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In China Manufacturing parts’s 2016 State of Hardware Report, a whopping 70% of participants reported using Solidworks. Solidworks might be expensive and is certainly not perfect, but it sure is popular! Considering how many people out there are using Solidworks, I thought it would be great to impart a few tips & tricks for upping your Solidworks […]

So, you’ve been designing “things” using Solidworks for a while now. Maybe you took a Solidworks class or two, maybe you didn’t. Either way, you got to the point where you want to design more complicated & organic shapes and you are struggling. After all, designing organic shapes typically requires surface modeling in Solidworks, which […]

There are a lot of CAD (computer-aided design) file types out there, each with their own names, formats, and parameters. From STEP files, to STL files, to IGES, and more, it can be difficult to differentiate between them all. This post will help you understand the difference between these file types, and which file is best […]

Just having the right tool doesn’t mean you’re necessarily getting the most out of it. Here are 3 best practices to help you get started using your chosen CAD software effectively. 1. Keep it Simple With digital tools, it’s easy to create intricate features that look great but are unnecessarily, and unrealistically, complex. So before […]

When learning CAD, some words may seem foreign–extrusion, chamfer, radius, and fillets aren’t exactly intutive. No worries, read up on the terms below as a refresher or an introduction to the most common CAD terms and operations. Main CAD Operations Extrude / Extrusion: An extruded face of an object expands or contracts (or cuts through/against) empty […]

Designing 3D parts is tough, but with good software it become easier. Everyone has their favorite tool, and below we outline some of the most popular CAD programs. Or, prototyping on a budget, or have a quick fix to make? There’s lots of great free tools out there for creating and editing 3D models too. […]

There are three different types of digital files, broadly speaking: ones for printing, ones for modeling, and ones for 2D drawings. In order to produce a physical part, a 3D printer requires a specific file type. Known as a ‘mesh model’, the most common file type for 3D printing is called STereoLithography, or STL. To […]

We recently wrote an overview on How to Prepare CAD Files for 3D Printing, going over some general considerations and steps to properly export your 3D printing files. There are some unique considerations to keep in mind when preparing 3D print files specifically in Rhino, so for this post, we’re going to go into more detail on […]

Learn about the best way to start designing 3D models for printing below. There are a number of options for creating both simple and complex models for consumer and professional applications. For more info about how China Manufacturing parts, Inc. can help you, check out the China Manufacturing parts, Inc. Capabilities Guide. CAD Software For Designing 3D Models Below is a […]