3DVia on the iPad

As a recent new owner of an iPad, I have been discovering so many new apps that are useful in my daily life at work.  I am a former iPhone owner, so I am no stranger to iOS, or the App store.

I had no idea that the larger form factor of the iPhone would make such a huge difference in the "app experience"

I have been looking for a way to put Sketchup models on the iPad in 3D, so I can present them to clients without having to drag out the laptop.

There is a company called 3Dvia.  They have a 3D iPad browser that can do just that.  They also have an online 3D repository that their 200,000 members can upload 3D models from a variety of 3D design softwares.

All of these models can be browsed with just a few touches right on your iPhone or iPad, check out the video below:

So now I can take all of my 3D models with me on my iPad!  I use this to show clients current projects, and as a portfolio for my previous work.  Head on over to 3Dvia and check out their mobile apps, pretty cool stuff!

They say a picture is worth a 1000 words, how much is a 3D model worth?

Happy trees with Sketchbook Pro for iPad

So I remember as a kid sometime after Sesame Street, Bob Ross would come on and show the world how to create "Happy little trees" using just a canvas, paint, and some soft spoken words.

As a recent new owner of an iPad, a device hailed by Steve Jobs as "Magical and Revolutionary" I have been rather obsessed with drawing apps for it.  There are many out there.  AutoDesk's Sketchbook Pro really stood out for me because it seems powerful enough for a real artist to use.  I say "seems" because I am about as much as real artist today I was at the age I was watching Bob Ross on TV.

I think this app has great potential for interior designers and artists who want to add that artistic touch to their drawings.  SketchBook Pro has the ability to allow the user to draw over existing photographs.  I could see a designer to use this to color in an elevation or perspective drawing...

So what do you think?  Is this app Bob Ross approved?