Introduction: Use the Align Tools and the Workplane Helper

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Now we're going to line some things up!

Instructions

  1. Continue to the next step.

Step 1: Introduction

Now that you know how to group, combine, and duplicate objects, it's time to put things together.

In this lesson, we're going to build a simple castle. You will learn all about the Align tool, mirroring, and Helper tools.

Instructions

  1. Continue to the next step.

Step 2: Getting Started

The first tool you will be using is the Align tool.

Instead of having to carefully position two pieces using the mouse, the Align tool can line them up for you.

When you have two or more objects selected, click the Align tool in the Adjust menu. You will see three handles appear on axis. Clicking the middle handle will center the objects along that axis.

Notice, when you mouse over the handle, Tinkercad will display a hint of the potential result, making choosing the right align handle easy!

Instructions

  1. Drag a cylinder and a cone to the Workplane.
  2. Make the cylinder 30mm tall and raise the cone 30mm off the Workplane.
  3. Select both objects.
  4. Use the Align tool from the Adjust menu.
  5. Click the center handle on the X and Y axes.
  6. Continue to the next step.

Step 3: Aligning to an Object (1 of 2)

In the last step, both objects aligned to the space between them. What if you don't want one of the objects to move?

When you try Align mode, this time, move your mouse over one of the objects. You will see some gray handles appear. These handles are what you would see if you were aligning one object to another.

This means the object you select will stay in place, and the other objects will move.

Let's try!

Instructions

  1. Drag out a box and make it 20mm tall, 60mm long, and 4mm thick.
  2. Drag the end of the wall to be in line with the center of the tower.
  3. Select both the tower and the wall.
  4. Go to the Adjust menu and click the Align tool.
  5. Click on the tower.
  6. Continue to the next step.

Step 4: Aligning to an Object (2 of 2)

Besides the center handle we've used, there are two limit handles for each axis. These limit handles allow you to align two objects, so they share the same edge.

Let's align the wall, so that the wall extends in a straight line from the circumference of our cylinder. Click on the limit handle on the end of the closest parallel line to the wall.

Now the circle of the tower and the face of the wall blend into each other. This neat feature is called a "tangent relationship." I will explain this in the next step.

Instructions

  1. Click on the limit handle on the end of the closest parallel line to the wall.
  2. Continue to the next step.

Step 5: A Tangent on Tangents

There are many ways to describe how objects fit together, and these methods are often referred to as "Relationships."

One very useful relationship is the Tangent relationship.

In geometry, a tangent is a is a straight line or plane that touches a circle at exactly one point, such that if you extend the line it does not cross the circle. When you have objects doing the same, it is called a 'Tangential Relationship.'

Having language to describe such relationships helps you think and talk about your design!

Instructions

  1. Continue to the next step.

Step 6: Copying and Pasting

What if you want to make more than one copy of an object? Instead of using the Duplicate tool, we will use the Copy and Paste tools.

Copy and Paste remembers the item you've copied, so you can paste the object any number of times and in any number of places.

Pasting will make an identical copy of the original, and it will offset the copy just slightly. This allows the object to be easier to grab.

Instructions

  1. Select the cone and the cylinder.
  2. From the menu bar, click Edit and Copy.
  3. From the menu bar, click Edit and Paste.
  4. Continue to the next step.

Step 7: Aligning Multiple Objects

Select the copied tower and roof, and drag them, so the copy is centered on the end of the wall.

You'll notice we're not using the Align tool for this operation. The Align tool is powerful, but it does not have a mode for aligning the center of an object to the end of another.

Instructions

  1. Move the tower, so its center aligns with the end of the wall.
  2. With both the roof and the tower still selected, also select the wall.
  3. Align the tower and roof to the wall, so that the tower and the wall create a nice tangent.
  4. Continue to the next step.

Step 8: We Want Taller Towers!

Making the front of the castle visibly different from the back of the castle may make it more exciting, so let's make the towers in the back taller than the towers in the front.

Instructions

  1. Raise the cone up to 40mm, and make the cylinder 40mm tall.
  2. Continue to the next step.

Step 9: Copy Wall and Align It to the Tower

We've already made one wall, we can just copy and paste the next, and rotate it 90° about the Z axis. If you need help remembering how to rotate about the Z axis, remember our 3D modeler's salute.

Now align the tower to the wall in a similar fashion to how we aligned the wall to the first tower.

Instructions

  1. Copy and paste the wall.
  2. Rotate it about the Z axis 90°.
  3. Line up the end of the wall to the center of the tower.
  4. Use the Align tool to make the wall tangent to the cylinder.
  5. Continue to the next step.

Step 10: Copy and Align the Next Wall

Copy this wall, again, and do the same to the other side. This will be our front.

Instructions

  1. Copy and paste wall.
  2. Line up the end of the wall to the center of the tower.
  3. Use the Align Tool to make the wall tangent to the cylinder.
  4. Continue to the next step.

Step 11: Grouping Items for Easy Alignment

When you align multiple objects, Tinkercad will align them all independently, so you may end up with all your parts stacked together. Probably not what you want!

We can avoid this by temporarily grouping the objects before we align them. This will make them behave like one object!

Once we are done aligning the object, we can ungroup the object.

Instructions

  1. Group the towers and the original wall.
  2. Copy and paste the group.
  3. Continue to the next step.

Step 12: Mirroring an Object

Our new group will go on the other side of the castle, but notice, the wall is on the wrong side!

Tinkercad has a Mirror tool that can reverse any object along any axis! You can flip from forward to backward, right to left, or upside down.

When you are using the Mirror tool, you'll see one double arrow handle per axis. HOvering your mouse cursor over the handles will give you a hint of the result, so you can see which handle works best for you.

Instructions

  1. Move the grouped object to the opposite side.
  2. Go to the menu bar, the adjust menu, and then select Mirror.
  3. Use the handle that is parallel with the wall to mirror across that axis.
  4. Continue to the next step.

Step 13: Aligning a Grouped Object

Now that the wall is mirrored, all we have to do is align it to one of the walls!

Instructions

  1. Align this grouped object to one of the walls.
  2. Continue to the next step.

Step 14: The Power of Delete

Hum, you don't know if you like castles with pointy towers. Wouldn't it make more sense to have towers we could put archers on for defense? We should replace the pointy towers with some battlements from which the archers can rain down arrows!

It's not too late to change our minds.

Instructions

  1. Select the towers.
  2. Ungroup the towers.
  3. Continue to the next step

Step 15: Deleting the Points

Now select the cones, and delete them. Go to the Menu bar, drop down the Edit menu, and click delete!

Poof, they're gone…

Instructions

  1. Select the cones.
  2. Select delete from the edit menu, or press the delete key.
  3. Continue to the next step.

Step 16: Using the Workplane Helper

Now, you can imagine all the steps required to make and move the battlements for your towers. The Workplane Helper should speed things up!

With it, BAM! You can build right on top of something, skipping any tedious measurements and moves!

Instructions

  1. Click on the Helper menu.
  2. Drag the Workplane Helper on top of one of the short cylinders.
  3. Continue to the next step.

Step 17: Building Our Battlements on the New Workplane

Now when you drag items onto the Workplane, they will appear at the level of the top of your tower.

Let's build out the perimeter of our battlements.

Instructions

  1. Drag out a Polygon and stretch it out until it's 26mm from point to point, then shrink it until it's 5mm tall.
  2. Drag out a cylinder and change it to a hole in the Inspector.
  3. Resize the cylinder to 16mm in diameter while holding Shift and Alt.
  4. Align the cylinder to the hex.
  5. Group the cylinder and the hex.
  6. Align the battlements to the first tower.
  7. Continue to the next step.

Step 18: Pasting on to a New Workplane

Now copy and paste the battlements, and align them to the next tower. When you have the Workplane Helper out, you will paste to the new Workplane, putting the battlements at the right height automatically.

Instructions

  1. Copy and paste the battlements, and align them to the next tower.
  2. Move the Workplane to the top of the taller towers.
  3. Paste the new battlements, and align them to the remaining two towers.
  4. Continue to the next step.

Step 19: Not Just a New Plane, a New Coordinate System!

For our next trick, drag the Workplane Helper to the front of the castle…yes, the wall…yes, up and down!

When you drag shapes to the Workplane, they will appear and move on the surface of the wall of your castle. Go ahead and personalize your castle. Give your castle a name or place some windows and arrow slits along the walls for more archers! Do this for the other walls! Go crazy!

You can return to the original Workplane by dragging the Workplane Helper to empty space.

Instructions

  1. Drag the Workplane Helper to the front of the castle.
  2. Try working in this new Workplane.
  3. Move the Workplane to a new surface, and experiment there.
  4. Drag the Workplane Helper to empty space to restore it to the original place.
  5. Continue to the next step.

Step 20: Printing Your Project

That was a fun project, now let's print it. What we're going to do now is explore the process of exporting your model for 3D printing.

Instructions

  1. At the top, on the right side of the menu bar, click Export.
  2. Select the "Everything in the Design" option.
  3. Select .STL (Standard Tessellation Language).
  4. Once you click that button, your model will be downloaded by your web browser, just like any other file download.
  5. Save this file with a name you can remember, and load it into your 3D printer's software.
  6. PRINT!

Congratulations, you have completed this project!

Check out other great projects on Tinkercad.