Tinkercad Quests: Learn Through Making
Tinkercad, a powerful online solid modeling CAD application, has just introduced a new feature that I have a feeling will be very popular among MakerBot Operators.
Secretly (or not so secretly?) the developers are veteran hardcore games developers taking a stab at a new field. They draw from their past UI/interactive design experience to create a focused tool that is designed from the ground up to be as intuitive a modeler as most people need for 3D printing models.
I was at first dubious about a WebGL-based solid modeler, as much as I love 3dtin, but I became converted while team-teaching a “Prototyping on a MakerBot” course for the teen after-school program at Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum. Students picked up Tinkercad quickly, and made intricate, capable work during the first session, projects that I was able to print for them with little or no STL repair!
A number of Thingiverse participants have been using this tool (Including me) – and the Tinkercad “Export to Thingiverse” button makes it easy for them to share their design and print files they have created with the software here.
Well, the Tinkercad developers didn’t leave the games part of their past experience out of the equation — they have started rolling games elements into Tinkercad as a tutorial series designed to help user dive into using their tool quickly and easily. I have taken a couple of them and enjoyed them — and I love the beautiful Thing-O-Matic-printed buttons that is featured in their current Quest set. (They hope to start adding new quests fairly regularly, as these quests generate the feedback they need to tune this element of Tinkercad. Make sure to dive in now and send feedback to help them move forward with the Quests project!)
So create or login to your Tinkercad account — and discover the new Quests tab on the top bar. Happy questing!
| Tagged with | 3d modeling, learning 3d, tinkercad, training | One comment |
