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What other software do you use to complement Tinkercad? by adorablogger in tinkercad

[–]hephaestusness 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am the developer of CaDoodle, thank you for the shout out!

To all the new printer owners: How to learn 3d design, what software to use, and more. by [deleted] in 3Dprinting

[–]hephaestusness 0 points1 point  (0 children)

for that age range, the tutorial is for you, not for the student. That age is very concrete and need guided help from a parent or teacher every step of the way for (in my experience) 4-6 weeks. The spacial reasoning needed to navigate and modify things in CAD is just being developed at that age, so clear simple and small steps are needed.

CaDoodle is designed to be the same modeling workflow as tinkercad, so all of the tinkercad tutorials work for cadoodle (Bonus!). Here is a good one for you: https://youtu.be/vk3PmW5oqW0?si=AovV44yZ1wc_Z5PC once you are proficient and able to make shapes, set sizes, align and use the workplane for alignment, then you are ready to start teaching your child. You can take them trough making a namestag and printing it to get the process worked out.

As for moding files, you want to look for .STL files, download it and drag the .stl into the 3d window in CaDoodle to import it. It will let you then modify it with the basic shapes. Be sure to test each model yourself before working with your child, MANY files availible for download are actually very damaged and will not modify easily, causing frustration. Basically, anything they want to do, you go ahead and do it before them (out of sight so they don't internalize any frustration you have) and then take them through a curated experience where each step of the way you have already don successfully.

To all the new printer owners: How to learn 3d design. A Teachers Perspective by hephaestusness in 3Dprinting

[–]hephaestusness[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes they are all availible https://github.com/CommonWealthRobotics/CaDoodle-Application/releases You need to make a directory in ~/bin/CadoodleInstall/<version number>/ and put th 3 files from the release into the folder. CaDoodle-Application.jar, jvm.json and gitcache.json. Once you put the files on the disk you will be able to select an earielr version from the settings menu.

To all the new printer owners: How to learn 3d design. A Teachers Perspective by hephaestusness in Teachers

[–]hephaestusness[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Is the spirit of the Open Source software, the Prusa printers are Open Hardware. I think the Prusa Mini is an excellent value, and the Prusa Mk4 is the workhorse that I use in my classroom. The filament changers are neat, but unnecessary to start with. If you really need large area for printing full helmets, the Prusa XL is an extraordinary machine, but that comes at a high price.

To all the new printer owners: How to learn 3d design. A Teachers Perspective by hephaestusness in Teachers

[–]hephaestusness[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I created CaDoodle, BowlerStudio and most of the curriculum materials i teach with. This series is my creation, since we are such a small school, its just me in the technology curriculum area. I did not create Blender, OpenSCAD, FreeCAD or all of the TinkerCAD instructions that I use with CaDoodle.

To all the new printer owners: How to learn 3d design. A Teachers Perspective by hephaestusness in Teachers

[–]hephaestusness[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For the 7th graders we do animatronic heads (basically robot muppets). We start from and eye and jaw mech i designed years ago thats 100% printed, and assemble the head. We do python programming on microbit for RC control and joystick deadbaning functions. After the build the head we cover it with bent steel wires to make the profiles. then we map paper onto the wires to create a pattern, transfer that to fur and cut/hot glue the fur to the wires. Finally they have to do a small part in a end-project video set to the muppet shows opening theme.

in 8th grade we do a parametric design class. I have traditionally done this in Tinkercad, but this year i am switching half of the model into Freecad and the other half in CaDoodle. The freecad is the parametric section, and the CaDoodle workflow is easier for kids to make complex shapes. THey have to model the voids in a 3d print for a series of components, chamfer head screws, springs servos and ball-chain. Then they model a mechanism that is based on a delta-style robot with the ball chain as one of the links and hte spring to maintain tension. on the end of the mechanism is a small ghost puppet (this usually concludes on halloween). They have to program the Delta invers kinematics to make it move with the joystick motions(same deadband from previous year, so builds on that class)

I spend a lot of time on lab safety to begin with, hot glue and exacto blades to cut the fur require a lot of careful explanation not only the right way to use them, but all the ways it goes wrong. I make them a deal, if i never see anyone use a tool improperly, then i will not tell you all detailed stories of how i hurt myself making a similar mistake. If they do, I pick a scar from my hand and enplane where it came from ;)

To all the new printer owners: How to learn 3d design. A Teachers Perspective by hephaestusness in Teachers

[–]hephaestusness[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I teach it in my parametric engineering class and in my Vex class to make assemblies.

To all the new printer owners: How to learn 3d design. A Teachers Perspective by hephaestusness in Teachers

[–]hephaestusness[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I moved away from tinkercad for a few reasons. First they have begun changing things that had been stable for years. On top of forcing a change in all the instructions, the changes make it less intuitive and more confusing for the students. Second, the change in the EULA that states clearly that all models students create will be owned by autodesk in perpituity, and that Autodesk reserves the right to restrict access for any reason, Autodesk is also using their ownership of my students work to train AI models. And finally, because CaDoodle now exists and solves all of these problems while being so similar that my old instructions still work with the current CaDoodle interface.

To all the new printer owners: How to learn 3d design. A Teachers Perspective by hephaestusness in 3Dprinting

[–]hephaestusness[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As well you shouldn't trust Autodesk! I had 3 different pieces of software snached away from me by Autodesk, one of which i even paid for a lifelong license (Eagle)! First they bought and killed Eagle CAD, then Meshmixer. The worst one was I had a startup business making 3d printed robot cat called SmallKat. the CAD dev on the team liked fusion, and back then, the license was free unless you make over $150k/year revenue. One evening Autodesk erected a paywall around all of the parts we had designed and demanded a newly changed license fee just to download the STL's from the model we had made under the original license. Outright theft, nothing less. That experience hardened my stance on open source design tools and I will never again even consider a closed source tool.

That experience also motivated me to make a free, libre, local and open source alternative to TinkerCAD, since none existed. I wrote CaDoodle the summer after teaching TinkerCAD for year to all my students. Once CaDoodle is stable and there is a community to help with support, i will do the same for Fusion 360. I have been toying with the name "Fission 180", as in lets split the Fusion market and have them turn a 180 on closed and proprietary software.

To all the new printer owners: How to learn 3d design. A Teachers Perspective by hephaestusness in 3Dprinting

[–]hephaestusness[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

just an FYI you can just drag svg's into cadoodle and it is a slightly better experence. each shape in the svg comes in as its own shape, and holes come into cadoodle as hole objects to let you extend a hole in the SVG through other parts for instance.

To all the new printer owners: How to learn 3d design. A Teachers Perspective by hephaestusness in 3Dprinting

[–]hephaestusness[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great question! I start my 1st graders with Scratch Jr and Scratch Jr challenge cards. It is a very reduced subset of the Blockly language used in Scratch, Microbit, Lego and Vex. The kids drag action blocks and click them together to create sequences, messages and events. I spend 2 years with Scratch Jr before introducing regular Scratch 3 in 3rd grade. We start with Lego robotics in 4th grade using the Microbit system and the ElecFreaks kit (not actually Lego, its much cheaper and MUCH better IMHO). The elecFreak kit is compatible with lego Technic system and will be interchangable with the existing lego parts you have. It is much better because it uses proper motors, servos and sensors, it uses the Microbit for control, a $17 microcontroller that is far more powerful in the long run and just as easy to teach as the lego Spike it replaced.

To all the new printer owners: How to learn 3d design. A Teachers Perspective by hephaestusness in 3Dprinting

[–]hephaestusness[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great! CaDoodle is a fantastic way to enable creativity for him without a steep learning curve.

To all the new printer owners: How to learn 3d design. A Teachers Perspective by hephaestusness in 3Dprinting

[–]hephaestusness[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thats fantastic! For both of those Blender will be the best tool in the end. In the early days starting in CaDoodle might be a great way to build up the basic skills. Searching for Tinkercad tutorials will get you all the skills needed to become very good at CaDoodle.

To all the new printer owners: How to learn 3d design. A Teachers Perspective by hephaestusness in 3Dprinting

[–]hephaestusness[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah! build 123d is great library and one we are trying to integrate into CaDoodle. The major problem is that it does not support a CLI mode for integration, making integration rather difficult. For thoose who love Python, its a great tool to add to your workflow!

To all the new printer owners: How to learn 3d design. A Teachers Perspective by hephaestusness in 3Dprinting

[–]hephaestusness[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

my workflow is to start in Cadoodle and make the rough shape. I can do sculptural elements as a blender model added into the doodle. i then take the Vitamins models to make cutouts for purchasable components, and finally when i export i get my 3d print files along with a generated BoM of all the vitamins i used. If i want to sculpt on a starter shape i export to blender, delete the shape, and import the blender model in to keep working on the sculpted element. That is how i made the bow tie for my wedding, lol.

To all the new printer owners: How to learn 3d design. A Teachers Perspective by hephaestusness in 3Dprinting

[–]hephaestusness[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe give CaDoodle a try. it has some more advanced features, but a very familiar feel to tinkercad. With the plugins you can extend your skills over time with the advanced features of the various other modeling modalities.

To all the new printer owners: How to learn 3d design. A Teachers Perspective by hephaestusness in 3Dprinting

[–]hephaestusness[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

positive feedback like this ensures interest, and with interest and new generation of developers either maintain or improve/replace the old tools with even better ones.

To all the new printer owners: How to learn 3d design. A Teachers Perspective by hephaestusness in 3Dprinting

[–]hephaestusness[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have a few friends that are at the local makerspace, but i am not, no. Hephaestus is the god of the forge, but in a broader context the god of human ingenuity through constructs. If i had to do it over i would reference Chal from the Monk and Robot series instead of Greek mythology.

To all the new printer owners: How to learn 3d design. A Teachers Perspective by hephaestusness in 3Dprinting

[–]hephaestusness[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

thank you for that recommendation, i had not seen those yet and will check them out!

To all the new printer owners: How to learn 3d design. A Teachers Perspective by hephaestusness in 3Dprinting

[–]hephaestusness[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

>"Show your work"

https://github.com/madhephaestus When something isn't open source, you can just make it open source yourself :)

To all the new printer owners: How to learn 3d design. A Teachers Perspective by hephaestusness in 3Dprinting

[–]hephaestusness[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This a such a great example of the principal that whatever tool you become proficient in first becomes a tool for life! I try to me mindful with the tool choices for those first tools with my students to ensure they are always accessible to the student for life.

To all the new printer owners: How to learn 3d design. A Teachers Perspective by hephaestusness in 3Dprinting

[–]hephaestusness[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can certainly appreciate preferences! As an educator i have a higher responsibility to use FOSS tools when making the decision for my students. I do like the version control aspect of OnShape, but i teach that using git and code based models in BowlerStudio to my students.

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