Paul Krush

This has all been talked about before. I am just framing the concepts differently.

As first glance most people would say this is oil and water, but I don’t see it that way. Steps can be taken to bring model sharing closer to software and software closer to sharing. With the release of uber-builders and scripting in Matrix Version 6 I think Gemvision is taking a small step in this direction.

It makes for an interesting exercise if you ask these two questions:
1.) How can Internet Model Sharing be more like Jewelry Design Software?
2.) How can Internet Jewelry Design Software be more like Jewelry Design Software?

These can be small steps toward each other, but end I see a product that is a combination of both these services. Yes, I’m calling jewelry design software a service.

Steps to bring jewelry design software closer to model sharing:
1.) Making the final model more parametric. It’s finished, but it has handles all over the place to change it.
2.) Some 3D Art can be standardized, and directly injected into a builder. Such as:
Standard panels for class rings
Standard tops for signet rings, pendants, etc.
Collar sections of rings.
Really any element can be standardized, and then offered as an option.
2.5) You can build a model and the builder can cycle through the standard art available.
3.) Offering the design software in an Internet browser. Yes this is a jump, but standards and tech to make it happen are forming right now.
4.) Put a live human into the jewelry design software and offer this service live. No Joke. Yes, even I am dreading the day jewelry design software has an Indian accent. Cool, but scary! It’s called Artificial Artificial Intelligence.
5.) Offer community and collaboration tools directly inside of the software. A share my screen/model button. This would be a lot easier if the software was web based.

We do some of these steps already manually, but sometimes it can be done with a person that does not know CAD. Like a store employee or even a customer standing at a kiosk.

Step to bring model sharing closer to jewelry design software:
1.) Offering models that have parametrics already built into them. An example would be a model with the Matrix WIP 6 handles already in the model.
2.) Offer models that have the parametrics automated. Like you can play with the controls before you downloaded the model?
3.) Offer models that the standard 3D art can be changed on the fly, and seen in real time with the sharing interface.
4.) Offer manual changes to the models being shared. (We will resize this ring model for $xx.xx)

Reasons why you would want to marry the two concepts:
1.) Profits. This creates a new product category for the wholesale or retail customer. They can claim that they designed their jewelry.
2.) CAD designers can start with a model that is closer to the final design.
3.) This brings more people to the table. Most jewelry sales people do not work with CAD.
4.) It’s the Burger King business model. Have it your way. This gives the customer far more control over the model.
5.) These concepts create more ways to get the designer’s creative juices flowing.

This is all about building intelligence into the design of the model. The model has to be simple to allow this, but it can be done in many different ways.

I use Gemvision terminology here, but these concepts are already in use in other industries.

By the way artificial artificial intelligence is a really cool concept. I have not thought much about it for jewelry design. It’s all about humans interacting in complex ways with each other with complex software.

The convergence is coming!

What do you think?

I discovered a genre of web sites and books about small software venders. The tech boom of the late 90s was all about this knock it out of the park thinking. These guys are talking about practicality and sustainability. I have started with the book Eric Sink on the Business of Software. It’s a collection of blog posts. They guy seems like he knows me, and all my weaknesses! Great work Eric!

I think I found another key to making consumer jewelry design software happen. The key is there needs to be competition. Or should I say if there was competition the market for consumer jewelry design software would be safer to enter. As a typical developer I want to go to a cave and appear a year latter with a full blown working system. I want to hit the ball out of the park, create something that has never been done, and blow everyone away. I want real time 3D tools in the browser, but 2D and 2 1/2D consumer jewelry design are not out yet. There is no consumer windows application. Silly me. It’s hard to be humble, but I’m beginning to think this project is better done in baby steps.

Boot strapping and baby steps….. I thought I was doing this with the crowdsourcing service bureau project, but then it took on a complex life of it’s own. Maybe I need to do a very simple working example system. Like a 2D band designer in Flash(in the browser), and provide links to 3D files(created on the server side). However simple and small this would start a flow of people using the software. With my experience from this project I could then refine my ideas about this world of consumer jewelry design.

Backing up… If you look on RingHunt.com I have done some very complex stuff. I entered a cave and I came out with what I thought were some very cool tools. My plan was that they would be so cool, that people would discover them, and motivate me to build better versions. I got some response, but I got scared with no money flowing in. Next time I need to think things through more, and have experience people review my plans. Which is one reason why I am blogging.

This was only a matter of time. I am not going to let these assets depreciate. I still have Rhino and I can always use a service bureau if I want to make jewelry. I don’t know where I am heading with jewelry design software. I would like to write something, but it’s a hobby at this point. You can look at my views and think I’m a flake or a visionary. The farther you go out on that limb the more of flake you become. At some point your not writing business plans, but sci-fi stories.

I’m speculating here, but I really think Flash is where real time 3D will really catch on.

Adobe is chasing the dream of the virtual machine that Java tried to do 10 years ago. I hope they make it. What is a virtual machine? It’s a sandbox for software. The trouble with software is you give it all the rights to your computer. You give the keys away when you install a program. How can a real time 3D advertisement run inside a browser? (A 3D mass customization configuration tool) A virtual machine is the answer. The trouble is this interferes with Microsoft’s monopoly. They crushed Java 10 years ago when they tried to do this.

Why do I care about this? I want to build tools that you can design jewelry in 3D in the browser. The tools would be advertisements like the rich Flash content you see today. A person can configure a piece of jewelry very intuitively using such a tool. This has to be very easy for them to start using. Today you have to install software to get the 3D to work. This is far too much of a block for people to use these tools. They have to be able to start using such this software instantly.

In the past I have talked about how Flash is becoming much more powerful. It’s clear that very soon people will be able to build 3D tools using Flash. Microsoft is trying to release their own tool call Silverlight to compete with Flash. It’s going to take years for this to get going. Silverlight will let you use a lot of different computer languages to program in, but Flash is proprietary.

Right now the 3D rendering is in software which slows it down greatly. I found a blog post with an interesting take on this if they put hardware rendering into Flash or Silverlight.

I have been watching 3D in the browser try to develop for years, really since 1996 when 3D Java applets became somewhat popular. It really needs to be in the browser. The server can do a lot of the 3D work, but it would expensive, and the client machines have the power. You can see on RingHunt.com I played with a few methods to do this. I have yet to try doing the 3D work on the server side. I’m not convinced it’s a good enough idea to pony up the resources.

There are other places that this could start first, but I think not likely. Online 3D worlds like SecondLife.com, There.com, World of War Craft, and maybe even a worlds based on the gaming consoles. Heck there is a possibly of some mobile smart phone or Internet table 3D standard could cause this to happen. Yep, 3D jewelry design software on a mobile tablet. These $200-$400 Internet tablets may not have the power now, but I would say in a few generations they are going to cheaper, far more powerful, and standard setting.