Design a 3D Object With Tinkercad

Objectives

• Learn the basics of designing 3D objects in view of leading an activity on this topic with youth
• Master the basics of Tinkercad (an on-line software for 3D modeling)

This video takes the educator through the basics of Tinkercad. You will learn about designing simple solids (ex. cubes, tetrahedrons), and combining them together to produce a complex object

Connecting 3D modeling in Tinkercad with STEAM

3D design tools enable us to visually and tangibly experiment with a variety of mathematical concepts. To give you a sense of what this looks like in practice, here are a few concepts you might explore with young people using 3D design:

• Reason with shapes and their attributes .For example, using Tinkercad, "Can you create three different objects with the defining attributes of a cube?"
• Reason with shapes and their attributes . For example, using Tinkercad, "Can you create a sphere that is 1/2 red and 1/2 blue?"
• Reason with shapes and their attributes. For example, using Tinkercad, "Can you partition a shape into four equal parts, making each quarter a different color?"
• Represent and interpret data . For example, have students take measurements of a real-world object (a simple shape like a tissue box is a good start) and then create a 3D model of the object in Tinkercad using the measured dimensions.
• Develop understanding of fractions as numbers. For example, use a 3D printer to create the Beast Belly Fraction Game . In this game, users will use 3d printed tokens that represent various fractions to "fill the beast's belly" by creating a perfect 1 whole.
• Geometric measurement: understand concepts of angle and measure angles. For example, in Tinkercad, "Can you rotate an object by 120 degrees?"
• Geometric measurement: understand concepts of volume

Other ideas for STEAM projects, related to physics, for example, that you can run using tinkercad are the following:

• Design a water filter build your own space station
• Make your own measuring tools
• Design a soda bottle rocket

Here is an instructable tutorial that deals with 3D design and STEAM

Here is a video that shows the design process of an object on Tinkercad