3D modeling is based on technology and technique. The technology is CAD software, and the technique is the modelers' skill set. Technologies are implemented in software although techniques are acquired by humans.
I guess that enterprises prefer technologies to techniques because they don't want to rely on employee's individual skills. Technologies can stabilize the quality of their products. So, they are enthusiastic to automate their work flows with technologies. I was requested several times to automate manufacturers' work concerning 3D CAD.
On the other hand, usual people prefer techniques to automation technologies, I think. Let's say 3D modeling becomes popular among consumers or personal creators. I want to consider what kind of software will be accepted by such people.
I think they will use 3D tools for their personal experiences. They won't be interested in efficiency. Instead, they will enjoy 3D modeling. They will exchange their work among their community. And they will desire to improve their 3D modeling techniques.
They will try to make their own unique and individual work although enterprises value stable and uniform work. Techniques emphasize individual characteristics although technologies standardize organization's output.
Existing 3D CAD applications are based on high technologies, which won't attract such creators. Instead, simple and intuitive usability will attract them. And the software must be flexible enough to give people freedom to express their individuality.
Of course, I know that technologies and techniques are not exclusive. But I feel existing 3D CAD applications have too much of the technological aspect for usual (non professional) people. Maybe simple and intuitive software will stimulate people's ambition to design 3D objects.
2010年2月20日土曜日
Molding the future of manufacturers
The other day, the project team I belong to visited a mold manufacturer to study the mold industry. The manufacturer mainly manufactures molds for die-casting of aluminum alloy. The president showed us their factory and talked to us about their industry.
Looking around the factory was really exciting! Do you know a mold is much larger than the product which the mold produces? A mold for an engine block was as big as a small car! I was surprised by the size of molds.
And, the molds were really complicated. I think many people tend to imagine such molds are simple. But actually, they need complicated gimmicks to rearrange their parts to demold aluminum products from molds. A mold consists of several parts and each part can slide back and forth to demold. Furthermore, they contain many water pipes inside to cool down hot aluminum alloy. It was amazing that many water tubes were connected to a mold.
I felt the company had high capabilities. But the president said China or other Asian countries were taking away their work although the quality of their molds and dies were much higher than the Chinese.
Japanese car manufacturers began to decide that they will order molds and dies for cars for the Chinese from the Chinese. It will make a serious impact on Japanese suppliers. The Japanese car industry yields 10 million automobiles a year and half of them are exported. If they decide to stop exporting and build factories and supply chains in China or other Asian countries, Japanese molds/dies suppliers' market will shrink to below 50%.
Chinese consumers aren't so particular about the quality of automobiles. Their main concern is the price. This is why the car manufacturers are shifting to order parts from local suppliers although the quality of Japanese products is much higher than local products.
But it seemed that the president had some strategies to survive. He was still aggressive to find new markets. I wish a good future for them.
Looking around the factory was really exciting! Do you know a mold is much larger than the product which the mold produces? A mold for an engine block was as big as a small car! I was surprised by the size of molds.
And, the molds were really complicated. I think many people tend to imagine such molds are simple. But actually, they need complicated gimmicks to rearrange their parts to demold aluminum products from molds. A mold consists of several parts and each part can slide back and forth to demold. Furthermore, they contain many water pipes inside to cool down hot aluminum alloy. It was amazing that many water tubes were connected to a mold.
I felt the company had high capabilities. But the president said China or other Asian countries were taking away their work although the quality of their molds and dies were much higher than the Chinese.
Japanese car manufacturers began to decide that they will order molds and dies for cars for the Chinese from the Chinese. It will make a serious impact on Japanese suppliers. The Japanese car industry yields 10 million automobiles a year and half of them are exported. If they decide to stop exporting and build factories and supply chains in China or other Asian countries, Japanese molds/dies suppliers' market will shrink to below 50%.
Chinese consumers aren't so particular about the quality of automobiles. Their main concern is the price. This is why the car manufacturers are shifting to order parts from local suppliers although the quality of Japanese products is much higher than local products.
But it seemed that the president had some strategies to survive. He was still aggressive to find new markets. I wish a good future for them.
2010年1月25日月曜日
Implicit Surface
Today, I want to introduce "implicit surface", which is one of the surface expressions.
First, I'm going to explain the concept of implicit expression in a 2 dimensional world. Let's express a circle in mathematical terms. There are 2 ways to express a circle as follows.
With the explicit expression, we can get coordinate values of points on the circle explicitly. If you substitute 0 for t, you can get explicit coordinate values (cos(0), sin(0)) = (1, 0). But, with the implicit expression, we cannot get such coordinate values explicitly. This is a disadvantage of implicit expressions.
However, the implicit expression has a significant advantage. You can tell if an arbitrary point is inside the circle or not very easily with the implicit expression. If the point (x, y) is inside, the value of the implicit function f(x, y) is negative. Otherwise, the value is positive. That is, the inside domain of the circle can be expressed with the following inequality.
The two operand circles are expressed as follows.
This concept can be extended to 3 dimensional worlds. We can express spheres or other 3 dimensional shapes with implicit expressions. Of course, we can execute Boolean operations in a 3 dimensional world very easily. We call 3 dimensional surfaces expressed with implicit expressions "implicit surfaces".
The above figure shows an example of a subtraction between a sphere and a cylinder in a 3 dimensional world.
On the other hand, using explicit expressions is mainstream for surface expressions of 3D CAD, and Boolean operations are really difficult and complicated procedures in such CAD. I believe implicit surfaces can be useful for some applications. I'm wondering what kind of applications can take advantage of implicit surfaces.
First, I'm going to explain the concept of implicit expression in a 2 dimensional world. Let's express a circle in mathematical terms. There are 2 ways to express a circle as follows.
- (x, y) = (cos(t), sin(t)) ... (a)
- f(x, y) = x^2 + y^2 - 1 = 0 ... (b)
However, the implicit expression has a significant advantage. You can tell if an arbitrary point is inside the circle or not very easily with the implicit expression. If the point (x, y) is inside, the value of the implicit function f(x, y) is negative. Otherwise, the value is positive. That is, the inside domain of the circle can be expressed with the following inequality.
- f(x, y) = x^2 + y^2 - 1 <= 0
The two operand circles are expressed as follows.
- f1(x, y) = x^2 + y^2 - 1 <= 0
- f2(x, y) = (x-1)^2 + y^2 - 1 <= 0
- f3(x, y) = min{ f1(x, y), f2(x, y) } <= 0
This concept can be extended to 3 dimensional worlds. We can express spheres or other 3 dimensional shapes with implicit expressions. Of course, we can execute Boolean operations in a 3 dimensional world very easily. We call 3 dimensional surfaces expressed with implicit expressions "implicit surfaces".
The above figure shows an example of a subtraction between a sphere and a cylinder in a 3 dimensional world.
On the other hand, using explicit expressions is mainstream for surface expressions of 3D CAD, and Boolean operations are really difficult and complicated procedures in such CAD. I believe implicit surfaces can be useful for some applications. I'm wondering what kind of applications can take advantage of implicit surfaces.
2010年1月12日火曜日
Happy New Year
Today, I want to write about this New Year's holiday.
I spent this holiday with my mother in my home town, which is in Iwata city, Shizuoka prefecture. Many people living in Tokyo (or other big cities) go back to their family home during New Year's holiday. My brothers and I gathered at our mother's home and we threw a nabe party on New Year's Eve.
That party was extravagant. My uncle sent us a king crab ("taraba-gani" in Japanese). One of my brothers, who had lived in California last year, brought a bottle of California wine. My mother prepared kimchi-nabe (Japanese nabe with Korean pickles), and a bottle of Shimeharizuru-daiginjo, which is one of the best grades of Japanese sake.
I was happy, because my mother seemed happy. My father passed away more than 8 years ago and she had lived alone since then. So, she had been looking forward to the party with her sons.
The party wasn't the only thing that made her happy. She became a grandmother last year because my wife gave birth to a baby girl last October. Every time she saw my baby, she smiled and said she wanted to show my baby to her husband in heaven.
On January 2nd, I went to a doll shop with my mother, my wife, and my wife's mother. It's a custom in Japan that people who have daughters put up hina dolls in their house on March 3rd every year. My wife's mother bought us the dolls below as a present. I'm really grateful for it!
It was a good holiday. And I wish this year will be a good year.
I spent this holiday with my mother in my home town, which is in Iwata city, Shizuoka prefecture. Many people living in Tokyo (or other big cities) go back to their family home during New Year's holiday. My brothers and I gathered at our mother's home and we threw a nabe party on New Year's Eve.
That party was extravagant. My uncle sent us a king crab ("taraba-gani" in Japanese). One of my brothers, who had lived in California last year, brought a bottle of California wine. My mother prepared kimchi-nabe (Japanese nabe with Korean pickles), and a bottle of Shimeharizuru-daiginjo, which is one of the best grades of Japanese sake.
I was happy, because my mother seemed happy. My father passed away more than 8 years ago and she had lived alone since then. So, she had been looking forward to the party with her sons.
The party wasn't the only thing that made her happy. She became a grandmother last year because my wife gave birth to a baby girl last October. Every time she saw my baby, she smiled and said she wanted to show my baby to her husband in heaven.
On January 2nd, I went to a doll shop with my mother, my wife, and my wife's mother. It's a custom in Japan that people who have daughters put up hina dolls in their house on March 3rd every year. My wife's mother bought us the dolls below as a present. I'm really grateful for it!
It was a good holiday. And I wish this year will be a good year.
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