Posted by John McCullough on Thu, Aug 26, 2010
We've had some fun here recently in Marlborough creating a short parody of one of my favorite 'how-to' TV show hosts - Bob Ross. Check it out here - [The Joy of 3D Direct Modeling].
Bob had a 30-minute landscape painting show on PBS for over a decade. If you missed it, well, that's your loss. If you are interested in picking up a copy of some classic episodes check here [BOB ROSS JOY OF PAINTING SERIES: 3-HOUR WORKSHOP DVD]. He did some amazing stuff with a fan brush and titanium white. Bob's pleasant demeanor and positive commentary, which often came across as dry humor, was what made the show special. That and his hair of course.
While researching some Bob Ross quotes to use as part of the script I was reminded why I liked him. He made encouraging comments about learning painting which demonstrated a strong belief in the potential of everyone. He encouraged his students to paint from their imaginations and to not limit themselves to rigid formulas. He went on to explain how we each have a different set of eyes and all see the world differently.
I hear a lot of Bob's philosophy in the Kubotek KeyCreator 3D direct modeling philosophy. Commonly used parametric modeling software locks models to initial ideas and limits the ability to experiment with changes. The features lock models to the thought process of the initial design engineer without allowing the eyes of others to see the model as a different set of features. In contrast, 3D direct modeling is conceptually simpler and easier for new users to open up to 3D modeling. 3D modeling can be easy and fun for everyone.
Posted by John McCullough on Wed, Aug 11, 2010
One of the MCAD industry's current most well-known writers, Deelip Menezes, recently put together a couple excellent blogs on graphics performance. Deelip recorded short videos of about a dozen CAD products dynamically rotating a complex engine model (STEP file).
Latest blog: http://www.deelip.com/?p=2872
Original blog: http://www.deelip.com/?p=2842
I'm pleased to see that KeyCreator V9 handled the job as well as any of the products tested. Deelip looked at Inventor, Pro/Engineer, SolidWorks, SolidEdge, NX, Alibre, Spaceclaim, Rhino, and several others.
I've personally spent a lot of time this year researching graphics issues and performance. Graphics is tricky business because of the complex interaction with hardware, which is 'highly non-uniform' across our customer base. The changes Microsoft has introduced in Windows 7 have presented new challenges for us. However, Microsoft's push in these areas and advancement of DirectX has created an overall performance gain for Kubotek graphics using the Direct3D driver type.
Its gratifying to see that Kubotek is already providing excellent performance compared to the rest of the industry because we are also not resting. For V10 we have a number of significant graphics related changes coming to improve performance even further.
Posted by Chelsea Gammon on Thu, Jul 15, 2010
New KeyCreator MicroSlice Training:
This Friday, 7/16, Kubotek USA, Inc. is beginning the first of a long-term series of live mini-webinars, called KeyCreator MicroSlices.
Each of these webinars is a quick 15 minutes and covers focused topics related to our KeyCreator 3D Direct Modeling CAD software.
MicroSlices are ideal for a quick taste of great KeyCreator functions a user may have been missing, or perhaps just something that requires some more clarification.
During these mini-webinars, attendees may ask questions, to our application engineer and technical support representative.
MicroSlice topics will cover a wide spectrum of KeyCreator-related areas, and may address very pointed questions or concerns for users.
Some upcoming MicroSlice topics, are:
Interface Set Up (This Friday)
Dimension Driven Edit
3D Mouse Set Up
Transform Functions
Imprint/Prune/Graft Use
KeyCreator MicroSlice training classes are free to attend and are held every other Friday at various times.
MicroSlices are very easy to register for; simply click here: MicroSlices Training, and select REGISTER NOW for the MicroSlice session you wish to attend.
So Grab a cuppa Jo and check out a MicroSlice Training session this Friday. It may just super-caffeinate your design process!
See you there!
Chelsea
Posted by Chelsea Gammon on Fri, Jun 25, 2010
I spent Father’s Day weekend with my father at the Red Bull Air Races. Flying is his passion in life. He’s a pilot, tows gliders, repairs their wings, builds model RC aircraft and we even once discovered he had built a full-sized airplane in the basement! (Okay, so we weren’t too surprised by the airplane in the basement. To be expected.) Attending these air races is not my typical weekend fare, and it was quite special. Between dad's passion for speed in the air and my passion for speed on tarmac, it was a fantastic medium for spending time together. The air races got me thinking about this whole freedom and precision thing.
The Red Bull race pilots spoke of their passions for aircraft, flying and racing
. They speak of the freedom they have in the air. It’s empowering. They MUST be precise while slicing air, or there are severe consequences. The air race has strict requirements and limitations—Speed (230 mph max), Acceleration (12 g's max), Wing angle through gates (exactly 90 or 180 deg, Smoke Trail (1 sec penalty if off or inconsistently flowing), Weight (aircraft is weighed pre-race). And above all - DO NOT SLICE THE PYLONS. The aircraft (and the pilot, due to g-force pressures on the body) must be in pristine shape for the sake of racing.
Despite this need for speed and precision, each race pilot attacked the course in a slightly different way, using a personally choreographed set of movements. Because the only angle restrictions were imposed for gate-crossing, everywhere else on the course was fair game for unrestricted play.
The end result, however, was the same for each: crossing the checkered pylon.
Sound familiar? Well, if you’ve been following our discourse on 
the advantages of KeyCreator and 3D Direct Modeling, it should! Just like these race pilots, KeyCreator customers require speed with precision. Though everyone is working toward the same end-goal (getting that top product that results in good business and food on the table), everyone executes it differently. Frankly, who cares how you got there, or the steps taken? What matters is doing what you need to do to win. This is the beauty of a 3D Direct Modeler like KeyCreator and, for that matter, a brilliant piece of aircraft.
:::::::::::: SMOKE ON! ::::::::::::::
Posted by Scott Sweeney on Sun, Jun 13, 2010
My reflections after meeting with 100's of Engineers and Manufacturing/Engineering Management at Spring Tradeshows:
I like meeting with people at trade shows and learning about what they design and how they get products made. Our Spring trade shows have come to a close and upon reflection I have a few insights based on the 100's of people that I have spoken with.
Living in the CAD, CAM, CAE, PLM world one begins to think that your CAD/PLM is some sort of a religion. But my thinking on this is changing. I see many managers and CAD/PLM users very interested in the latest CAD/PLM tools, such as 3D Direct CAD, particularly KeyCreator, because of its translators for native NX, Pro/E, CATIA, Solidworks, Inventor and also for its unified design environment: the ability to work in 2D, solids, surfaces all at the same time in the same workspace. This makes for a very flexible PLM/CAD tool. These folks are very curious about what is available outside of their protected PLM Environment - sometimes under the watchful eye of the "CAD Mafia." OK, tell me you haven't heard that term before -or a varient of it? (And if you dont hear from me ever again, you know that they got me!)
The real issue that I see that holds companies back from harnessing their full potential is the incorrect thinking of senior management regarding PLM/CAD tools; The thinking that has been conditioned into their being by the Traditional PLM companies. This thinking says that you need to have all of your PLM tools from the same vendor. Well that makes perfect sense if you are the vendor. But for the designer or manufacturer in the supply chain, its like saying, you need to have all left-handed wrenches.
Supply chains can be very simple or extremely complex. The design may start from a small company then the files are possibly sent to a large OEM for refinement, then the assembly is broken apart and sourced to the various manufacturing plants both internally and externally. Then the parts are assembled in various other plant locations and finally shipped for distribution.
Is it possible to have all of the supply chain (internal and external) using the same PLM tools and versions of these tools and to have all of the engineers fully trained on these tools? Even if this was possible, would you want a fully trained (read expensive) Engineer using CATIA to detail a simple 2D drawing of a fixture? It just doesn't make (financial) sense. Yet,this happens in many companies. Or these very expensive and complex PLM tools are put into the hands of people that for no fault of their own aren't fully trained in all of the complexities of the tools that they are forced to use for the sake of "one company PLM/CAD." (Who could be fully trained in all of the complexities of some of these very complex tools?)
Agile companies on the other hand, put the right tools into the right hands of the properly skilled engineers and techs appropriately to complete the work for optimum results.
Agile companies,agile supply chains that are striving for maximum productivity, can benefit from the plethora of today's new and innovative PLM tools that simply aren't available from the Traditional old PLM companies.
Kubotek KeyCreator and Kubotek Validation Tool are two of these innovative PLM/CAD products that can improve productivity, profitability and quality if senior management is able to shed the "one company PLM" thinking.
The benefits of embracing new and innovative technology within the supply chain can give your supply chain the sustainable competitive advantage needed in this ultra-competitive global economy. So shed that One Company CAD/PLM thinking and embrace the new and innovative tools that don't lock you into one way of working or thinking.
Thank you for reading, and I solicit your thoughts!
Scott
PS I hope to see many "Enlightened" senior managers at our Fall Shows.
Posted by Scott Sweeney on Mon, May 24, 2010
Ever feel caged in or locked in when you are trying to design or edit in your history-based CAD program (SolidWorks/Inventor/ProE/UG...)?
Computer Aided Design means the computer is aiding your ability to design and make changes, right?
So often, History-based modelers want to lock you in early to a design concept. They give it a name, design intent. But, what if you want to develop the intent as you are designing? Shouldn't you be able to change your mind and try different designs to maximimize the quality and minimize the cost of manufacturing the parts or product?
If you are used to History based CAD, it may be difficult to understand how to use a History-Free modeler. You might feel that it just not worth understanding or learning a new (and easier) way. But these new design tools are worth a look!
One employee detailed her journey from Solidworks to KeyCreator in a recent blog. You may want to read her revelations as she unlearned the history-based paradigms that were shattered as she learned to use KeyCreator Direct (History-Free) CAD.
With a history free modeler, you can start your design however you like, and with KeyCreator, the ability to use smart tools like the Dynahandle(TM) to cut and paste features (and various other things) continues to work even as your model gets complex.
The market is now learning about all of the advantages of History-Free modeling. History-based modelers are now introducing elements of direct modeling into their history-based modeler, but these tools are limited at best. To enjoy the true freedom of Direct Modeling, a history-free modeler is essential.
We are convinced that many designers and engineers in the supply chain are using the wrong modeler. Life could be so much easier for them. So, for a limited time, we are offering an incredible Competitive Upgrade program. Upgrade your history based modeler, any version, any company (SolidWorks, Inventor, ProE, UG, NX...) and receive KeyCreator, complete, with history-free modeling, many translators, including native Solidworks and Inventor translators (and many others), for only $2,200. This is not a lease. This is a full perpetual license of KeyCreator. Want to learn more? Click on Upgrade your History-based CAD.
I thank you for reading and forwarding, tweeting, digging or however you like to share this blog.
And I welcome your comments!
Scott
Posted by Andrea Giles on Mon, May 03, 2010
The FAA has released some new draft guidelines regarding the use of data in manufacturing. The role of interoperability in CFR 14 Part 21 (Data Use in Certification), Order 8000.7 and Draft Advisory Circular AC21-XXX on Model Based Definition and Moving Certification Data in the Aerospace Industry are all hot topics now.
Bob Deragisch from Parker Aerospace is helping lead discussions on these topics 
with Kubotek. First, he'll be at a Round Table hosted by Kubotek at the conclusion of CIC this week. Bob, along with James DeLaPorte from Gulfstream, will be on hand to talk these issues from both a tier one supplier and OEM perspective. Click her to read more about this special session.
Bob will continue the discussion to talk further about Improving Aerospace Supply Chain Quality and Productivity at the Manhattan Beach Marriott on May 12. This seminar, hosted by Kubotek USA, Elysium Inc, and Lattice Technologies, will highlight ways in which Aerospace suppliers can improve supply chain quality and productivity. Click here to learn more about Making 3D Data Work for You Seminar.
Posted by Chelsea Gammon on Fri, Apr 30, 2010
Wh
en I first saw this product's box on my desk, I felt like it was Christmas morning. Here's why.
At a previous job, actually my third co-op while attending Northeastern University, one of the industrial designers in the company had one of 3Dconnexion's smaller, more basic 3D mice. Now I know it was the SpaceNavigator mouse. A black rotation knob encased in soft-touch rubber-like material that sat on a chrome-like silver circular body, with a constant soothing blue glow being dispersed underneath. What was this, 2035? Where had this come from? I always loved high-tech gadgets from a young age so I suddenly felt out of the loop.
I thought it was the coolest piece of technology, and was admittedly in awe of it. It looked like some sort of spaceship or alien disc. When I first noticed him using it, I was almost nervous to walk too close to his desk, fearing the thing would shoot something at me or say something to me, like Hal from 2001 Space Odyssey. This designer's desk was immediately behind mine, so I tended to sit and stare at it for a bit each day. He must have eventually gotten used to this.
This illusive creature didn't show up again on my radar until a bit later. I've been to several CAD software rollout seminars over the years and at the more recent ones, they had these bad boys out on display for test drives. I was usually one of the first people to unabashedly sit and give them a shot because I think they are things of beauty. I always dreamed of getting my hands on one for a couple hours, if not owning one. This was the first time I saw some of Connexion's larger, more complex 3D mice. These were amazing specimens, comprising the same basic rotation knob as the SpaceNavigator, but surrounded by a zip code of buttons, sometimes a small LCD screen. Amazing.
About a year and a half later. Two months deep as an applications engineer at KubotekUSA, Inc. The white shoebox-size 3D Connexion box awaited me beside my laptop. I eagerly opened the box, and immediately took everything out and peeled all protective wrappers off the product (which my father always said should never be removed from ANYTHING you've just purchased. My parents purchased and installed a new dishwasher about two years ago, and I think the bright blue commercial protective plastic wrap still covers the front. A white dishwasher. Blue wrap. Please.)
I looked at this new SpacePilot Pro mouse. I felt like someone had just given me a new car. I sent a close friend (a non-engineer who had never heard of a 3D mouse) a picture of my new toy. He responded saying he was seriously intimidated by the thing, and that it looked like after it would make him coffee, it would proceed to read his mind.
About 9" in full length, the base of this charcoal and black-hued mouse is shaped like an undulating wave, very ergonomic for hand and wrist placement. A thick strip of a soft-touch gripper area cuts down the middle of the mouse so your hand and wrist don't slide around while in use. The rotation knob lies in the center, above which is an LCD screen similar in size to that of the common digital camera. The LCD screen displays the customizable functions attached to the plethora of buttons on the mouse's, what I like to call, ‘dashboard'. In addition to this, the screen also displays Outlook emails, opens up web browsers on your computer screen, opens and controls your computer's music player, and I could go on.
I really appreciate that with a barely perceptible flick of the finger or wrist I can quickly execute both menial and complex tasks in KeyCreator, when using the SpacePilot Pro mouse. This thing has 31 programmable/customizable buttons, to be exact. I have programmed every single one (which, incidentally, was easy).
Some of the mouse button functions that I have customized to be most easily selectable (because they are larger, or because of their location) are Delete Multiple Entities, Escape, Delete Dimensions, Direct Dimensional Edit, Construction Planes, Undo and finally... Autoscale. I am addicted to this function. I've programmed it to a button larger than the others that is set apart from the rest. Some of these buttons will soon be super smooth and label-less due to abuse.
Utilizing a 3D mouse with programmable buttons does, indeed, decrease the time it takes to build a model in KeyCreator. I can plow through tasks with lightening speed, without even thinking about it. My fingers have trained themselves to remember when to shoot over to which buttons to do which tasks. It was like learning an interesting unilateral version of touch-typing. Admittedly, it took some practice and getting used to, remembering what buttons were programmed to do what; however, once I reached a comfort level, my speed quickly increased. This mouse omits the necessity of excess mouse travel with your right hand, excess hand travel of your land hand (i.e. selecting Esc, Shift, Ctrl, Spacebar etc), and thus reduces design time. Amazing multitask tool.
Before I had the SpacePilot Pro, I had the more basic SpaceNavigator orb model. Although it lacks all those programmable buttons, it still significantly decreases mouse travel and design time. It's also very portable due to its size, and perfect for tradeshows and quick demos. After manning a booth at two tradeshows while using both of these models for demos, I can say they attract some attention. Show attendees would walk up saying, ‘What on earth is that?' The combination of demonstrating KeyCreator in conjunction with these 3D mice has been enjoyable. It augments the capabilities of our CAD software, making it more powerful.
There is no ‘honeymoon period' with the SpacePilot Pro mouse. This will be perpetually beneficial. I cannot wait to see what 3Dconnexion comes up with next, because it will likely further augment the CAD software industry.
If you are interested in buying a SpacePilot Pro, check it out on Amazon:
3Dconnexion SpacePilot PRO - 3D motion controller - 31 button(s) - wired - USB
Posted by Scott Sweeney on Mon, Apr 12, 2010
I was at the gym as usual during my lunch hour and was watching the various TVs as they peaked my interest.
I saw a promo on CNN for their upcoming feature on high tech jobs replacing the old low tech manufacturing jobs.
They featured a South Carolina Machining Company, Adex Machining Technologies. The company focuses on the machinists who are designing fixtures using CAD and developing toolpaths using CAM and they are actually the ones on the floor machining the parts!
The point to the story is that these a well paying jobs and they are skilling jobs and not the dirty, unskilled manufacturing jobs of the past. (CNN called it lean manufacturing.)
The other point is that one person can do all jobs required to get the parts made. There is no division of skilled and less skilled workers. This is the essence of what we have been "preaching" at Kubotek. That is why our tools are very practical. They are perfect for the manufacturing plants of today and tomorrow, where the traditional design/manufacturing/plant barriers do not exist and where one person or teams can truly do the whole job. We salute CNN for running the story and ADEX Machining for being the manufacturer of today and of the future. If you want to watch the clip, I've included it here. CNN The-new-face-of-blue-collar.
Thank you for reading and I covet your comments.