Custom Bookmarks
These customizable bookmarks are a great way to learn the basics of Tinkercad AND quickly print a project that you can take home with you right away!
Though there's a lot to know about the basic Tinkercad interface, I think it's enough to know the basic icons in order to get started. You'll learn the rest along the way!
Supplies
- Tinkercad account
- Filament (PLA or other)
- 3D Printer
Sign in to Tinkercad
- Navigate to tinkercad.com and Sign Up or Login
- Use a "Personal account" and I recommend signing in with Google.
- Create a new 3D Design.
Create the Outer Rectangle
Drag a square out onto the Workplane and resize it so that it's 20 x 70 x 2 mm.
[You can resize by clicking any of the white squares on the ends and manually typing in the values.]
Create the Inner Rectangle
Duplicate the rectangle by pressing Ctrl+D.
Resize to 10 x 65 x 1 mm.
Cut Out the Center
- Drag a hole out onto the Workplane and resize it so that it's 14 x 64 x 20 mm.
- Select both parts (either use ctrl+A, hold Shift while clicking on each piece, or "draw" a lasso over the pieces with the mouse).
- With both pieces selected, press the letter L on your keyboard or click on the Align icon in toolbar on the top of the screen.
- This will bring up the alignment options - see the picture above. Center the shapes on the x-axis (left to right) and y-axis (front to back).
- Click the Group icon or ctrl+G to group the 2 shapes and cut the hole.
- Now you will have a 6 mm border on all sides.
Attach the Rectangles
- Select both rectangles.
- Align to the center on the x-axis, to the top (or back) of the y-axis, and to the bottom of the z-axis (vertical).
- Group to combine.
Congrats! You've created the base of your bookmark!
Along the way, you've learned to:
- Add shapes
- Resize shapes
- Align shapes
- Use holes to cut out shapes.
- Group shapes
- Duplicate shapes
- Understand the 3 axes of 3-D modeling and printing
These are the basics of 3-D modeling!
Add a Shape to the Top
- This part of the tutorial will give step-by-step instructions for adding a simple rectangle to the top, but get creative with the possibilities!
- You can search the shape panel using the magnifying glass all the way to the right.
- Add a rectangle that's 20 x 6 x 6 mm.
- Align it to the center of the bookmark and use the arrows to nudge it into place so that there's no space between the bookmark and the rectangle.
- It's a good idea to check multiple angles to ensure that the shapes are touching. Use the View Cube to the left of the Workplane to rotate your view and see different perspectives.
- Once you're sure it's in place, group the shapes.
Add Some Text
- To add your name, or other text to your bookmark, drag a text shape into the Workplane.
- Expand the Inspector (see image) and edit the text, keeping in mind that the bookmark is pretty small. There are a very limited number of fonts. If you feel ready for a challenge, you can use this tutorial to add your own custom font to the design.
- Resize your name so that it's no longer than 60 mm or wider than 8 mm. Change the height to 1 mm.
- Now you'll need to rotate your name to add it to the bookmark. When you click on the shape you should see curved arrows on each dimension (see image above). Rotate around the z-axis 90 degrees. [This is the "front" arrow.]
- Once it's rotated correctly, we need to lift it off the Workplane so it can lay on top of the center of the bookmark. Since the center rectangle is 1mm deep and we want the name protruding at least .5 mm, we need to lift it at least .5 mm.
- When you click on the shape, you should see a triangle just above it. That will allow you to lift it - you'll see values that indicate the number of mm you've raised it.
- Finally, use the arrows to move it into position on the bookmark, select both shapes, and group.
Export Your Design
- When you're satisfied with your file, it's time to send it to print.
- It's a good idea to rename your file before you download. Tinkercad always creates a nonsense title that you can see in the upper left of the screen. Click on the title and rename with your name and the color that you'd like your bookmark to be printed in.
- Choose "Export" from the right hand of your screen and download your file as a .stl.
- Email it to the makerspace and we can print!