Creating laser cut 3D forms super easily & Ponoko - Blog and with stunning results! Every day I see a a lot of good content go through my feeds and occasionally they are some real gems which lower the barrier for people to create great designs. I saw two SketchUp plugins a while ago and have only just had a chance to test them out. I am amazed how easy it makes creating sliceform laser cut models and I’m wondering how I ever did this before. The plugins are: Slicemodeler by Public Art International (available for a $10-$50 donation) and SVG Outline plugin by Flights of Ideas Slicemodeler allows you to take a 3D form and slice it up into interlocking pieces. Once you have all the slices, that’s when the SVG outline plugin comes in. Now you have a file (or files) you can open in Inkscape or Illustrator to arrange for laser cutting. And the finished article made from 1/4″ cardboard. Another couple of designs that I made looked at forms that were a bit more complex. And some blobby worm like thing.
F.lux: software to make your life better - StumbleUpon The Freelancer's Toolset: 100 Web Apps for Everything You Will Possibl... Posted by nitzan on Thursday, May 10th, 2007 Running a business for yourself means you have to be inventive and always on the lookout for a new and better way to get things done. Innovation junkies, take note: the Internet has a lot to offer. From invoicing to marketing, these are tools that freelancers need to know about. Organization If you’re busy with lots of client work, it’s easy for things to get out of hand. Backpack: Get your projects organized by using Backpack. Calendars & To-Do Lists Client meetings, important events and a never-ending list of things to do can wear you down if you can’t make them manageable. Your Money Money is what keeps your freelance business going, but managing it can be tedious and time consuming. InstaCalc: InstaCalc is a web based calculator with lots of bells and whistles including spreadsheet capabilities, unit conversions and programming commands. Storage Do you have too many client files clogging up your hard drive? Project Management & Productivity
20 brilliant web apps youve never heard of Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr - a few giants so dominate the web app world that it's hard for anyone else to make an impression. We've spent some time looking beyond the leading sites, though, and discovered a host of interesting tech startups. Some take existing web app ideas and add a new spin of their own. Others are more innovative, using fresh concepts to deliver powerful new ways of using the web. But they're all worthy of your attention - and here are 20 of the best. 1. Big business has long understood the value of powerful and efficient collaboration tools - and now TeamLab is making them available to everyone. The service is perfect for small businesses, clubs, or any group of people who need to work together online. 2. Roc is a free online music creator that's entirely browser-based, point and click - no musical ability required. 3. Time. 4. Music, videos, pictures, work documents - your PC is packed with important files. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. iSendr 10.