bent, and a few tubes that are cut on a tube laser. If you can make compound miter cuts, then use a saw. If you’re going to make this for yourself (non-mass production), and need files for lasers (tube laser or plate laser for the sheet metal flat patterns), let me know.
At work someone asked me to design a “Cold Air Return Vent Cover,” 9 7/8″ x 11 3/4″. I had fun with it, and decided to post photo renderings of the designs. (Created in SolidWorks 2009).
Elastic Layout is important to me because in an era where one viewer may have a 800 x 600 pixel monitor, another may be viewing it on a wall-sized display via high-def projector. I wanted a design that will render consistently across all displays (with the possible exception of mobile-phone browsers), and it seems that entering sizes in pixels or percentages presents other limitations.
Do cats need houses? Debatable.
Does my wife want her cat to have a house? Yes.
This article includes pictures of the 2-Story cozy pet house I designed for our kitty, building tips, and instructional CAD drawings download (PDF). If you’re the least bit handy, you can put one of these together.
Here’s my back yard patio project design. I made this in SketchUp, and I’ll post more when the project becomes reality.
What is a “favicon”? The little icon on a web browser tab or next to a bookmark entry. Find out how to make your own.
Website Revamp – FM Controls, Inc., a Duncombe, Iowa based HVAC Controls installer, servicer, engineer, and graphics (GUI) provider.
Since most of us with new flat screens don’t also have newly constructed houses to match, let’s talk about how to run the television’s power, HDMI, RCA, and any other cables through the wall.
