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Make: The Complete Guide to Tinkercad - Print

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Make: The Complete Guide to Tinkercad embraces the concept of "learn by doing," using 17 fun projects to transform the reader from a novice into a creator of video assets and objects ready for 3D printing!

This comprehensive manual teaches the intricacies of the Tinkercad interface, how to model sophisticated objects, and use AI as a tool to solve design challenges. Projects include designing useful and amusing objects such as jewelry, toys, and practical household items. 

This is not a mere collection of generic online tutorials, but a comprehensive learning experience that will empower the reader to turn their ideas into a physical reality!

What Is Tinkercad?

Tinkercad is a free, web-based app that offers a friendly entry to the wide world of digital modeling. Autodesk has developed Tinkercad as a simple option to get users up & running quickly. Whether you want to design jewelry, robots, cityscapes, machine parts, video game assets, phone stands, or unique game pieces, Tinkercad is your friend. No previous computer-aided design experience is needed. If you’re a maker, educator, prototyper, or just an all-around problem-solver, come on in and join the current 50 million users worldwide! This book is for you.

Why Read This Book?

There are lots of online tutorials & videos for Tinkercad. And many are great. But they tend to focus on isolated tasks, often overlooking the big picture. This book provides a comprehensive, organized, structured approach to mastering Tinkercad, without all the Google searches. Its step-by-step style is more like having a personal tutor guide you from start to finish, and at your own pace.

What Will We Cover in This Book?

A lot! I assume no prior knowledge, so we’ll take a tour of the interface and all the different workspaces in Tinkercad. We’ll start with creating simple, and then more complex, designs. We’ll edit downloaded designs for our own needs. We’ll import sketches to model. We’ll apply materials in the Sim lab and look at physical reactions, make LEGO-like pieces in the Bricks and Blocks workspace, learn to code with codeblocks, and approach everyday problem solving. We’ll learn how to collaborate and share our designs. We’ll solve some everyday problems and even investigate how ChatGPT (artificial intelligence) might assist.

All projects are modeled with a goal of eventual 3D printing. However, 3D printing itself is only discussed as needed to explain where a design can be optimized for it, such as when making a two-color model. The book leans more toward incorporating “design thinking,” a non-linear, iterative process that helps us understand who will use our models, how those models should work, and innovate solutions to prototype and test. If you’re used to 2D drafting, such as on AutoCAD software, know that the 3D modeling mindset is different. But also know that you don’t need any 2D training to do it. 231 pages.