4 tools that will make you a better product designer

FormBox

The FormBox is an innovative product that allows you to create 3D items instantly. It is incredibly simple, allowing you to focus on product design and not product production. The steps are simple. You choose a material to build with it and place it into the FormBox unit. Once the material is warmed up, you can cover the object in the material and turn the vacuum on. The vacuum will suck out the air, moulding your material to the shape you want.

This amazing product helps you create designs or moulds as you like. It fits on your desktop and uses your own personal vacuum. If you can think of it you can copy it, mould it and print it. The Mayku Library allows you to show off your designs online and get inspiration from other FormBox users.

Autodesk Fusion 360

The Fusion 360 is the first tool of its kind. It allows you to connect your product development prices over a single, easy to use cloud-based platform. You can design, test and build your product with a single artistic design tool. The cloud allows you to collaborate and work from anywhere you like and on almost any device, Mac or PC.

Create organic shapes and direct solid, mesh and parametric modelling.

This 3D CAD, CAM and CAE platform let’s you seamlessly bring together industrial and mechanical designing, testing, collaborating and producing all in one.

GlowForge

This innovating laser printer allows you to design and print materials for minimal cost and at the push of a button. Create hardwood skins for your Macbook, dual gatling drones, a custom leather satchel, artwork, engraved jars… if you can imagine it, you can print it with Glowforge. The Glowforge cuts, engraves and shapes whatever you like out of a wide array of materials using a single beam of light as thin as a human hair. Become a better product designer knowing there are almost no limitations to what you can create.

You can cut and engrave directly on your prototype, use the camera to align and view the product before you hit print, even use the 3D autofocus feature. You don’t have to learn to use new software or tools because the Glowforge works with Photoshop, any camera JPG, Illustrator or CA softwares.

Arduino

Arduino is a prototyping platform that works with simple and intuitive hardware and software. The Arduino boards were built to interpret an input and turn it into an output. Examples include:

- Turning light on a sensor to activating a motor

- Turning pushing a button into turning on an LED

- Turning a Twitter message into publishing something online

You can program the board to accept instructions and react accordingly. It acts as the brain to your product, allowing you to streamline your creative product design process. It was meant as a easy-to-use prototyping school for students who are stronger in design than they are in electronics and programming. Since then it has evolved to be a sophisticated tool for designers of all skill levels.

Scriba is a revolutionary, award-winning stylus that is designed to fit your hand. Find your creative flow with unique Squeeze-Motion technology: Scriba controls line weight and app functionality by bending in response to your touch — just squeeze. Available now on Amazon. Find out more at getscriba.com.