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‘theory’ Category

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Video Production 1: Groundwork

13 Jan, 2012 by adam in Blog, theory, Tutorials
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In this video we’ll be going over the basics for setting up an outline for your tutorial, as well as implementing that outline into your workflow. We’ll also be going over some basic video editing techniques using Camtasia, including adding zooms and graphics, as well as properly exporting to the web.

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CAD Math Introduction

01 Jun, 2010 by adam in Blog, theory
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The latest release of “Essential Mathematics for Computational Design“, Rajaa Issa demonstrates the underlying mathematical concepts that make CAD possible, from Vectors, to continuity types, to matrix algebra and parametric curves. The overview is very high-level, but if you enjoy math like I do, this is a real treat. Geek out!

Patch Layout 101

29 Mar, 2010 by adam in theory, Tutorials
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This week we’ll be taking a brief look at “patch layout” for NURBS modeling, the fundamental concept underlying surface modeling in any surfacing package, be it Rhino, Alias, ICEM, SolidWorks, ProE/ISDX, UGNX, Catia, or Bob’s Pretty Good CAD. You already know how to “see” the building-block shapes that make up simple geometric designs, but a [...]

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Choosing a 3D Package

08 Mar, 2010 by adam in Blog, theory
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So you’ve decided you want to create digital 3D models. You might be an aspiring movie special effects guru, industrial designer, architect, or mechanical engineer. Maybe you’re wanting to create photo-realistic images of product design ideas, or maybe you want to use 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) to control a Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) milling [...]

Backup Scheme

03 Feb, 2010 by adam in Blog, theory
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I use an iMac running Windows Vista via Bootcamp to do the majority of my CAD work. It all works great, except that it makes data very complex to access, and even more difficult to back up. I am relatively obsessive about backing up my work, so I have a system in place that allows [...]

File Organization

02 Feb, 2010 by adam in Blog, theory, Tutorials
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I recently had the ‘pleasure’ of introducing my incredulous students to my [admittedly cryptic] file naming conventions, and file organization practices. I picked many of them up from my old boss and friend Gustavo Fontana, and I’ve adapted them somewhat to my personal taste.

Continuity 102: Analysis

04 Aug, 2009 by adam in theory, Tutorials
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So now that you know what continuity is, you’ll want to know how to analyze the continuity of your curves and surfaces in your CAD system. Each system has its own specialized tools, but there are a few common ones that are available in basically every CAD package: porcupine (aka “Curvature Combs”), Zebra, and color [...]