Autodesk offers Tinkercad, a 3D modeling and design tool available free for educational purposes. Shapes are the building blocks of Tinkercad. Users can add pre-existing shapes, or import them. To adjust objects, users can rotate the workplane to adjust shapes or change views and input exact dimensions with the ruler. Custom shapes can also be created by combining elements.
Tinkercad is such a great program and I would recommend the program to anyone who wants an introduction to a simple CAD program. I have another colleague that is now using it in her classroom due to my recommendation. I have had students start with me in Tinkercad and eventually work their way up in skill and purchase other Autodesk products because of the enjoyment and opportunity that Tinkercad provided.
The Tinkercad provided projects were upgraded in some aspects but the text for the projects has not and can cause confusion.
Tinkedcad works best in Google Chrome on a windows machine but most of my students have Macs and even when using Chrome they run into issues that Windows users don’t
Tinkedcad is browser-based but, to have a program that would be tablet compatible would be invaluable. So far it has only really worked on a Surface Pro 3.
Autodesk Tinkercad is by far the most user-friendly 3D modeling program I have used, especially for basic 3D modeling tasks. MeshLab and MeshMixer have similar functions but are far more complicated to navigate and difficult to use. These programs also tend to crash frequently, which has never been a problem with Tinkercad. The fact that you can use Tinkercad without downloading any software also makes it far more accessible, as you can log into your account and edit your models from any computer. I use 3ds Max for more complex 3D modeling, but for small tasks I always choose Tinkercad.
Autodesk Tinkercad has enabled us to engage our customers further by offering enrichment programs for their children which will help to inspire them into STEM careers