Tinkercad 3d Modelling

[Helen Drewski]

InPrusaslicer Version 2.3.0+win64, Prusaslicer/Netfabb "repair," is breaking my Tinkercad .stl files for import back into Tinkercad. I've been repairing Tinkercad designs in PrusaSlicer, prior to printing. No problem with prints. But I have also been exporting the "repaired" .stl file immediately after the repair, replacing the original Tinkercad .stl. I discovered when I import the Prusaslicer/Netfabb repaired .stl, back into Tinkercad, the design is now corrupted beyond being easily fixed, containing strange, and severe gaps, across many planes. I am assuming this is not expected behavior, but I am pretty new to all of this (1 yr.,) so welcome enlightenment. I've included an image that demonstrates the issue, corrupt .stl on the left (white.)

With the high volume of designs I am creating in Tinkercad, despite trying, they aren't the best organized, so recreating the Tinkercad compatible .stl files for my library (to sit alongside "repaired," .stl files for printing, I suppose,) is not going to be a small chore.

My goal with this post is to document my experience as I go forward, experimenting with ways to address the problem, and of course to whine a little bit. With the whining done, my first step will be to update to the latest stable Prusaslicer.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Netfabb function wouldn't work properly but it would help to post an example 3mf project or a specific stl so we could replicate this behavior. Also, you may want to check out It's basically Microsoft's frontend to the Netfabb engine, at least it could provide hints whether the issue is with the Netfabb engine, Prusa's implementation of it, or your model.

Many software don't export valid stl files (depending on the model obviously) and so that's why they need repairing. Once its fixed the stl is usually suitable for printing but they may still contain errors.

When you import an stl file into tinkercad you are then also relying on how well its import function works. Generally you cant expect to export to a different file type and then load that back in and have it behave as the original model with ANY 3d modelling software. The export to a different format pretty much loses some information, especially to a simple format like stl.

I already have a model created and finished in tinkercad, first you need to hit the export button (first screenshot) then chose to export the file as a .OBJ or .GBL (second screenshot) so the colours will be exported too, I am using .OBJ for this though

After exporting the file click 'show in folder' (or equivalent) and move the file to somewhere where you can manage it (I put it on my desktop) make a regular file next and move both files from the .ZIP file to your regular file, there should be 2 files in the zip folder regardless of weather you exported to an OBJ or a GLB

in the second screenshot I went into file, import, OBJ (or your equivalent) and then you should be seeing something similar to the third screenshot, in the bottom corner will be your files but I've blocked it out because I have other projects that I want to keep a surprise

after importing the file it wont look like it did in tinker cad so to return it to that state find the symbol in the first screenshot that should be on the bottom right of the screen if you have selected the right file, next scroll down and find the 'normals' tab and tick the box that says 'auto smooth' and you should be left with something like the third screenshot

the 8 highlighted buttons in the first screenshot can be used to modify files, the first button selects objects, the second button isn't important for this but the third button is used to move a selected file, the fourth button is used to rotate a file and the fifth is used to change the size, this file I imported was too large and facing the wrong way so I rotated it and used the scale button while holding shift to shrink it down to the correct size

the first screenshot is highlighting a button that will appear when you select an object, this is how you can change the colours and textures of the file but this gets complicated so I will probably make another tutorial on how to use these, in the future

the second screenshot highlights 4 buttons that change the view of the selected object, if you are trying to make glass or metal textures use the third button, if you're using lights use the fourth button

the first 2 screenshots show my angling and moving the camera to better see the model, to see what the camera sees click the button that is highlighted in the third screenshot and click it again to stop the camera view

to change the settings on the light sources, select the light source you want to edit and click the green light bulb logo highlighted in the second screenshot, you can mess around with the settings like changing the colour of the light or how bright the light is with the power button, the light source I chose was a point light source but sun and spot light sources do the same thing but can also be angled

Explore the written of language of braille, whilst teaching students 3D modelling concepts. 3D printing opens up a world of opportunity to create bespoke, on-demand braille models. You may wish to create simple braille blocks or take it a step further and create braille signage for different areas of your school.

Teach students about sound waves, frequency and amplitude before challenging them to design a whistle. With the use of an iterative process, students can analyse and evaluate their creations to improve on their designs.

Create pen cases by using intersecting shapes such as pebbles drawn in Tinkercad. In this example, students learn about mathematical linear sequences to determine how many pebbles are required to achieve the right sized pen case for a Bic Cristal biro cartridge to slot into the centre.

What better way to learn about Egyptian Hieroglyphics and monuments than getting students to design their own obelisks! Using a hieroglyphic alphabet, they can go on to personalise their obelisk model with their own name.

Whether its population, life expectancy or any other demographic, 3D bar charts make presenting information much more interesting and readable than basic 2D graphs. You may wish to consider using demographic or survey information from your school to create 3D bar charts that show information that is specific to your school.

Combine toy design with concepts of forces and motion by guiding students in creating spinning tops. Once 3D printed, students can compete to see whose spinning top can spin for the longest before analysing the results and making improvements on the design.

Explore historical and architectural concepts of the Great Wall of China. Students can use research methods along with their own unique interpretations to recreate these famous relics of the Great Wall.

For those with arthritis of the fingers or those with a weak grip, opening screw cap bottles can be extremely difficult. Luckily, with the use of certain tools in Tinkercad, students can create assistive devices such as bottle openers. Whilst designing they can learn about simple machines and the principles of levers.

In my case, when 3D objects are imported, they lose their core patterns. Object was created in Tinkercad.

For example, if you create a transparent 3D object and import it into Cospaces, it will not be transparent.

Is there any way around this? Thank you tinkercad795591 90.8 KB

Tinkercad is a free online computer-aided design (CAD) program suitable for creating models for 3D printing. It is popular because it is easy to use and teaches code using blocks, helping people of all ages hone their skills.

SelfCAD is an upgrade over Tinkercad with more organic and technical modelling tools. For example, it makes creating and working with complex shapes easy with a sculpting tool that lets you twist, bend, and pull shapes.

While SelfCAD has a steeper learning curve than Tinkercad, the sculpting tool is simple to use, and you can use various brushes to manipulate shapes with chamfer, fillet, taper, curve, loft and revolve tools one click away.

Blender is a significant upgrade over Tinkercad for professional design. It is a professional-grade, free 3D modelling/CAD tool available offline, offering a 3D Printing Toolbox and real-time Mesh Analysis features.

You can export to STL, PLY, X3D, and OBJ, and you can also import files and convert them to other formats. Blender can also handle textures, rigging, and animation, letting you produce models and simulate use cases.

Tinkercad is a free-of-charge, online 3D modeling program that runs in a web browser.[1] Since it became available in 2011 it has become a popular platform for creating models for 3D printing as well as an entry-level introduction to constructive solid geometry in schools.[2]

Tinkercad was founded by former Google engineer Kai Backman and his cofounder Mikko Mononen, with a goal to make 3D modeling, especially the design of physical items, accessible to the general public, and allow users to publish their designs under a Creative Commons license.[3] In 2011, the tinkercad.com website was launched as a web-based 3D modeling tool for WebGL-enabled browsers,[4] and in 2012 the company moved its headquarters to San Francisco.[5] By 2012, over 100,000 3D designs had been published by users.[5]

In March 2017, Autodesk recommended users of the soon-to-be-retired 123D Sculpt migrate to Tinkercad (or Maya LT).[7] In May, Autodesk discontinued its 123D Circuits (Circuits.io) "Electronics Lab". The program's features were merged into Tinkercad.[8][9][10]

Tinkercad uses a simplified constructive solid geometry method of constructing models. A design is made up of primitive shapes that are either "solid" or "hole". Combining solids and holes together, new shapes can be created, which in turn can be assigned the property of solid or hole.[3] In addition to the standard library of primitive shapes, a user can create custom shape generators using a built-in JavaScript editor.

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