GETTING
STARTED
WITH
TINKERCAD
10
CHAPTER
PART III: DIY TUTORIALS &
CAD TROUBLESHOOTING
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FIGURE 101: A yummy-looking ice-cream cone modeled by a 4 year-old in Tinkercad
In the next three chapters we will take you step-by-step through the basics of creating a 3D model from
scratch using three CAD modeling software programs: Tinkercad, Meshmixer, and Fusion 360. You can
view them respectively as beginning, intermediate, and advanced programs, though we have taught stu-
dents as young as nine years old to use Fusion 360.
These CAD programs have the benefit of being free (or near free), so trying them out is a great way to start.
These beginning tutorials are short enough that you should be able to complete each one in an hour, but feel
free to move through them at your own pace.
Tinkercad is an online CAD modeling platform from
Autodesk that is free for anyone to use. It’s known
as a quick and easy way to create 3D models and
is simple enough for beginners and kids to pick up
easily. In fact, in our educational courses, we always
start beginning students, regardless of age, on Tin-
kercad. See Figure 10-1 for an example of the type
of simplistic model you can create in Tinkercad.
Three-Button Mouse
Recommended
All CAD programs are optimized for a three-button
mouse with a scroll wheel. When you approach
CAD modeling you can use a trackpad on a laptop,
but the experience is less than optimal.
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The platform is entirely browser based (so there’s no
software to install), which allows for your work to be
instantly saved to the cloud and available on any other
computer. Tinkercad runs best in modern browsers
such as Firefox, Safari, or Chrome. Keep in mind that
slow Internet speeds can negatively affect the overall
experience.
One great thing is that Tinkercad is aimed at children
and new-to-design students in general. Tinkercad is
COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, US
law) compliant, meaning that there are a couple of
extra steps when setting up a child’s account on Tin-
kercad, but that child’s information will be kept safe
and treated appropriately by Autodesk. Figure 10-1
on the previous page shows an example of what stu-
dents can create.
SETTING UP AN ACCOUNT
In order to access Tinkercad you will need to have an Autodesk account. The good news is that this program
is free and the promotional emails you might receive from Autodesk are minimal.
If a child under 13 years of age is signing up to use Tinkercad, their user ID request will get routed into a
COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) compliant subsystem inside of Autodesk that requires an
adult to verify that the child is allowed to create an account (Figure 10-2).
The child’s account will be in a special part of the Autodesk infrastructure where it will comply with the
COPPA requirements. There will be restrictions on sending marketing emails as well as restrictions on
sharing that child’s account information with third parties. This is a good thing for the protection of children,
but keep in mind this extra step can add up to 24 hours of waiting time for kids to join the Tinkercad com-
munity. This is especially important to remember if you are using Tinkercad in an educational setting where
parents will need to pre-register their kids on the platform.
BEFORE YOU PICK UP THE MOUSE
We recommend you first use pencil and paper to draw your idea out. The basic premise for all CAD design
is understanding that shapes interact with other shapes to create new shapes. This concept sounds easy
enough, but if you are just starting to learn CAD, the best place to start is having a solid understanding of
what you are trying to create. For most people, drawing it out on paper is more intuitive. Don’t worry if it’s
not to scale or if your drawing of a house looks more like a shoebox. You will benefit greatly by having this
visual guide as a reference.
FIGURE 102: Tinkercad account sign-up requiring parental
permission for users under 13 years of age
In the next three chapters we will take you step-by-step through the basics of creating a 3D model from
scratch using three CAD modeling software programs: Tinkercad, Meshmixer, and Fusion 360. You can
view them respectively as beginning, intermediate, and advanced programs, though we have taught stu-
dents as young as nine years old to use Fusion 360.
These CAD programs have the benefit of being free (or near free), so trying them out is a great way to start.
These beginning tutorials are short enough that you should be able to complete each one in an hour, but feel
free to move through them at your own pace.
Tinkercad is an online CAD modeling platform from
Autodesk that is free for anyone to use. It’s known
as a quick and easy way to create 3D models and
is simple enough for beginners and kids to pick up
easily. In fact, in our educational courses, we always
start beginning students, regardless of age, on Tin-
kercad. See Figure 10-1 for an example of the type
of simplistic model you can create in Tinkercad.
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FIGURE 103: Line drawings showing additive and subtractive properties
If you draw a circle on a piece of paper, and then
you draw another overlapping circle just touching
the side of that one, it looks like a figure “8.” This
is an example of “additive” construction—adding
two things together to create something new. Con-
versely, if you draw a circle and then draw a smaller
circle inside it, and “remove” the inner circle, you
end up with the letter “O.” This is subtractive con-
struction, i.e., building something new by taking
away material. Both examples are shown in Figure
10-3.
CREATING SHAPES IN TINKERCAD
When you first start Tinkercad we highly recom-
mend you go through the software’s free set of
online tutorials. These great lessons will walk you
through Tinkercad’s features at a pace you can set
for yourself. They are available at the top of your
Tinkercad account page under the “Learn” link. You
can always click the Tinkercad logo shown in Figure
“Boolean” Defined
The important CAD term “Boolean” refers to the
addition or subtraction of shapes from other
shapes to accomplish an end goal. Tinkercad is
adept at performing Boolean unions (adding) and
Boolean differences (subtraction), which are the
core of how to start modeling your design.
In the following tutorial, we’ll use Tinkercad to
model a simple nameplate. This tutorial will go
over three key procedures: adding shapes on
the “Workplane,” turning shapes into “holes” or
“cutting tools,” and downloading your model for
3D printing.
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FIGURE 104: The Tinkercad logo takes you back to your home
page
FIGURE 105: The “Create new design” button lets you begin your
new project
10-4 located at the top left to return back to your
main account page.
When you return to your home page, click the
“Create new design” button (Figure 10-5) to start a
new design.
You are presented with a blank canvas (Figure
10-6), upon which you will create a masterpiece! Or,
as is true with most model design, you will create
something that you will call “your first try” and then
figure out how to make it better over time.
Next to the Workplane, on the right hand side of
the screen there is a menu bar filled with premade
shapes you can use. These shapes will help you
create your 3D model.
Click and hold your mouse button down on the red
“box” in the menu, and drag it out onto the Work-
plane as shown in Figure 10-7.
You now have a basic shape you can adjust, and it
will be automatically selected. If you click your red
box and hover your mouse over the small white
FIGURE 106: The blank canvas that is called the Workplane
FIGURE 107: You can click and drag shapes onto your Workplane
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