WoodMarvels.com 2010: Growth, Tradeshows & Partnerships!
WoodMarvels.com 2010: The year that was amazing!
I really believe that it’s important to set a number of goals for a company as well as your personal life in order to not only track progress but to set new milestones for new levels of achievement. I’ve luckily blogged about WoodMarvels.com from the very beginning and thanks to this good habit, I can easily track how things have evolved over time.
Looking back at where WoodMarvels.com was at the end of 2009, I set a number of goals to try to achieve in 2010.
- Rendering everything in true 3DHD @ 2560 x 1440
Great idea but moving to 3D would automatically double my rendering times, going to a higher resolution such as 4K would exponentially increase them as well… I have improved the rendering quality dramatically using new rendering engines but I don’t see this happening until I get some serious processor upgrades from Intel – probably sometime around 2012 when crazy-multi-core processors get released, I hope, 10-20x faster than I have now. - Hitting 1 000 000 Video View
I’m ALMOST there, I should hit this goal in the second quarter of 2011. - Releasing WoodMarvels.com Volume III
Again, ALMOST there, I have 174 pages out of 200 now complete. I could have released it to meet this goal but I prefer to release a solid piece of work instead of semi-good. This will happen in the second quarter of 2011. I’m about 80% sure that I’ll only sell it on my site digitally as well, digital sales far surpass printed versions. - Producing an animated short
My goals for this have actually grown tremendously, I want to make a full 3D movie based off my novel 2847: Solar Horizons. Holdup? Rendering times. I’d like to get to this maybe sometime in the next 3-5 years but in the meantime, I’m training myself with vastly improved “3D Stories” at the end of my animations. - Partnerships
This I achieved in strides, I’m working closely with ShopBot Tools, Trotec Laser Cutters, Hines Design Labs as well as several other amazing companies. - Design tester program
I’ve changed my mind on this front, and if something needs testing, I have established the relationships to do so. - Selling 4mm & 10mm Kits
My goal is actually bigger than this, I want to get into retail!
As you can see, goals were set, some were met while others are still a work in progress… but I’m further ahead BECAUSE I made them. Here are some notable achievements from 2010.
- Released my models in DXF format for CNC routers, not just EPS and PDF as I did in 2009
- Released my animations on a few new video sites, notably Youku.com and tudoo.com to begin making inroads in the Chinese marketplace
- Added a final screenshot to my animations, showcasing the model surrounded by reflective gold (that one render takes about 8 hours to product on average!)
- Established a partnership with Trotec (Australia), Hines Design Labs (USA) and ShopBot Tools (USA) in addition to reselling 3D CNC files on my site by various other companies.
- Vastly improved files, animations, web design and general flow of WoodMarvels.com in general
- Had my designs showcased at major events such as two Maker Faires – Detroit and NY (Thanks ShopBot!) and 2010 Visual Impact and Design Expo – Sydney (Thanks Trotec Lasers!)
- Finally released a number of laser cutting videos thanks to Hines Design Labs of a few of my products
- Released a total of 20 new designs, excluding a number of design updates to older models
- Had a heck of a lot of fun (the most important!)
Goals for WoodMarvels.com in 2011
- Release at least a few models in 3DHD @ the current resolution of 720p
- Release WoodMarvels.com Volume III
- Last year, I was at 3 major conventions, this year, I want to double that to 6
- Hit 1 000 000 video views
- Get my products into retail stores around the world
- Release 20 new amazing models
- Get a commission to have a very special model shown in a gallery or private exhibition – I’d love to design a really HUGE model!
- Expand the number of cutting hubs that I have access to dramatically so I can basically get anything cut at comparable prices in the country of a customer’s order.
- Last year was about updates, the year before that, releasing products so this year will be all about sales and marketing.
December 2010 Review
During the month of December, I only released the WoodMarvels.com wooden Flying Car and released a video showing the cutting of the Army Transport Truck but behind the scenes, a really cool model which I’ll make public in about a month was designed and currently, being cut. This secret model for a Toy Fair in Germany is among the most complex models I’ve ever designed. Those two videos are found below.
Special Thanks!
I especially want to thank all the customers, partners and designers who have helped me tremendously by supporting my work here at WoodMarvels.com. All of you have been wonderful and I look forward to making even better and more amazing things in 2011!