The BIG idea...

So...what is theCADcube all about? Where did the idea come from, and where is it going?

These are questions we get asked and ask ourselves here at theCADcube, so let's try to answer them.

Our aim is to see theCADcube become an essential tool for architects, interior designers and other design professionals. A resource that they turn to on a regular basis for each and every project. There are quite a few big steps to make on the way to achieving this, but we are up for the challenge.

The idea came about as university students, studying Architecture Technology. We were frustrated with the lack of tools to speed up the 3D modeling process. The choice between spending hours creating bits of furniture and accessories or inserting the same 12 generic objects from the CAD library 5 times each was not a good one. It doesn't matter what angle you insert it, nobody wants a king size bed in their kitchen!

So we set about creating a library of 3D CAD models that can be easily downloaded and inserted straight into a CAD drawing. But decided that rather than just providing generic content, wouldn't it be cool if you could use actual real life products from real life manufacturers.

This was of no real benefit to a student, but to a professional, working on a live project requiring real life solutions, this could be pretty useful. It then became obvious that this was also a great way for manufacturers to promote their products. And not just promote them to the general world wide web, but to a highly targeted market.

So theCADcube was born...

There have been many challenges to get to the stage we are now, but probably our toughest task to date has been convincing manufacturers that printed catalogues and the odd technical drawing no longer cut the mustard. We live in a digital world and the majority of designers now work in 3D.

So far we have had mixed success and although we have some great companies and products online, we want much more. We believe that all manufacturers and suppliers within the interiors, building and design industries should make their products as accessible and easy to specify as possible, which includes supplying 3D models of their products.

On our mission to make this happen, we have a cunning plan...which we will announce next week!

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50 not out!

Just a quick post to mark 50 days since the launch of theCADcube. The half century.

Apparently the first 100 days of any business are the most important as they set out or 'define' the path you are headed on. Well, we have reached the mid-point of that particular milestone and believe we are headed along the right path in our goal to become an essential tool for design professionals and product manufacturers.

It has by no means been easy, but no-one said it would be. 

It has been 50 exciting, challenging, rewarding, frustrating and consuming days since theCADcube went live. Ups and downs don't really do it justice. The learning curve has been extreme and is by no means complete.

We are pleased with what has been achieved so far, but like any good batsman, we aren't satisfied and will push on for the century.

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UK manufacturers need to do more...

Here at theCADcube, both before and since we launched, we have tried to find manufacturers of everything from furniture, lighting and other design products, to building components and materials, who already provide 3D CAD models of their products to professionals who need them and can use them. 

Making use of these existing models works for everyone; it saves us the time of having to create models ourselves, allows the manufacturers products to reach a much wider audience and provides instant content for our users.

Being based in Edinburgh, and with the majority of our users being from the UK and Ireland, we have focused much of our energy on sourcing British and Irish manufacturers who provide these models. This has not been easy! There are lots of great companies, producing excellent products, but there is a real lack of support for architects, interior designers and similar professionals.

Surely providing a format that could see your products being specified during the early stages of a project can only be beneficial? And with 3D modeling now a pretty standard process in the design of such products, there must be a lot of these models just kicking around not being used.

In the rest of Europe, providing CAD versions of products is common practice. It may actually be more difficult to find a German or a Scandinavian manufacturer of building or design products who doesn't provide both 2D and 3D formats for download from their website and/or via other third party websites.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. There are some young, innovative British companies such as Citysquared, & Then Design and Naughtone who are also doing this, and benefitting from it. But more manufacturers, particularly the well established companies, need to join in and make it easier for design professionals to specify their products.

As things stand, many manufacturers in the UK are putting themselves at a competitive disadvantage by not offering these services, and theCADcube is on a mission to sort this out!

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3D Catalog Technology

If I was to say to you, '3D catalog technology', chances are you wouldn't be 100% sure what I was on about. With everything from films to sporting events to magazines being made available in 3D, you would be forgiven for thinking I was going to suggest you wear a pair of dark glasses until you have a sore head! However, the 3D catalog technology I refer to is one that has been around for some 16 years. It is one that has been embraced and developed by an engineering industry that counts the value of efficiency and practicality alongside ingenuity, innovation and design. 

3D catalog technology (3CT) is the process of creating a dimensionally accurate, realistic 3D computer model, which represents a real life object, and organising it within an accessible digital library or catalogue. 

Cadenas was the leader in the engineering industry all those years ago. Changing the inward practices of parts manufacturers, getting them to move away from inefficient paper catalogues and make their products available in a format that their clients could make use of. Today, engineers can easily download 3D CAD models from thousands of manufacturers and millions of products.

This process saves valuable time during design and specification and it allows manufacturers to market their products in a format their clients can use.

Architects, interior designers and other design professionals are just as bound by budgets and deadlines as engineers. Manufacturers of everything from furniture, lighting and other design products to actual building components want to market their products as effectively as possible and many of them create CAD models of their products as part of the design process. So...why isn't 3D catalog technology standard practice within these sectors?

It strikes me that the main reason is the lack of adoption by manufacturers of building and design products. There is a fear over protecting intellectual property and the costs of creating the 3D CAD models. But we now live in a world where interaction, collaboration and the sharing of information are key to business success.


There has also been the lack of a platform in which they can exploit the process. This is where theCADcube comes in. We are providing the platform for manufacturers to market their products directly to an online community of architects and interior designers and also the 3D CAD modelling service for manufacturers who do not already have these available.

We think it is time that manufacturers who supply to architects, interior designers and similar professionals got rid of the paper catalogues and embraced this new format for marketing their products.


Look out for our next post on why UK manufacturers need to do more...

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Welcome

Welcome to theCADcube blog. Here we will be providing more information on the unique benefits and features of theCADcube to design professionals, their clients and product manufacturers.

We will also be providing a background for the concept, our ideas, future developments, thoughts and suggestions on related topics.

So what is theCADcube?

theCADcube is an online tool for architects and interior designers, allowing you to search, share and download 3D CAD models of products from leading and niche manufacturers. This saves design professionals valuable time during design and specification by easily incorporating real life products into their projects with just a few clicks.

This has also created an innovative marketing platform for product manufacturers allowing them to promote products directly to an extremely influential online community. Manufacturers benefit from their products being specified during the early stages of design projects.

For much more information check out the About Us page on theCADcube website.

Look out for our next post on 3D Catalog Technology, the driver behind theCADcube concept, coming soon.

We hope you enjoy...

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