Tips-and-Tricks tagged posts

Filters are your friends for time saving searches and isolating the actors you need.
These filter tips and tricks should help make you more productive and life just a bit easier leaving more time to enjoy your real friends. Filters are terrible at conversation anyway.

Tod

Parts aren’t always designed to be rigid. The challenge is that when you design parts to flex, it can be difficult to show. In his latest “TodCast”, our 3DVIA Composer technical guru Tod Cruikshank offers a few handy tips and tricks for using Merge and Explode commands to animate the appearance of part flexibility.

We’re back this week with the latest TodCast. This time, Tod breaks down the fundamentals adding multiple levels to an assembly in order to easily create complex animation movements in 3DVIA Composer. Who knows, you might even be able to pick up a few new skateboarding tricks as well!

Well we’re back with another video podcast after an extended absence.

iPhone users rejoice! Now you will have two ways to get these podcasts: through iTunes downloaded to your device, and now something new:YouTube. So pick the way that works best for you: on demand through your YouTube app, or keep them locally by subscribing to the iTunes feed through the iTunes store and syncing with your iPhone.

And now directly through the blog, you can watch these videos in HD (click the HD button after you start playing the video) and also in full screen mode. Enjoy!

Oh, and be sure to check out the 3DVIA Composer YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/3DVIAComposer.

In this episode, Tod — our resident “make it look nice” guru — gives us some valuable tips and tricks when it comes to adding texture...

Have you ever spent hours to create a complicated exploded view, with thrust lines and callouts, only to have to re-do it when engineering makes a change on you?

This week, Tod Cruikshank shows us how to quickly create exploded views for technical illustrations. While in animation mode, he uses an innovative set of 3DVIA Composer functions to complete his demonstration. In particular he:

• uses “associative paths” to create jagged thrust lines in one easy step;
• uses a combination of assembly motion and part motion to create those thrust lines;
• moves one part in an assembly, and then quickly applies that placement to other selected parts;
• creates convenient hot keys to further increase the pace of his work.

When I first saw this technique, I was blown away at how fast these illustrations c...

Here is a great sample given to us from Richard Hale of Xype. The effective use of standard icons is prevalent in this example, and is used to ensure efficient information transfer from the author to the consumer of the data. Standardized icons and symbols ensure that the end user has a consistent visual aid to accompany the animated procedure. The icons can also be used as “hotspots” or links to provide an enhanced level of interactivity with the 3D document.

Thanks to Richard for sharing this sample and for showcasing how a simple standarization can further enhance the learning curve to add coherence and reliability for all parties involved.

If you have a sample tip, technique, or just want to share what you are doing, please drop us an email at editor@3dmojo.com...