Design and 3D Print a Pencil Topper

These step-by-step instructions will guide you through the basics of creating a pencil topper using Tinkercad and preparing it for 3D printing.

Tinkercad is a free web based CAD program: www.tinkercad.com

1. Drag and drop a shape onto the workplane

a. Explore the various shape options available in the toolbar on the right. For special shapes check out the community shape generators located at the top of the toolbar on the right

2. Scale the shape to about 25mm(length) x 25mm(width) x 20mm(height)

3. Drag and drop a cylinder onto the workplane

4. While the cylinder is selected click hole in the top right corner

5. Scale the hole to 8.5mm x 8.5mm x 18mm

6. Place the hole on the shape. Once placed it might not be visible, but it is there. To ensure perfect alignment use the align tool under the adjust menu in the top right corner

7. With the hole and shape selected click group in the top right corner. To select both the hole and shape left click and drag over the shapes

You now have a pencil topper, get creative, explore the wide variety of shape options and customize your pencil topper.

1. Once design is complete select “Design” from the upper left corner

2. Click on menu option “Download for 3D Printing” 3. Select “.STL” button 4. The file will now appear in the downloads folder and can be opened in any 3D printing software, such as Print Studio. You can also order a 3D Print through the design menu