Solvengineer Blog http://solvengineer.com/blog/ News, articles, tips on science and technology, with a focus on engineering and scientific computing. Visit our parent site at http://www.solvengineer.com. en Copyright 2012 Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:27:57 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.2ysb5-20051201 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss LEGO Serenity LEGO Serenity Firefly class spaceship...enough said :)

 

 

LEGO Serenity 1

 

 LEGO Serenity 2

 

LEGO Serenity 3 

]]> http://solvengineer.com/blog/2012/01/lego_serenity.html http://solvengineer.com/blog/2012/01/lego_serenity.html Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:27:57 -0500 Happy New Year! ]]> http://solvengineer.com/blog/2011/12/happy_new_year.html http://solvengineer.com/blog/2011/12/happy_new_year.html Sat, 31 Dec 2011 13:52:02 -0500 MathFall out and free for 3 days! It's been a long road, and I learned a lot. MathFall is not going to make me rich, but I hope it will let kids and adults alike have fun doing Math. Which is what this country needs anyway, lest we fall behind in innovation.

As such, I made my game free for 3 days, until August 3rd.

Get it here:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mathfall/id441416087?mt=8

 

Are you ready to have fun ... doing Math?
MathFall is a new and exciting puzzle game which combines the fast-paced gameplay of the classic Breakout arcade game with simple Math operations. It's a totally new gaming experience made just for your IOS device!

Use your paddle to bounce the ball on triangles and through numbers and get the number on the ball close to zero. Each level has an unique challenge, and, with the random level generator, the fun continues even after you complete the 20 levels already created for you!
Once you play this game, you will never look at arithmetic in the same way. Power-ups that might help ... or not, and levels that change while you play will always keep you guessing what's coming next. Can you reach the supreme rank of Math Genius?

Features:
Twenty fast and furious levels designed to entertain and challenge you.
Random level generator for never ending fun.
A style of gameplay that is both intuitive and unpredictable. You can replay levels to increase your total score and ranking.
Power-ups with more advanced Math: fractions and roots.
You don't have to be a PhD to become ... the Math Genius! Description:

 Screenshots:

 

 

 

 

]]> http://solvengineer.com/blog/2011/07/mathfall_out_and_free_for_3_da.html http://solvengineer.com/blog/2011/07/mathfall_out_and_free_for_3_da.html Sun, 31 Jul 2011 12:18:27 -0500 Getting there MathBall is almost done!

I'm doing the last round of testing on the levels I created, and debugging the random level generator (infinite gameplay, yeah!)

My friend David will draw some nice sprites to replace my sometimes efforts.

 

]]> http://solvengineer.com/blog/2011/04/getting_there.html http://solvengineer.com/blog/2011/04/getting_there.html Thu, 14 Apr 2011 08:55:06 -0500 Lego in 3d  


 

 

In real life, Lego blocks are 3d. But what about when you see them on a computer screen?

Click on the link below for the full size version, relax your eyes and bring the two images together....

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/1616/try1small.jpg

I used two iPhones side by side,pushing the camera button roughly at the same time.

What can I say, I am dexterous :)

]]> http://solvengineer.com/blog/2011/01/lego_in_3d.html http://solvengineer.com/blog/2011/01/lego_in_3d.html Sun, 09 Jan 2011 12:24:46 -0500 Free full-spectrum Engineering Software: CAELinux CAELinux is a free Linux distro that is packaged with a variety of Engineering software, from meshers to solvers to Scientific Computing languages. Gone are the days of finding an Open Source Engineering program and having your excitement deflated after spending a day trying to install it under Linux.Everything is here for you, packaged tightly and supported by various tutorials that help you with the usage of each software package, as well as with interoperability between packages.

You can create some geometry in Salome, for instance, mesh it, and the solve it with OpenFOAM, as outlined in these tutorials.

CAELinux can run from a DVD,  in a partition or in a Virtual Machine.

Definitely worth checking it out, after all, what will it cost you? ;)

]]> http://solvengineer.com/blog/2010/11/free_fullspectrum_engineering.html http://solvengineer.com/blog/2010/11/free_fullspectrum_engineering.html Wed, 24 Nov 2010 23:20:53 -0500 Processing for Android Apps I installed and started programming in Processing for Android. Now you can deploy your Processing programs onto  Android platforms with minimal fuss!

Check out a brief but comprehensive setup tutorial here!

 

]]> http://solvengineer.com/blog/2010/10/processing_for_android_apps.html http://solvengineer.com/blog/2010/10/processing_for_android_apps.html Thu, 14 Oct 2010 22:16:52 -0500 engineering freeware focus Here's a short list of free Engineering software for Windows. We all know about Google Sketchup, but there's lots of other analysis and modeling software out there...

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD): OpenFoam

Finite Element Analysis (FEA):LISA (1300 node limit for free version)

3D Modeling and Animation:K-3D

 

Enjoy!

]]> http://solvengineer.com/blog/2010/09/engineering_freeware_focus.html http://solvengineer.com/blog/2010/09/engineering_freeware_focus.html Fri, 10 Sep 2010 21:02:41 -0500 The smallest device I have written a program on... Programming on the Go" ,offered a few options for developing simple programs without carrying a laptop around, by using handheld devices such as Pocket Computers or Handheld PCs or Palmtops. This week I was able to program on a device even smaller than the aforementioned computers: my iPod Touch. I jailbroke and installed iXpectrum. The touch keyboard can be tricky to use, but development of simple BASIC programs is possible. I wrote a couple of one liners. Once I figure out if I can save .tap files on the device, I might try more advanced stuff. Blast from the past!
]]> http://solvengineer.com/blog/2010/08/the_smallest_device_i_have_wri.html http://solvengineer.com/blog/2010/08/the_smallest_device_i_have_wri.html Fri, 13 Aug 2010 22:31:28 -0500 switch ]]> http://solvengineer.com/blog/2010/08/switch.html http://solvengineer.com/blog/2010/08/switch.html Thu, 05 Aug 2010 19:41:59 -0500 Flying car progress Working to bring an old idea of mine to virtual life.

 flying car prelim

]]> http://solvengineer.com/blog/2010/06/flying_car_progress.html http://solvengineer.com/blog/2010/06/flying_car_progress.html Sun, 27 Jun 2010 14:04:20 -0500 chugging along Well I am still working on the game. It's slow as molasses with Quartz so I will need to switch to OpenGL. In the meanwhile I have found a good book dedicated to iPhone game programming, and am reading through it. Kind of redundant since the game engine is finished, but maybe I will pick up some good OpenGL tips:

 

http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596159863/preview#preview

]]> http://solvengineer.com/blog/2010/05/chugging_along.html http://solvengineer.com/blog/2010/05/chugging_along.html Fri, 14 May 2010 20:38:11 -0500 two cool "sandbox" type programs I am mentoring students for the First Technical Challenge robotics competition. Since I am better with software than with real parts, I tried to build and test the robot in a virtual world.

First program I tried is Phun (http://www.phunland.com/wiki/Home), of which I might have written before. With a  slick interface and many features, Phun is indeed fun. You can create a machine that you control using the keyboard, which was the goal I had set to. However, the 2D design made it impossible to simulate certain aspects of the robot.


So I went back to Google and started looking for a 3D alternative. And I found Golems (http://www.golemgame.com/) . Golems actually provides the user with many components useful for robotic design, such as sensors. I was able to build and run the robot in Golems. The CAD part lacks some features, such as tapering of objects already created, or user-defined polygons,  so the robot has a lot corners sticking out. But in essence, Golems has delivered what I needed.

Try both and have fun!  (sorry for the lack of links, my computer is a little messed up)



]]> http://solvengineer.com/blog/2010/02/two_cool_sandbox_type_programs.html http://solvengineer.com/blog/2010/02/two_cool_sandbox_type_programs.html Sun, 07 Feb 2010 21:11:22 -0500 wish I had more time.... or a Macbook that isn't falling apart and is slower than molasses....

I'm working on the random level generator. Infinte gameplay :)

]]> http://solvengineer.com/blog/2009/09/wish_i_had_more_time.html http://solvengineer.com/blog/2009/09/wish_i_had_more_time.html Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:13:15 -0500 ahh physics ]]> http://solvengineer.com/blog/2009/09/ahh_physics.html http://solvengineer.com/blog/2009/09/ahh_physics.html Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:49:03 -0500