By STEVEN HALL
Whether you'd like to remodel your house, repave your driveway, or reinvent the wheel, a new Provo business can 'virtually' make your dream a reality without spending a cent on materials.
Using state-of-the-art computer animation, Bid Design in Provo can add new rooms to your house, bricks to your driveway, bring form to an invention or improve an existing one--all on the computer.
The company's design and production capabilities include anything from two and three-dimensional images to scaled models and fully functional prototypes.
'If someone has an idea for an invention or to better an existing one, I can help them,' owner Lee Baroldy said. 'I use Alius/Wavefront software and Silicon Graphics--the same computer programs the movie and automobile industry use to develop their own products.I can show people what their ideas will look like before they pay a dime to make it,' Baroldy said. 'It saves people a lot of money.'
While a graduate student in Industrial Design at BYU, Baroldy's experience in product design received national recognition. As part of a BYU design team, he helped design and produce a full-scale, automatic gas station, which currently has a patent pending and has attracted interest from global oil companies.
As part of the company's grand opening, Baroldy has offered his expertise free to the first three businesses that solicit his services -- and he's already had some takers.
Laser Force, a laser tag business in Provo, has agreed to allow Baroldy to design a new phaser for their hi-tech game. 'Our game software is developed by the (Austrailians),' co-owner, Brian Reeves said. It's top of the line -- there's no better, but the weakest link has always been the gun. We need something that's easy to get into, heavy duty, and looks really cool.'
Reeves is confident that if a suitable phaser is created, Bid Design and its owner will receive international recognition.
'If this thing goes through,' Reeves said, 'He'll (Baroldy) be selling the design all over the world. We want to have something to show at the International Amusement Show in November.'
While designing the new phaser may seem like a big task for a one-man crew, Baroldy is confident it can be done.
'Commercial Arts students at Timpview High School will also help to design the phaser.' he said. 'We'll come up with five or six designs, post them up at Laser Force, and let the customers decide which one they like best.'
Laser Force is happy about the cooperative effort.
'It involves the student and the customer,' Reeves said. If they tell us what they like, we'll provide it for them.'
While he agrees that bringing new products to life is enjoyable, Baroldy said that's not his main reason for being in business.
'I received some good offers from other companies before I started Bid Design,' he said, 'but I felt I should stay in Provo and help some other people make their dreams come true.'
For more information on Bid Design or to see samples of Baroldy's work, look on the Internet at http://www.biddesign.com