Make a Trick Die

The following information is a single lesson in a larger Tinkercad project. Check out this and more projects on Tinkercad.

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Lesson Overview:

Now we're going to make a trick die!

When you have the ability to create something, you have the power to make it however you like! This superpower is called 'Artistic License'. What this means is, ultimately, you make the rules!

But with great power comes great responsibility!

Let's explore what power we have over the humble six-sided die! What would happen if our power to create was left unchecked?

Your challenge: create a die that looks exactly the same on the outside but rolls a five slightly more often.

Instructions

1. Continue to the next step.

This lesson only requires two shapes, the Tinkercad Dice-shape, and a sphere to represent the pips (a pip is a tally mark on a game piece like the dots on dice or the symbols on cards.)

Above the shapes menu, there are some shortcuts to help you find the shape you are looking for. The Dice-shape is among the Symbol shapes and the sphere is among the geometric shapes. Because we'll be working with small objects, let's also set our Snap grid to 0.5mm.

Instructions

1. Click on the Star-shaped shortcut above the shapes menu and drag a Dice shape to the Workplane.
2. While holding down Shift, scale the die to be a 20mm cube.
3. Drag out a sphere, scale it to be 3mm in diameter, and make it a Hole under the Inspector window.
4. Set the Snap grid to 0.5mm.
5. Continue to the next step.

Next, we'll want to align the pip with the first face of the die.

We'll be a lot of pips, this lesson, so we don't have to keep remaking the shape. Before we group the pips with the Dice-Shape, we will always duplicate our pips.

Instructions

1. Select both the Sphere and the Dice shape and click the Align tool.
2. Click the Dice shape so the Align tool aligns the pip to the Die, then center the pip along the Die's X and Z Axes.
3. Nudge the pip so that half of it (1.5mm) is embedded into the die (along the Y axis).
4. Duplicate the Sphere.
5. Group one of the spheres with the Dice shape.
6. Continue to the next step.

Let's go ahead and make side two.

Instructions

1. Duplicate the Sphere again.
2. Nudge the second sphere 13 times away from the Dice shape.
3. Group the two spheres and nudge them 20 times (10mm) to the left face of the die.
4. Center the group to the Dice shape along the Y axis.
5. Duplicate this group.
6. Group one of the groups with the Dice shape.
7. Continue to the next step.

Because side four is just two copies of the pips from side two, we'll build it, next.

Instructions

1. Duplicate the group of pips from side 2.
2. Ctrl-Up arrow 13 times to nudge one of the groups up 6.5mm.
3. Group all 4 pips and rotate them around the Z Axis 90°.
4. Nudge the group 20 times (10mm) along the Y Axis so that it is inline to the surface opposite the 1.
5. Center the Spheres to the Dice shape along the X axis.
6. Duplicate the spheres and then group one of the duplicates with the Die shape.
7. Continue to the next step.

We can reuse the side with 4 pips to create the side with 5 pips.

Instructions

1. Rotate the duplicate spheres 90° around the Z Axis.
2. Nudge the Spheres 20 times (10mm) along the X axis so that it is inline to the surface opposite side two.
3. Duplicate your group.
4. Ungroup one of the duplicates twice.
5. Delete all but one of the spheres.
6. Align the spheres to the Dice shape along the Y and Z Axes.
7. Group these spheres and Duplicate this group.
8. Group one of these duplicates with the Dice shape.
9. Continue to the next step.

While making side five, we arranged three pips in a row in a diagonal. We're going to reuse this exact arrangement of pips to make side three.

Instructions

1. Rotate your pips 90° around the Y Axis and nudge them 20 times (10mm) so they are parallel and inline with the top of the Dice shape.
2. Ungroup the pips three times and delete two pips from opposite corners.
3. Group these three pips and rotate the 45° around them Z axis.
4. Center the pips with the top of the Dice shape along the X and Y Axes.
5. Duplicate this group of pips and group one of the Duplicates with the Dice shape.
6. Continue to the next step

This is the last side!

Side six is just two rows of three pips, so we'll copy the pips from side three in this step.

Instructions

1. Duplicate the group of pipes and Nudge them 13 times along the X Axis.
2. Group these pips and lower them along the Z Axis until their bottom is -1.5mm below the Workplane.
3. Center these pips to the Dice Shape along the X and Y axes.
4. Group the pips with your Dice shape.
5. Continue to the next step.

You're finished except for the fun part!

In order to increase the probability of the die landing on five more often, we need to change the center of gravity. We want to make the side with 5 pips lighter so that this side naturally roles to the top.

To do that, we're going to insert a box shaped hole just behind the pips on side five.

Instructions

1. Drag out a box to the workplane and resize it to 5mm along the X axis, 12mm along the Y axis, and 12mm along the Z axis.
2. Turn this shape into a hole, and then drag this shape over to your die and slide it underneath side five so that it rests just behind the pips along the X axis.
3. Use the align tool to center the pips along the Y and Z axes, but not the X.
4. Continue to the next step.

Now that you've creating your awesome trick die, it's time to print it out and have some fun!

When you print your object, a 3D printer will often make the object mostly hollow so that you easily save on plastic. It will use a pattern called "Infill" to give a minimal amount of support and structure so the print becomes well-formed.

However, for this trick die to work, we can't have the whole die be hollow, just the pocket we made, ourselves.

In your 3D printer software, turn off support, so our pocket stays empty, and set your infill setting to its greatest density. This should make your die nearly solid and perfectly...um...imbalanced!

Shhhhhhh!

Instructions

1. From the design menu, click, 'Download for 3D Printing.'
2. You will see a few different file options, select the .STL option. Your file will now download to your computer and is ready for transfer to your 3D Printer! Well done!

In the next lesson you will learn to make a custom stamp!

Next Lesson: Custom Stamp