1. 3D Modelling with Tinkercad
What you will learn…
How to create custom 3D models
How to make a personalized key chain
Skills and tools to design anything you want!

2. Tinkercad @ tinkercad.com
Tinkercad is a free web-based 3D modelling and printing application that can help anyone get started designing and printing 3D objects.
Anything you create with Tinkercad is stored in your account and will be available whenever you log into your account.
Go to and click on the button to create a free account
ADING
Please note: As with any software application, updates and improvements are continually being applied. Some steps in this tutorial may be different from the most current version of Tinkercad.

3. TINKERCAD DASHBOARD
Tinkercad designs are automatically saved to your account as you work. You can return to your designs and tinker with them anytime from any internet enabled computer.
To start creating an object, click on the button in the My recent designs section

4. TINKERCAD INTERFACE

5. NAVIGATING THE MOUSE
You can use the tools to the left of the workplane or the mouse to manipulate the workplane. Use the mouse to:
Zoom in and out with the mouse scroll wheel
Rotate the workplane by right clicking and dragging
Change the view by clicking on a side of the View Cube
Return to the default viewing perspective by clicking the home icon

6. THE SHAPES MENU
The shapes menu is on the right side of the interface. You will use these shapes to design your object.
Practice moving these shapes by clicking and dragging some of the shapes to the Workplane.
Click and drag the Box shape to the Workplane.

7. MODIFYING 3D SHAPES Notice the small white boxes around the shape.
Stretch or reduce the shape by clicking and dragging the small white boxes at the corners.
Change the height of the shape by clicking and dragging on the small white square on the top of the shape.
The numbers you see are the dimensions in millimeters.

8. KEYCHAIN PROJECT! Let’s make your first project! You will learn to:
Combine shapes to create a complex project
Align objects
Merge objects to create new shapes that are not in the shapes menu

9. SELECTING SHAPES Click on the Basic Shapes drop down menu
Select Text And Numbers to see a selection of objects relating to text

10. SELECTING SHAPES Drag the letters for your name to the Workplane
Don’t worry that the letters are not lined up. You will learn how to align them in a later step!

11. ADJUSTING SIZE Let’s modify the letters to make them stand out!
Increase the size of the first letter by dragging one of the corner white squares outward.

12. ADJUSTING HEIGHT
Adjust the height of each letter so they are slightly different from their neighbours by dragging the white square in the middle of the object.

13. KEYCHAIN PROJECT - ALMOST DONE!
Your project should look similar to the image below.
There is not right or wrong – you are learning the tools needed to modify your shapes.

14. ALIGNING SHAPES You are now going to align the text!
Click and drag around all of your letters to select all of them at the same time
Next, click the Align icon on the menu bar near the top right

15. ALIGNING SHAPES
The Align button brings up a series of guides (black lines with circles at the ends)
There are three guide lines for each dimension. Click the circle on the end of the guide line to align the objects along that guide line.
To align your letters, click on the circle for the lowest guide line on the left of the object
If your letters end up getting stacked on each other, click the undo button to start again

16. CONNECTING SHAPES
All of the letters need to be touching in order for the keychain to print as a single unit.
To attach the letters to each other, select the letters and move them in small increments with the keyboard arrow keys. This moves them 1 mm at a time.
Move each letter so that they overlap with their neighbor at least 1 mm (= one grid line on the workplane).

17. MAKING A LOOP Now we need to add a loop for the key ring!
Click and drag a cylinder from the Basic Shapes menu to the workplane. Using what you have learned, resize the cylinder until it is 10 mm by 10 mm.
Drag another cylinder to the workplane and resize it to 5 mm by 5 mm.

18. MAKING A LOOP Now we need to subtract one object from another!
Select the small cylinder and click the Hole button in the upper right corner. The cylinder will appear transparent.

19. MAKING A LOOP
Next we need to align the hole cylinder in the solid cylinder!
Select both cylinders and click the Align button.
Click the middle circles on both the left and bottom guidelines.
The two cylinders should now be perfectly aligned!

20. ADJUSTING THE LOOP
To subtract the small cylinder from the big cylinder, select both of the cylinders and click the Group button from the upper right menu
Adjust the height of the cylinder to the same height as your first letter

21. GROUPING
To attach the key ring, drag the cylinder until it is overlapping with the first letter of the name.
Select the entire object and click the Group button. If all objects have merged into one, your project should turn a uniform colour

22. PRINTING YOUR PROJECT!
When you are happy with your project, click the Export button.
Select the .STL file to download.
The file should open in Cura slicing software and is ready to print on the Ultimaker 3 printer.
Be sure to ask a staff member to help you with any of the steps in your project!

23. OTHER RESOURCES