Typically, the term portfolio is associated with artistic professions, whether digital or analog. However, it is becoming increasingly important for engineers to build their own portfolio to assist them in their job search.

Having a professionally done portfolio can help you gain the edge in this incredibly competitive field and let your future employers know just how talented you are. It’s one thing to read about your achievements on paper, it’s quite another to see it in visual form. So far, creating a portfolio seems to be one of the best kept secrets in the engineering field, but the tide is turning. If you want to land that dream job and stay in the top of your field, there has never been a better time to put together your own portfolio.

Since it’s difficult to create a physical portfolio of your accomplishments, doing it online is the best solution for an engineer. You can create your own website that showcases your abilities and what you have accomplished and then share the URL during the application process. For interviews, consider bringing a tablet with your portfolio loaded right on it so you can instantly share it with your interviewers.

It is also useful to create a brief narrative to describe each page of your portfolio. You don’t need to go into too much detail, but include your part in the creative process, how you solved difficult issues and what it took to get from point A to point Z in the project. This will illustrate your problem solving and creative abilities.

Focus on a few of your most stellar designs or ideas to avoid overloading your interviewer. This will give them an idea of your fitness as a candidate and will show them that while you aren’t afraid to talk about your successes, you’re not going for overkill either.

Make sure to edit your portfolio just as you would your resume. It needs to be pitch perfect and stunning to catch an interviewer’s eye.

Cloud computing has revolutionized numerous sectors and it’s only natural that it would soon impact the engineering world. Autodesk PLM 360 is the newest release from Autodesk and its poised to take center stage.

Unlike traditional CAD software which is platform specific, Autodesk PLM 360 runs cross-platform, and that’s not all it can do. This newest release functions as a multi-tenant program, allowing numerous installations across several workstations. These installations will auto-update, removing the risks of using out-of-date software and missing important patches.

According to the company, Autodesk PLM 360 will ship with nearly 140 applications, each designed to facilitate product creation from its initial phases right down to replication and model creation. With this new application, companies will have access to numerous tools that will not only make the design process easier and more effective, but it will also make product creation more accurate and much simpler.

“Our savior was the cloud — it became real, apparent, and workable, and it led to the idea that we can now build something from the ground up that’s dramatically different from the rest of the market, which is what we needed to have,” said Buzz Kross, Autodesk’s senior vice president of design, lifecycle, and simulation.

Now that Autodesk has released this new version, the race will be on to develop more cloud based auto CAD applications to compete. However, few have the market share that Autodesk has captured, or the ability to create custom applications that truly serve the engineering world.

While a cloud based CAD program has long been anticipated, Autodesk has shown that they not only still have command of the market but that they truly care about what’s important to developers and engineers.

Not so long ago, replicators were a fixture of science fiction, a dream and nothing more. As 3D printing technology advances however, we are nearing an age where replicating many things is entirely possible. In fact, this technology is advancing to the point where the average Joe has access to a 3D printer and can easily manufacture spare parts, or little tools.

3D printing has gone well beyond its early stages in the 1980’s when printers were incredibly expensive, the materials quite limited, and access restricted only to the most advanced companies. Now, we are facing a situation where 3D printing has moved beyond the fanciful into the commonplace, and the implications could be staggering.

Imagine a world where just about anybody could create what they needed, on the spot, so long as they had the proper materials and their own 3D printer. What would this do to manufacturing companies? Although this may still be a ways off into the future, if we do not begin preparing for this eventuality soon, we may get left behind.

Replicating simple items such as hand tools, small car parts and common items is already quite possible. Although access to the materials needed for these items is still somewhat limited, this is changing quickly. As the prices for 3D printers drop below $1000, more people will begin realizing the benefits of being able to create just what they need, when they need it.

How can companies prepare themselves for this eventuality? As always, rather than fear new technology, it is best to embrace it and find a way to make it work for you. Patents may become more important than ever for many items, and it may become necessary to facilitate replication rather than stand against it and let your competitors take over.

While we’re still quite a few years away from mass production of replicated items, the time to learn how to deal with this eventuality is right now.

Typically, 3D prototyping is limited to certain materials, and you may not be able to create an exact model due to these limitations. Another common issue facing manufacturing and prototyping companies is the inability to find software that works with the materials they want to use in the model or concept phase.

3D Prototyping, an Australian company, recently announced an exciting new change in this field that will allow companies to create more accurate prototypes, across a variety of different materials. One such material that this company’s applications will work on is ABS, which is prized for its ability to create a model that can chromed, painted or even vacuum metalized.

In addition to ABS, 3D Prototyping also offers printers that will work with varieties of Nylon, including Nylon 66 and Glass Filled Nylon. This means that you can create fully functional, flexible and highly detailed models that are exact replicas, without having to compromise.

Companies  now have the ability to create a rapid prototype, on a material that offers a variety of options for producing a finished model. The new printers from 3D Prototyping also offer the ability to create models with a variety of different features such as raised text, 3D color, mapping and annotations and detailed labels and maps.

In addition to their comprehensive line of printers, 3D Prototyping has also developed specialized 3D scanners that allow you to quickly and easily convert an existing CAD design into model form. You can also utilize these scanners to help you spot potential trouble spots, edit them on the fly, and then continue with the production of your model.

Thanks to 3D Prototyping’s advances, companies now have a choice when it comes to making high quality, realistic models that can be used immediately, without compromising on detail, design or functionality.