Creativity Grows on TRIZ

In 1949, Genrich Altshuller, an idealistic Soviet naval patent inspector, sent a paper he had co-authored to the Soviet premier. In it, he outlined a method of product innovation that he believed would help the Soviet Union rebuild after the twin disasters of Stalin’s first “Pogrom” and World War II. Stalin thanked the aspiring naval officer by sentencing him to 25 years in an Arctic labor camp.

Altshuller and his Theory of Inventive Problem Solving, or TRIZ (pronounced “trees”) as it’s more commonly known by its Russian acronym, could easily have perished in the gulag. But he kept himself and many of his companions alive by partaking nightly of an intellectual feast, learning everything from art history to physics from his fellow prisoners.

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Whence Comes Design?

Where does great design come from? What role does the designer’s environment play? What about the fabled bolt of inspiration or light bulb over the head? Is there a shortcut to great design? A new book by and about matali crasset got me thinking about these questions. Read full article »

Concepting in Creo – Part 4: Top Design House Tells Why Software Matters

In this last installment of a series of blog posts on concept design, I’m going to point you toward an engaging, 32-minute recorded webcast led by Lance Hussey, vice president and creative director at award-winning RKS Design.

Have you ever wondered whether it really matters if your design starts on a napkin or a 3D CAD system? Hussey will tell you it does matter. In the webcast Top Tips for Selecting Concept Design Software,  Hussey explores how concept design spawns popular products, why they go viral and how to turn consumers into “heroic evangelists” who will help promote your products.

If you don’t have time to watch the webcast, here are some of the highlights. Read full article »

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Reference Architecture for Creo (Pro/ENGINEER)

Is old hardware slowing you down? Are you in the market for a new workstation? Use this configuration guide to maximize your Creo or Pro/ENGINEER performance.

Lynn Allen Reveals AutoCAD 2013 Tips & Tricks

Proof that little things can add up to big performance gains, my friend Lynn Allen at Autodesk just published her latest e-book full of tips and tricks for AutoCAD 2013.

The 36-page PDF file clearly and quickly walks you through some of the most important features in the newest version of AutoCAD, and explains how to take advantage of all the new performance-enhancing options and valuable shortcuts. Read full article »

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Reference Architecture for AutoCAD

If you think your hardware is slowing you down—or if you’re in the market for a new workstation—here’s how to maximize your AutoCAD performance.

Have You Tried SolidWorks’ Free CAM Solution Yet?

HSMWorks is a popular CAM solution for SolidWorks. As a Certified Gold Partner Product, it offers single-window, fully associative integration to help increase efficiency and maximize productivity. And now there’s a free version available for licensed users of SolidWorks 2010 or newer called HSMXpress. Read full article »

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Hardware Reference Architecture for SolidWorks

If you think your hardware is slowing you down, or if your company’s in the market for new workstations, here are some sample hardware configurations that can help you maximize your SolidWorks performance.