How to Create a 3D Design in Tinkercad
Create a Name Topper for your pencil or slide your charging cord through it to personalize.
Wendie Turner
47 steps
3 minutes
Tinkercad
1
Navigate to https://www.tinkercad.com/dashboard
2
Click "Create"
3
Click "3D Design"
4
Tinkercad gives the file a weird name, so you will need to rename it. Click on the given name and change it. (I had my students use their name - homeroom teacher's name - color they wish for it to be printed.)
5
On the far right side, click on the magnifying glass. This will pull up the search bar for you to type in the word "letters".
6
Click "More Shapes" to see more of the letters.
7
Begin spelling out your first or last name or nickname. Click on the letter and drag it to the workplane.
8
Do this for each letter. Try to line them up but they don't need to be perfect.
9
FYI - For some reason the "E" is invisible but it is there!
10
Once you have all the letters on the workplane, click in the empty space and hold to drag around all the letters.
11
This is where you will align all the letters, so that the bottoms of each letter are in line. With all the letters selected, click on the "Align" button.
12
Click on the bottom circle. You should see the letters all shift down to align.
13
This cube allows you to see different views of your design.
14
For the next part, click on "TOP" view.
15
Zooming in will also help.
16
Now you use the "Arrow Keys" to overlap your letters. Please make sure your letters OVERLAP not just touch.
17
Click on each individual letter and use the "Arrow Keys".
18
When you are done, all the letters should be overlapping. Once again, click and drag around all the letters, selecting them.
19
With the letters all selected, click on the "Align" panel.
20
Make sure that the bottom circle is still greyed out, to insure the letters are still aligned along the bottoms.
21
With all the letters still selected, click on the "Group" panel. This will take all the shapes and group them as one shape.
22
Now that the name is one single shape, it's time to make some changes to the size. Click on the bottom left box.
23
Click "11.25" and change it to 11.8.
24
Next, click the middle square. This is the thickness.
25
Change "4.00" to 20.5.
26
Click "Front" to get a good view of the thickness. Then go to "Home View".
27
Close the "Letters" panel and it will bring you back to the "Basic Shapes".
28
Click on the cylinder. Notice that this shape seems "greyed out". That is because this shape will create a cylinder shaped hole.
29
Drop the cylinder onto the workplane.
30
Click on the bottom left square.
31
Click "20.00" and change it to 9.
32
Click on the other "20.00" and change it to 9 as well.
33
Click on the middle square.
34
Click "20.00" and change it to 80.
35
Click "Front View" and zoom out a little.
36
On top of the cylinder, there is an arched arrow. Rotate it to the right, to -90. Click on the letter "D" to drop the cylinder onto the workplane.
37
Clickon "Top View".
38
Click on the cylinder and drag it over the name. Then click in the blank space and drag around both shapes selecting them. When you do this it should show "Shapes" panel (2).
39
Click on the "Align" panel.
40
Click on the middle circle aligning the cylinder to the middle of the name.
41
Click the center circle here, too.
42
Click "Front" view.
43
Click middle circle, again.
44
Click on the "Group" panel. This will combine both shapes. The name should have a hole that goes all the way through the center.
45
Use the different side views to make sure the hole is centered and going all the way through.
46
With the shape selected, use the "Shape" panel to select one color that you would like your design printed in.
47
You are all done. The hole will be a little big on the pencil, so I use clear hair bands to put on both ends of the design to hold it on.
How to Create a 3D Design in Tinkercad
Create a Name Topper for your pencil or slide your charging cord through it to personalize.
Wendie Turner
47 steps
3 minutes
Tinkercad
1
Navigate to https://www.tinkercad.com/dashboard
2
Click "Create"
3
Click "3D Design"
4
Tinkercad gives the file a weird name, so you will need to rename it. Click on the given name and change it. (I had my students use their name - homeroom teacher's name - color they wish for it to be printed.)
5
On the far right side, click on the magnifying glass. This will pull up the search bar for you to type in the word "letters".
6
Click "More Shapes" to see more of the letters.
7
Begin spelling out your first or last name or nickname. Click on the letter and drag it to the workplane.
8
Do this for each letter. Try to line them up but they don't need to be perfect.
9
FYI - For some reason the "E" is invisible but it is there!
10
Once you have all the letters on the workplane, click in the empty space and hold to drag around all the letters.
11
This is where you will align all the letters, so that the bottoms of each letter are in line. With all the letters selected, click on the "Align" button.
12
Click on the bottom circle. You should see the letters all shift down to align.
13
This cube allows you to see different views of your design.
14
For the next part, click on "TOP" view.
15
Zooming in will also help.
16
Now you use the "Arrow Keys" to overlap your letters. Please make sure your letters OVERLAP not just touch.
17
Click on each individual letter and use the "Arrow Keys".
18
When you are done, all the letters should be overlapping. Once again, click and drag around all the letters, selecting them.
19
With the letters all selected, click on the "Align" panel.
20
Make sure that the bottom circle is still greyed out, to insure the letters are still aligned along the bottoms.
21
With all the letters still selected, click on the "Group" panel. This will take all the shapes and group them as one shape.
22
Now that the name is one single shape, it's time to make some changes to the size. Click on the bottom left box.
23
Click "11.25" and change it to 11.8.
24
Next, click the middle square. This is the thickness.
25
Change "4.00" to 20.5.
26
Click "Front" to get a good view of the thickness. Then go to "Home View".
27
Close the "Letters" panel and it will bring you back to the "Basic Shapes".
28
Click on the cylinder. Notice that this shape seems "greyed out". That is because this shape will create a cylinder shaped hole.
29
Drop the cylinder onto the workplane.
30
Click on the bottom left square.
31
Click "20.00" and change it to 9.
32
Click on the other "20.00" and change it to 9 as well.
33
Click on the middle square.
34
Click "20.00" and change it to 80.
35
Click "Front View" and zoom out a little.
36
On top of the cylinder, there is an arched arrow. Rotate it to the right, to -90. Click on the letter "D" to drop the cylinder onto the workplane.
37
Clickon "Top View".
38
Click on the cylinder and drag it over the name. Then click in the blank space and drag around both shapes selecting them. When you do this it should show "Shapes" panel (2).
39
Click on the "Align" panel.
40
Click on the middle circle aligning the cylinder to the middle of the name.
41
Click the center circle here, too.
42
Click "Front" view.
43
Click middle circle, again.
44
Click on the "Group" panel. This will combine both shapes. The name should have a hole that goes all the way through the center.
45
Use the different side views to make sure the hole is centered and going all the way through.
46
With the shape selected, use the "Shape" panel to select one color that you would like your design printed in.
47
You are all done. The hole will be a little big on the pencil, so I use clear hair bands to put on both ends of the design to hold it on.
