From 2D to 3D
Activity 1: Intro to 3D
(5 minutes)
First, what does 3D even mean, really? Let’s think of 3D versus 2D (or “normal”) movies. What is the difference in how each looks?
3D stands for three dimensional. Dimensions are how you can measure something. When things have three dimensions, you can measure them three ways: length, width, and height. We live in a world of 3D things. So objects are 3D, but photos or drawings of objects are 2D. Here’s another way of thinking about it: A painting of a vase is 2D, but an actual vase made from ceramic is a 3D object.
Challenge: Draw an office building or a house. Then create a 3D model of the same building by folding paper. If you have sculpting clay or Play-Do available at your club, you could draw or paint an object and then make it with clay as another way to demonstrate the differences between 2D and 3D things.
Activity 2: What is 3D Printing?
(10 minutes)
Let’s say you lost a button on your favorite coat. You go online and find a button to replace it. You press print and out comes a piece of paper with an image of the button. It looks nice but you still can’t button up your coat! The button isn’t real; it is just an image. You can’t touch it or sew it to your coat. It’s 2D. If you want to keep yourself warm this winter, you’ll have better luck using a 3D printer. You can design a button using computer software. Then when you send the file to a 3D printer, it uses information from the design to print the actual object. You will have a button you can actually use.
Ok, cool. But how? A 3D printer prints objects by printing layer upon layer of a material. Often 3D printers print in plastic that is heated to become a liquid. The layers harden on top of one another to become the object. Watch a time-lapse video of a 3D printer making glasses. The first half of this video explains the technology a bit more.
Activity 3: What can (and can't) you 3D Print?
(20 minutes)
The most common material used to make 3D printed objects is plastic. Check out this video from a teen who has made useful plastic objects with his 3D printer. Specialized 3D printers can also print in other materials like stainless steel, ceramic, and gypsum. These materials are used to make things, but there are even 3D printers that print food, like pancakes, and others that print body parts! The technology for these last two is still developing.
BUT 3D printing isn’t magic; you can’t print everything. For example, you can’t print soft things, like stuffed animals. You also can’t print things made from specific materials, like erasers, or a combination of materials, like a No. 2 pencil. And most complex technology, like a working computer, is out of question as well. (You could 3D print the outer shell, keys, and some of the inner bits, but you would need a lot of supplemental material to make a working computer.) Some objects can’t be replicated exactly using a 3D printer, but they could be modified. Look down at your shoes. Could you make a pair exactly like them using 3D printing? Maybe, but you’d probably have to alter things. If you are wearing laces, you’d have to change the design so laces aren’t required (since they are made of cloth.) Could you 3D print a pen? Well, you could print the outer part but it wouldn’t be a working pen until you added ink.
Look around the room. What are five things you could 3D print? And five things you couldn’t?
Activity 4: Creating Layers
(as long as you want)
You can create an object using layers without even using a 3D printer. Cardboard is a good medium because it is thick, so you can start to see a form take shape after stacking only a few layers. For example, if you were to make a 3D dome sculpture, begin by laying a cardboard circle flat. Next add a slightly smaller circle on top. Keep adding layers until the topmost layer is a very small circle. If you want to make all the circles even and uniform, use a compass (drawing tool). You can play around with this idea to make different shapes, like a pear or a cat. It may be best to plan your 3D sculpture by drawing a few, or all, of the layers on the cardboard before cutting, rather than cutting and placing one at a time.
What You'll Need:
What's the deal with 3D Printing?
Activity 5: Submit
(5 minutes)
Notify your coach when you’ve finished the module, or submit a photo of your 3D cardboard sculpture.
Try doing these modules in order:
From 2D to 3D > Tinkercad 101 > 3D Design > Press Print > Design Challenge
