Why Sublime Text 2

About six months ago I made the switch to the text editor Sublime Text 2 for programming, writing, and finite element model editing. I was tired of switching between TextMate on the Mac and Notepad++ on Windows, so I began looking for a cross-platform tool and Sublime Text 2 won.

I want to document the reasons for my decision in case anyone is in a similar situation as me. This will not be an exhaustive argument—just the (roughly) chronological highlights through which I became a happy Sublime user. Here we go:

  • My profession (structural engineering) is primarily a Windows shop. As far as I know, there are no commercial structural FEA codes that will run on OSX. Dr Drang may counter—he rolls his own FEA code.
  • Thus, as much as I love the Mac, ultimately my (foreseeable) professional trajectory is aimed at Windows.
  • TextMate will never be available for Windows.
  • I hated the transaction cost moving between text editing on the Mac and editing a finite element input file in Notepad++ on Windows. The context switch (different keybindings, the location of window buttons, etc.) was becoming more frustrating by the day.
  • I started looking for a cross-platform text editor for programming, writing, and FEA model editing. Sublime Text won because…
  • It’s the most Mac/Textmate-like tool available on Windows. It has the TM vibe.
  • I needed to get up to speed almost immediately, which ruled out vim or emacs (neither of which I have any experience with, neither of which I had time to learn while finishing my PhD).
  • I like that user customizations live in a text file. I was live with my favorites Solarized (light) and Anonymous Pro within minutes.
  • There seems to be huge momentum in the Sublime community from Textmate defectors. Sublime was at the right place at the right time while everyone grew tired waiting for TM2.
  • There are troves of Textmate bundles that can be easily ported to Sublime packages.
  • Sublime is, in its own right, a very serious text editor with powerful text manipulation tools.
  • The minimap is such a great tool when editing a 40,000-line finite element input file.
  • The LaTeX packages provide everything I need on that front.
  • I like how it handles reloading log files during my simulations.
  • It is very actively developed.
  • It’s expensive enough to give me some level of confidence in its business model and viability.

So, there it is in a nutshell. I know there are some decent alternatives, but after kicking the tires for a few months, I am sold. If you are on Windows and still pushing forward with Notepad++, Textpad, or Notepad (most engineers I know, sadly), give Sublime Text 2 a look and see if it doesn’t give you some powerful new tools to get your work done.

Review of the SpaceMouse Pro 3D Mouse

I’m happy today to share my review of the 3D Connexion SpaceMouse Pro 3D mouse (disclosure below). I have a number of insights into how a professional finite element analyst or solid modeler can leverage this tool to increase productivity and perhaps have some fun while at it.

So what is a 3D mouse? This device is marketed as the designer’s go-to peripheral for manipulating 3D computer models, whether you are in engineering, architecture, product design, or animation. The core of this device is a 6 DOF (degree of freedom) sensor. It doesn’t replace your existing mouse—it complements it. They claim it’s like holding the 3D model in your hand.

Instead of writing a conventional review and redundant list of its technical specs, I decided to make a short video1 demonstrating its basic capabilities in a few different types of software: Google Earth and 3D Connexion’s demo CAE modeling environment2.

Summary: It’s awesome. While it does take a bit of getting used to, it’s a very compelling paradigm for interacting with 3D environments—so effective, in fact, that I think it’d be tough to give up after adoption into your workflow. Modern FEA codes already tend to have fairly sophisticated and user-friendly model manipulation tools via standard OpenGL hooks, but the 6 DOF sensor takes it way past the status quo (interacting with 3D systems via a 2D mouse-on-plane interface). At $300, it isn’t cheap, but when you consider the number of hours a professional FEM analyst spends manipulating 3D models, I think the investment is justified. I will have one of these on my desk from now on.

As of the time of this writing, the SpaceMouse Pro is compatible with a number of commercial products in the FEA, CAD, and structural engineering space. The full list of supported software includes household names such as Abaqus, ANSYS, the full Autodesk line (AutoCad/Revit/etc), the Bentley line, and the list goes on. 3D Connexion provides an API to hook their 3D mice into existing platforms, so I expect to see the list of supported platforms grow as the word gets out.

Get the SpaceMouse Pro from 3D Connexion or Amazon.

Disclosure: I received a review unit from 3D Connexion but was not required to write a positive review.

  1. Go easy on me, this is my first time attempting video on this site. Please forgive the awkward transitions and ah’s. 

  2. I had intended to give an Abaqus demo with it, but my CAE install is currently corrupted and inoperable. 

Chesterton on Architecture

G.K. Chesterton on architecture:

Architecture is the most practical and dangerous of the arts. All the other arts we have to live with…but architecture is not a thing that we only have to live with–it is a thing we have to live in. We live with it as Jonah lived with a whale. Jonah could not see the monster and there is a great deal to be said for living in the most hideous house you can see in the landscape. That is the one place you will be unable to see it.

Breaking: Interview with engineer on mainstream tech site

I agree with John Cook that “my setup” articles have become somewhat tired. Of all the sites like this I used to follow, The Setup is the only one that remains on my list, despite being quite predictable. (Let me guess: Another indie developer/writer/blogger who uses a MacBook Air and—wait for it—Notational Velocity?)

All that to say, I was delighted last week when they ran an interview with Kellan O’Connor, an aerospace engineer from SpaceX. Seeing the words “FEA”, “stress analysis”, “ANSYS”, and “meshing” on a widely-read site made my day, and I made a significant discovery: the existence of specialized mice for three-dimensional model (CAD/FEA/animation) manipulation. Shut. Up.

I now have a SpaceMouse Pro on the way, and a review is forthcoming.

Asking the reader to do the writer's job

A stirring quote from one of my favorite writers:

Don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was “terrible,” describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was “delightful”; make us say “delightful” when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers, “Please will you do my job for me.” –C.S. Lewis

by way of Letters of Note