The first iteration of the Excel spreadsheet script will generate instances of parametric definitions which will be random but constrained by maximum and minimum values of each of the attributes. Further iterations will feature a variety of browsing algorithms. For now have a look at how it works with Solidworks:

Ronen Kadushin’s company Open Design is another attempt to bring tangibles closer to the world of 2.0 value creation. It seems one worth a closer look. In his own words:

“Open Design is a personal attempt to close a creativity gap between product design and other fields (music, graphic design, animation and photography), Which found their creative output in phase with the realities of information technology and economics.”

He later continues on the application of the open-source value creation model to the tangible:

“The Open Design method is based on the principles of the already successful Open Source method that revolutionized the software industry, and gave birth to a social movement that is cooperative, community-minded and seeks legitimate ways of sharing creativity.”

The way it actually works is similar to Ponoko’s one. The design is represented as a series of 2d templates to be cut out on the CNC machine (in Ponoko’s case, it’s the laser cutter). The constraint of raster image processing software knowledge is still present, but it doesn’t make the visit to the Open Design projects gallery less exciting.