8331 Madison Blvd, Suite 200B
Madison, AL 35758
256-705-GEAR (4327)
Introduction to 3D Design
Introduction
•TinkerCAD is now owned by AutoCAD
•TinkerCAD works by building up combinations
of 3d shapes
•Web based program
•Free to use, pay plans for extended use
Around the Interface
•TinkerCAD has a very simple, clean interface
Edit Controls
View Controls
Workspace
Object
Templates
Moving Pieces Around
• Black buttons in the middle
of white corners scale in x
or y directions
• White buttons on the
corners scale in x and y
direction
• Top, bottom white buttons
scales in z direction
• Arrow moves piece in zdirection
• Arrow arcs rotate in x, y or
z
• Shift while scaling scales
entire piece
View Controls
•Home button resets view
•Arrows pan view around
•Square centers, zooms on selection
•Plus/minus zooms view
•Can zoom with mouse wheel
•Rotate view with right click-drag
•Pan with middle click-drag
•Simulate middle click with shift rightclick
Holes and Grouping
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In TinkerCAD grouping merges parts
Holes allow for modification of parts when grouped
Inspector window selects holes
Locking pieces is very useful when
part is not to be modified
• Grouping sometimes takes a while
Using the Workplane
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Workplane really helps staying oriented in 3d
Change workplane frequently to help stay focused
Workplane will lay against any surface
Drag to empty spot resets workplane
Tips and Tricks
•Ruler can be located anywhere on workspace
•Units and steps help define needed resolution
•Align tool can set top, middle, bottom relative to another
piece
•Mirror flips piece in either x, y or z direction
Tips and Tricks
•Cutting Complex Shapes
•Sometimes you want to cut out a
complicated piece as a hole to
another piece
•Go to the side, build the hole piece as a
solid, group and then turn into a hole
•Add hole to main piece
Tips and Tricks
•Duplicate (Ctrl-D)
•Will create the last object with every
move, rotate and resize duplicated
•Have to move with mouse, not keyboard
•Very powerful when you want a number
of similar objects
Tips and Tricks
•Importing from SVG files
•Will extrude to the height you specify
•Has some difficulty with text, complex
shapes
Designing for the 3D Printer
•Consider how you will print (bottom up)
•Need strong base, especially for tall parts
•Draw supports for any significant parts that are
unsupported (ex: arms on a humanoid figure)
•Resolution limitation for 3d printer is 0.15 mm
Designing for the Modela/CNC
•Watch for sharp corners
•Bit has to be smaller than space to be carved
•Can reorient cut on CAM software, but better to
start top down
•Modela – Put higher sections at back (positive y)
•Machines can pass in x or y direction, consider
which you wish to use
Downloading for 3D printer/Modela
• Before running the machines a file that can be drive
the machines must be downloaded
• When you select a model as if you were to tinker it
there will be an option to download for 3D printing
and you will want to choose the .stl or .svg format
Using the 3D Printer
• Launch the Afinia program
– Open .stl file
– Position piece on bed
– Rotate piece so that majority of piece is closest to
the bed, makes piece most stable, requires least
support
– Consider designing in your own support for difficult
prints
– Can scale up or down on bed
– Can print more than one piece at a time
– Do not attempt to touch print heads while printing
or heating up!
Using the 3D Printer
• Description
– Load an .stl file for 3d cutting
• An .svg can be converted in inkscape to .dxf or .eps that
allow profile cuts
– With Spindle unit is able to do detailed carvings
using a variety of different tools
• Also used to carve out circuit boards
– With Sensor unit can scan existing object and
create 3d file
• Materials
– Various woods, plaster, wax/resin, Aluminum,
Brass
Building Something Fun
• lets start with the legs
– Trick build one leg and duplicate it
– Rotate cylinder to and size it to the right same with as the
width of leg to leg
Building Something Fun
• Now lets build a body
• Take a box and we will remove some edges
Building Something Fun
• Our lego person needs some arms and hands now
now
• Same with our legs we will make one and duplicate it
but now with this one we will mirror the duplicate
Building Something Fun
• Now we need to make a head
• All it will take is a few cylinders
Building Something Fun
• Lets put it all together
Becoming a Faboligist
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