Editor-in-Chief of Machine Design, Lee Teschler, reviews "The Art of Product Design: Changing how things get made" by GrabCAD CEO Hardi Meybaum.
Originally posted on MachineDesign.com:
An interesting book crossed my desk recently. Called "The Art of Product Design," by Hardi Meybaum, its title is perhaps a bit misleading. The phrase "art of design," for most engineers, might bring to mind discussions of blended curves and managing the product development process. But that's not at all what you'll find in Meybaum's book.
Meybaum runs the open-source CAD community site called GrabCAD.com where people share CAD drawings and whole projects. His short and quite readable book talks about the state of cloud computing and open-source CAD and how these trends are completely changing the product development process. Though he is originally from Estonia, Meybaum writes in a breezy style that is easy to read and peppered with insights about mechanical design.
If you would like to get up to speed on cloud computing and CAD, Meybaum's book is an entertaining way of doing so. He also offers a number of charming anecdotes.
In the 226-page book, Meybaum goes on to discuss manufacturing, design contests, and marketing in the dawning age of cloud-based open-source design. All in all, his book is worth the time spent reading it.
