How to Make a 1x2x7 Rubik's Cube in TinkerCAD(Making It Move)

Hello!

I am a home-school student, soon to start 8th grade. My mom/teacher gave me an assignment to design a moving object in the TinkerCAD software, so I could develop skills in 3D modeling. She also assigned me to write an Instructable to help me gain better grammar and writing skills. Link to TinkerCAD files: https://www.tinkercad.com/things/3CmQ1dnY8mr

In this Instructable I will be teaching you how to design a 1x2x7 Rubik's Cube in TinkerCAD.

This is my first Instructable for a TinkerCAD Student Design Contest.

I hope you are possibly coming into this with a little experience with TinkerCAD but if not, I have attempted to add as much beginner insight as possible.

Vote for me if you like this Instructable.

Now let's get started!!!

1. Tinkercad
2. Computer or device with internet access
3. Patience
4. 3D Printer (optional)

To start making a 1x2x7 Rubik's Cube, you are going to take two boxes from the Basic Shapes Menu. Open the boxes drop down menu and set the radius to 1.49mm and size the box down by shift clicking the small squares on the boxes corners, clicking the numbers box type in 19.00mm. From this point we can design the mechanism parts. This is a very simple mechanism and you'll see how they fit together very quickly. Select a cylinder from the Basic Shapes Menu and shift click the sizing square at the and in the number box type in 8.00mm. Now select the cutting cube and align it by eye, about half way through the cylinder. Next shift click the cylinder and the group icon will light up at the top of the page, click it and the cylinder is now cut in half. Select the half cylinder and look for the rotation icon and put in 90 degrees duplicate that shape and shift click the sizing square and type in 10.00mm. Now shift click the smaller cylinder and the align icon will light up. Next the group icon will light up, click it and align the pieces by clicking the middle horizontal black dot and the bottom vertical black dot. Next click the group icon and the shapes will be solid. Look in the top left corner and select duplicate. The second half cylinder shape will be needed for later. Select the original half cylinder shape and drag it over to where it is in contact with the rounded cube,then shift select the cube and click the align icon and click the middle horizontal black dot and the bottom vertical black dot. Next click group and you have your finished corner it should look like the red piece in the graphics.

To start making the edge, duplicate the corner piece and drag it out of the way. Now duplicate the corner again and shift click the sizing square. In the number box type in 19.10mm. Change it from a solid to a hole. Shift click the edge piece and using the align tool, center everything and then hit group. The edge piece now has a hole in the inside in the shape of the corner. You should be starting to see how the pieces fit together at this point.

The center piece is simple to make. Take a box from the Basic Shapes Menu. Use the drop down menu and set the radius to 1.49mm. Now take the piece and using the corner, duplicate the corner and drag it to the center piece block. Make the corner a hole and duplicate it. Now using the rotate icon, rotate it by 180 degrees. Drag the corner to look as if it were attached to the puzzle. Now shift select all 3 pieces and align them with the align tool and select group. The center piece mechanism is now done.

Taking a cutting cube from the Basic Shapes Menu, align it to your visual liking for the caps depth. Duplicate the cutting cube and drag it over with the mouse and in line with the other blocks. Using the plus and minus keys, zoom in and you will go inside the cutting blocks. This allows to select the center piece. Now duplicate the center piece by shift select the top cutting box and then clicking group. So, it looks like nothing just happened but trust me. Click the area where the cap will be and then shift select the other cutting cube and then click group. At this point, the cap and main cube should be separate. To make the cap stay on top of the cube, you need to duplicate the cap shape and size it down to your liking using the shift sizing squares. Now shift click the bigger part of the cap and use the alignment tool and align it to the center as the third graphic shows. Group the two pieces and then align it with the center piece just like I have showed you. Now make it look like it was attached, duplicate the cap and change it to a hole. Next shift click the center piece and then click group.There is now a hole in the center piece that is the shape of the cap.

Take a cylinder from the Basic Shape Menu and shift click the sizing square and in the number box type in 3.5mm. From here, use the rotate icon to rotate the cylinder 90 degrees, and make the cylinder 30mm long so that it will fit all the way through. Next, shift click the center piece and and align it using the middle horizontal black dot and the middle vertical black dot, now select group. Now the center piece has a hole in it that will fit a M3 bolt. That is what holds the puzzle together.

Now to see what the puzzle would look like, we can assemble it. Go to the edge and rotate it by 90 degrees and duplicate it 4 times. Align the piece as if the puzzle were being put together. Shift click the second edge and click duplicate. Rotate by 180 degrees and drag it to the other side of the center piece. Shift click the entire piece and align the piece according the graphic but DO NOT click group. The center pieces could have trouble but just align it visually. Now select the corner, duplicate it and rotate one of them by 180 degrees. Next align but again DO NOT group. Shift select all the pieces and hit duplicate. Rotate them by 180 degrees. Align by eye to finish the puzzle.

If you would like to print this, you will need to disassemble it and print each individual piece, then construct after printing. Be sure to sand all of the pieces smooth for best performance. If you so choose, it is best to make all the pieces black.

I hope this was helpful to you.

I hope you liked my Instructable. Please vote for me in the Distance Learning with Tinkercad contest, thank you for reading.