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Industrial/Product Designer Setups
- Thread starter stewartlittle
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I know I'll catch some flak for this as I've read a lot of negative posts on ID sites, but I've used Ashlar software for years. Cobalt V 8.0 is the current solids program. It will export .sat files to Solidworks quite nicely, as well as being able to handle a variety of other file formats.
www.ashlar.com
There are a couple of other programs, but I can't comment as I haven't used them. Concepts Unlimited ( http://www.csi-concepts.com/ ) is very similar to Cobalt, and, in fact, it's my understanding that it was developed by the original owners of Ashlar.
You can download free trial versions, so it wouldn't hurt to see how you like them.
For sketching, Alias SketchBook Pro for Macs has finally been updated.
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?id=6848332&siteID=123112
Shark FX is a Punch Software product. Punch bought Concepts Unlimited. Both products are still offered and I'm not sure what the differences are.
HP have just released info on the Centrino 2 mobile workstations, which will include C2Q's among the range.
Lenovo have come out with a monster - and sadly something of a visual travesty that has to rank almost alongside my XPS M1730's - with a very compelling feature set. But at 3.7 Kilos it strikes me as surprisingly light for what it is. Seeing as the Geforce side isn't actually getting much of a workout on the M1730's and needing only one now, I might yet go for this myself and get rid of the Dells.
http://www.notebooks.com/2008/08/11/thinkpad-w700-lenovo-intros-biggest-thinkpad-yet-videos/
Lenovo have come out with a monster - and sadly something of a visual travesty that has to rank almost alongside my XPS M1730's - with a very compelling feature set. But at 3.7 Kilos it strikes me as surprisingly light for what it is. Seeing as the Geforce side isn't actually getting much of a workout on the M1730's and needing only one now, I might yet go for this myself and get rid of the Dells.
http://www.notebooks.com/2008/08/11/thinkpad-w700-lenovo-intros-biggest-thinkpad-yet-videos/
for product design, you'll need a parametric program like solidworks, inventor or solidedge... There's nothing similiar for mac, so stop searching. trust me, i've tested them all, maya, cinema 4d, modo, lightwave, vectorworks, cobalt, cheetah and a few more... In "real world" for product design, you can't work with nurbs or "play-doh" alikes. you need full control of the dimensions, separate parts, assemblies, relationships between parts, full parts-list, 2d sketches etc etc. so stick with a windows machine. it's easily upgradable in terms of graphics cards, memory and all that stuff, 'cause in a year or two you'll sure need an upgrade. in each new rev of these progs, the specs get higher, so it's better to have a flexible solution, and having a mac is like being in jail.
macs = perfect for graphic design/animation/motion graphics/video...
windows = gamers and product design (at least for now, unfortunately)
hope this helps!
macs = perfect for graphic design/animation/motion graphics/video...
windows = gamers and product design (at least for now, unfortunately)
hope this helps!
Another option i am considering now is those new dell precision laptops.
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/...en/precision_concept_jumppage?c=us&l=en&s=gen
Pretty nice styling, plus dell business class computers come with the option to "downgrade" to xp. As much as i love mac, this is pretty enticing.
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/...en/precision_concept_jumppage?c=us&l=en&s=gen
Pretty nice styling, plus dell business class computers come with the option to "downgrade" to xp. As much as i love mac, this is pretty enticing.
And unless apple drop their prices it's nearly half the price of the mid/high spec macbook pro which doesn't even have a workstation card.
Metal casing etc is nice but its getting harder for apple to sell me on a laptop at twice the price which is basically the same as a dell latitude e (or pick another brand) just in a metal shell. By going the dell route you could buy a 13/14" latitude AND a workstation machine for roughly the same cost (before any upgrades to ram etc)
I was surprised they didn't uglify them over the E series. I'm not actually feeling the design, but it is much smarter than the current Precisions.
FYI to the above poster these machines have been metal for a long time - the last two generations of Latitudes for example have been made with a cast mag process which makes them an order of magnitude stronger than the MBP's - it's just that they didn't have the 'look at me, I'm metal' feel for the sort of technologically illiterate guy who raves over the Mac's dirt-poor engineering.
I agree, as much as i want to be a mac user, this is tempting. Apple is falling behind very quickly, with hp, dell, etc. all released much much better computers, at least spec wise, for almost half the price. Its harder and harder to justify a mac, especially if i need to run bootcamp to get solidworks to work well.
Actually completely forgot the dell's are magnesium alloy shell (iirc)
, but they still don't have the metal shell in the way the mac does, it's still quite a sectional design if you get what I mean compared with the mac's. And as much as I hate dell (and boy do I hate them from past experiences) I would actually use a laptop from them, they are very good for the money you pay, and they could atleast take a fair old knock before being killed off.
Actually completely forgot the dell's are magnesium alloy shell (iirc)
No, and thank god they don't. It's a rigid bathtub case as opposed to a 'dent at the drop of a hat' paper-thin piss-poor excuse for a shell as on the MBP.
I agree with Sesshi on that one, I know i would baby whatever laptop i get, but as of yet, i have not seen one mbp without a dent in it. I think it would be great if the dell had a metal casing, but i would only wish for this if it wasnt going to dent to the level the pro does. I am curious how much these new laptops will sell for...
The problem is, that when it comes down to it that's really all they're still good for. That, and the purposes of sprouting BS in the form of marketing communications. Windows does all the media stuff in most cases just as well, the BS stuff maybe not so well - and I can fully understand why the Mac is popular in agencies whose job it is to sprout BS - and everything else better.
As I said before, our design dept is all-Windows and for the 2D side at least, since we were already cross-platform I actually played the devil's advocate for platform selection when we were selecting software to work with. The upshot was that we needed to incorporate not just the simple elements of design - such as video production and graphic design - but also all other elements of design, because frequently we'd deal with those two elements after everything else was complete. And what the guys found was that they wouldn't be held back at all in a 100%-Windows workflow when compared to a hybrid.
for product design, you'll need a parametric program like solidworks, inventor or solidedge... There's nothing similiar for mac, so stop searching. trust me, i've tested them all, maya, cinema 4d, modo, lightwave, vectorworks, cobalt, cheetah and a few more... In "real world" for product design, you can't work with nurbs or "play-doh" alikes. you need full control of the dimensions, separate parts, assemblies, relationships between parts, full parts-list, 2d sketches etc etc. so stick with a windows machine. it's easily upgradable in terms of graphics cards, memory and all that stuff, 'cause in a year or two you'll sure need an upgrade. in each new rev of these progs, the specs get higher, so it's better to have a flexible solution, and having a mac is like being in jail.
macs = perfect for graphic design/animation/motion graphics/video...
windows = gamers and product design (at least for now, unfortunately)
hope this helps!
This is going to come as a shock to my clients who are successfully manufacturing products designed in Cobalt. Based on your requirements for product design software you sound more like an engineer than an industrial designer. For your needs you may be right, but I don't know any ID people who use Inventor. Solid Edge may have improved their translators since my experience with companies using it, but unless they have, it doesn't play nicely with other programs.
Inventor = engineer or mechanical designer
for me personally, I only use Solidworks and adobe ps and illustrator to design. Actually that's how everyone in the company works.
I can tell you how an M4400 compares pricewise here in the UK. It's not that the Apple isn't fairly decently priced these days, but a 2.53Ghz/4Gb/500Gb/FX770M Precision M4400 with the same display as the 15" MBP, backlit keyboard+biometrics, 3-year next day onsite warranty plus accidental damage cover, a 6-cell battery *and* a full docking station comes in at slightly less than the 2.6/4Gb/250Gb MBP with Applecare. The Dell will also likely be better built - or at least engineered better for the same level of ODM build quality as the MBP - and be definitely better supported.
With the consumer Mac crowd here, it's pretty obvious their only experience of Dell support is the no-pay Inspiron level, even if they've sprung for Applecare on the Mac side. They have no idea what the differences are with the Latitude and Precision support. I rate it as a quantum leap over the paid-for support that actual professionals are expected to endure with Apple.
Our HP 8xxxw's are fairly recent so I have no plans to upgrade or replace any. But I might pick one up when the Quadcores are available.
With the consumer Mac crowd here, it's pretty obvious their only experience of Dell support is the no-pay Inspiron level, even if they've sprung for Applecare on the Mac side. They have no idea what the differences are with the Latitude and Precision support. I rate it as a quantum leap over the paid-for support that actual professionals are expected to endure with Apple.
Our HP 8xxxw's are fairly recent so I have no plans to upgrade or replace any. But I might pick one up when the Quadcores are available.
Hi SL,
As youre using Solidworks, you may be interested in this. It is from a link on the Core77 site.
http://www.vimeo.com/1520784
Do you follow the Core77 discussions? They have some great topic sections including one on software and technology. While youre there, be sure to check out the sketching forum. Some of the forums are quite specialized, but in total its a wonderful source of information and fun discussions.
http://boards.core77.com/
With regard to PS, theres been some discussion of Sketchbook Pro. (link below) It started as a question about Painter, but there are comments about all three programs that you may also find interesting. I use both PS and Sketchbook Pro and agree with one of the comments that Sketchbook is great for quick sketching. I have a Wacom Cintiq, and that has made a HUGE difference when using either program.
http://boards.core77.com/viewtopic.php?t=16536
Hey JWH2. I have been to core77 many of times, especially when I was back in college. I have recently started reading into the forums, but thanks for the link, I will check it out for sure. Right now, i have 3 options for computer setups in mind, considering i will beed portability.. they are:
Dell Precision Mobile workstation - Fall http://www.dell.com/content/topics/...en/precision_concept_jumppage?c=us&l=en&s=gen
HP Elite 8350w - Coming Soon
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF05a/321957-321957-64295-3740645-3329741-3781677.html
Macbook Pro - September??
Those are the best i have seen so far for my purposes.
Dell Precision Mobile workstation - Fall http://www.dell.com/content/topics/...en/precision_concept_jumppage?c=us&l=en&s=gen
HP Elite 8350w - Coming Soon
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF05a/321957-321957-64295-3740645-3329741-3781677.html
Macbook Pro - September??
Those are the best i have seen so far for my purposes.
Hi again SL. I just ran across this LOOOONG thread doing a Google search for "Solidworks Mac". Lots of interesting comments. TStaples works in automotive and has several posts. He runs Solidworks on a MacBook Pro and is very positive about it. That said, it's worth fighting your way through the other posts for both conformation and other opinions to get a balanced view.
http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=181459&page=1
http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=181459&page=1
The Precisions are looking really good. Official shots seem to be scarce but it should look pretty much the same as this which was leaked earlier in the year
He's posted here since 2006, and has amassed a hefty number of posts at that, about six times as much as you. I'm sure, and a quick look through shows, he's not anti-Mac. He has a clear point, and it's quite simple.
Your post however is similar to that of a flame which could have been kept private, much like this one.
Sorry, but sarcasm and jokes often don't work when you're not talking to someone face to face.
Less so if it's not proceeded by a classic:
It's late and my head is tired. toodles.
Less so if it's not proceeded by a classic:
It's late and my head is tired. toodles.
Sorry, but sarcasm and jokes often don't work when you're not talking to someone face to face.
Less so if it's not proceeded by a classic:
It's late and my head is tired. toodles.
I am sorry. I am bad at getting humour and jokes.
Any ways, I use my low-end 20" iMac as my "workstation" and it is good enough for me.