Digital Tools for Design

This page contains information on contemporary digital tools for design, including those used to create three dimensional digital models of artifacts, and those used to actually produce the physical objects corresponding to those objects. You may also find this page on conventional manufacturing processes informative.

As an overview of what is possible today, check out Dave Robertson's fascinating Fallingwater example.

Tools for visual expression

There are dozens of tools out there for creating three dimensional computer models of objects. Many of them are free. This page by Makerbot lists many of them. Here I list a few.

Sketchup is quite easy to learn and use, and is free (for the basic version). Some people still refer to it as Google Sketchup, as the business was owned by Google for some time, but it is now owned by Trimble. The video tutorials are quite helpful. Sketchup is particularly useful for representing objects that can be thought of as assemblies of forms that are extruded from two-dimensional shapes. You can probably learn to use Sketch Up with about two hours of practice. It's available for Mac and PC.

Autodesk's 123D is a free modeling tool with several different use metaphors. It is linked to various ways of making the objects you design.

Blender is an open-source, free digital modeling tool that includes surface modeling, animation, solid modeling, and rendering. Highly sophisticated and feature laden. Not trivially simple to learn. Particularly well suited for sculptural forms.

Tools for fabrication

If you want to transform your 3D computer model to a physical object, you'll need to adopt some kind of production process. There are several "printing" technologies. Here I provide some links and information on 2D cutting (cutting profiles from sheets of material) and on 3D printing (additive manufacturing of an arbitrary three dimensional object).

2D cutting (e.g. "Laser cutting")

Wikipedia entry on laser cutting technology.

My blog post on designing and building a media stand using CNC routing from Ponoko. (CNC Routing is a cutting technology better suited to thicker wood and plastic sheets, but is similar to laser cutting conceptually.)

My blog post on using laser cutting to fabricate a bike seat prototype.

Services that provide 2D cutting services:

Ponoko

Autodesk 123D

Additive Manufacturing (e.g., "3D Printing")

Wikipedia entry on "3D Printing"

Chris Anderson's WIRED article on the "maker revolution."
http://www.wired.com/design/2012/09/how-makerbots-replicator2-will-launch-era-of-desktop-manufacturing/all/

Video interview with Chris Anderson
http://www.wired.com/design/2012/09/desktop-manufacturings-macintosh-moment/

Some services that provide 3D printing:

Shapeways

Autodesk 123D