Monthly Archives: January 2015

3D Modeling with TinkerCAD: making a keychain with a drawing on it

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I’ve been learning about 3D modeling and 3D printing over the last month, and TinkerCAD is one piece of software which was recommended to me as a beginner.  I have to say, there’s a lot to love about it: it’s free, it’s easy to learn, and it’s web-based, which is a bigger advantage than you think.  A cloud server does all the computational work and also stores the models you make, so you don’t need to install anything, you don’t need a powerful computer, and you can access your files from anywhere.  I’m sure there are some things that TinkerCAD doesn’t do as well as the big non-cloud-based softwares, but it’s been more than sufficient for my needs thus far.

The post this time is a simple TinkerCAD tutorial that teaches a few useful tricks for beginners. Continue reading 3D Modeling with TinkerCAD: making a keychain with a drawing on it →

Hello, world. Let’s make stuff.

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This year is going to be a year of many projects, and this blog will be my log of it all.

I’m probably at my happiest when I’m making, repairing, designing, or hacking something, especially if it involves learning new skills.  Even if I’m just learning to use a sewing machine, I love that it expands my toolkit for solving problems in daily life, making me that much more capable as a person.  I’ve known this about myself for a long time, and I’m always thinking of ideas for new projects, but I haven’t always made it a priority in my life to find time to carry them out.

For the last few months, I’ve been getting back into an old habit of mine, which is evaluating activities in terms of whether or not they’re ‘enriching’.  An enriching activity is one that permanently enhances me as a person, giving me something: new skills, a wider and/or deeper knowledge base, a new perspective.

Continue reading Hello, world. Let’s make stuff. →