2.744 Other resources

2.744

Other Resources
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Computer Software

Web authoring:
Web development/authoring environments can be split into two categories:

HTML (hypertext markup language) editors
WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) environments

If you already have a preferred application please use it!

WYSIWYG recommendation
Dreamweaver (Adobe)
Dreamweaver is available from MIT Gov connection for $125.

Photoshop, Illustrator, and Dreamweaver can also be obtained with a free trial license (one month only, so if you go this route you will want to wait until April before trying Photoshop and Illustrator). If you try Dreamweaver for month, followed by the Web Premium suite, and then the Design Premium suite you can extend to 3 months. The suites contain Illustrator and Photoshop. One can also do a free trial and then buy a commercial, monthly Dreamweaver subscription license for $30 per month.

You can also save html from Word or there are many shareware/freeware web authoring tools if you do a google search, or other ~80 packages that include free trial licenses.

Examples include:
for Mac: RapidWeaver ($79, has free trial)
for PC: WYSIWYG Web Builder ($49, has free trial)
for Mac, PC & Linux: Amaya (free)

Further the new media center has (ironically, older) versions of the Adobe Software suites.

WYSIWYG Environments
Pros

lets people who do not know HTML get started
similar to using a word processing program

Cons

best time-saving features only available in programs that cost money, sometimes lots of money
free options are available, but only offer basic functionality (good enough to put together individual web pages, but not as good for doing web sites)

HTML Editors

Examples for Mac, PC & Linux include:
Aptana Studio (free)
Komodo Edit (free)
WebStorm ($69, has free trial)
Coda ($99, mac only)

HTML Editors
Pros

gives full control over page creation

Cons

need to know HTML to get started
everything coded by hand
need to preview in web browser to see what page is like

Solid Modeling:
SolidWorks 2011-12, go to the MechE download page (certificates required). Note: at present, the department download page is a bit confusing. It will look like only 2010-11 is available, but the set path instructions will be to 2011-12.)

Online Tutorials
2.744 website building tutorials and how to upload files.

Implementing web-based surveys (forms) hosted in your Athena directory

Viewing secure AVI files using IE and Windows Media Player

Visual memory exercises

Kinematics design library

Sketching in 3D
1 point perspective, simple interactive examples
2 point perspective
Perspective construction

Sketching and rendering tutorial videos (2.744 and 2.009 resource)

Some Solidworks Exercises
Piston (pdf ppt)
Housing (pdf ppt)
Bearing block (pdf ppt)
Assembly (pdf ppt)

Picture libraries
Posed mannequin pictures for storyboards

Facilities
New media center: MIT facility where you can edit movies and prepare multimedia presentations

Design networking
Product design forum
Design jobs and designer registry

Vendors