*quality

Boosting this quality contribution up in the Hot Listing - declared quality by lurgee.

Looks like they're using a LEAP motion https://www.leapmotion.com/

I preordered one and got it last month. It's... actually pretty unusable.

Edit: So far. There's some promise there. But it's really not there yet.

Nice, but viewing a design is not the same as creating and modifying a design. The jumpiness looked like it would really mess with any attempt to actually alter the properties of the model. "oops, no, I meant 1mm thicker - damnit - nngh - ok, that looks about right, doesn't it?"

Where in this video is anyone actually designing anything? Anyone who has done 3D modeling or CAD will immediately recognize this as complete BS. Shame on Elon Musk.

1. Industrial design of this type is more about math and data, not about intuitive understanding.

So controlling things with your hands looks like a gimmick which would be useless for power-users. For power-users, their mouse and keyboard shortcuts become extensions of their mind.


2. I had no idea we can 3d print now using titanium, rather than just plastic

That part really does conjure up the Iron Man movies... the lone designer designing and printing in his garage without needing to wait for a titanium factory 10,000 miles away to create your prototype and ship it to you.

It looks to me like they've created a great way to demonstrate the engineers' designs to executives in an intuitive presentation. Though not the same as designing in 3D with your hands in the air, it's an important problem to solve. Too often there's a gulf of understanding and expectation between executives and engineers.