How to Slice Up a T-Rex in 123D Make

Grrr... Arrrgh! In this tutorial, I'm going to guide you gently through the process of using Autodesk 123D Make to turn a 3D model of a dinosaur into a cardboard model kit. It's extremely simple to do, even if you have no prior experience of using 3D software. You will, however, require either a laser cutter or a heck of a lot of patience for cutting cardboard.

123D Make is free and available to download for Macs at http://www.123dapp.com/make. There are also plans in the works to release an online version of the software which will run on PCs as well as Macs, hopefully within the next few months.

You can now buy a pre-cut version of this kit at the Instructables Store! Woohoo!

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Step 1: Start up 123D Make

Screen Shot 2012-01-18 at 2.54.45 PM.png

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First things first: open up 123D Make. You should be presented with a clean, almost empty interface.

In the top left, you'll see a tab labeled "Start shape". This is where you choose the object that you'd like to slice. You can either select a shape from the small library of default models, of you can import your own STL or OBJ file. If you've got something other than a T-Rex that you'd prefer to make, then go ahead and do that.

You can download the T-Rex model here and then open it by clicking on Import in 123D Make.

2304_Tyrannosaurus_Rex_ASCII.stl6 MB

aarrnnoo says: May 18, 2012. 4:47 AM

can you make a bigger photo of the pieces or a PDF file or something? I want to do it by hand, cutting all the pieces out one by one, but the picture's quality is to bad to be able to print it out, the numbers are not readable :'(

please, please please :'(
thanks in advance

vcote says: Jan 29, 2012. 11:10 AM

Hi,

Everytime I try to import my OBJ file into 123D-make, the program crashes. I tried multiple different files. Nothing works.

I work on Mac.

Any idea of what the problem might be? Or anyone nice enough to run my file through their program and sending me the exported puzzle. I am losing patience.

tannerpotts17 says: Jan 28, 2012. 11:17 AM

seems to work very hard

cheekypaper says: Jan 19, 2012. 8:10 AM

Thanx.. but I did not even look further :~(
I am so CUT-UP that I am still stuck with the BillGutless system.
Excuse the pun.

Good news about pc based in pipeline.

I envy you

rondust in reply to cheekypaperJan 19, 2012. 12:15 PM

If you do a Google search you will find that the Windows version is called 'Create' -
http://www.123dapp.com/create
check it out

FamilyGuy2006 in reply to rondustJan 19, 2012. 2:08 PM

Oh how I wish that were fully true.
You can use 123D on a PC, but the 123D MAKE (add-in?) is not available for PC just yet.
123D Guys need to hurry up on that one! :) Please....

rondust in reply to FamilyGuy2006Jan 19, 2012. 3:18 PM

I made a mistake in my post.
The software is 123D CATCH for Windows

123D MAKE is for Mac OS - 123D CATCH is for Windows
its a Public Beta release I think.

That is what I understand from the AUTODESK site, I have downloaded the software but have not installed it yet - a weekend thing and today is Friday here.
Buggered if I know why they just didnt have the same name and OS type change, thats Autodesk.

If I am wrong, I appologise in advance.

FamilyGuy2006 in reply to rondustJan 19, 2012. 8:12 PM

123D Catch allows you to take photos of an object or landscape and turn it into a 3D model. So there is still not a 3D MAKE for PC.

PenfoldPlant (author) in reply to FamilyGuy2006Jan 19, 2012. 9:20 PM

FamilyGuy2006 is right: the PC software and the Mac software are very different. There's sometimes a bit of (understandable) confusion about what piece of 123D software does what, so here's the run-down:

123D is the name given to a small family of different Autodesk programs, all of which are aimed at getting complete beginners involved in 3D modeling.

123D Catch allows you to convert photos into 3D models. You take a whole load of snapshots of a single object, building or person and the software magically makes a 3D model from them. It is currently only available for the PC.
123D Make lets you slice up 3D models into different 2D pieces that you can then cut out and assemble, as shown in this tutorial. It is currently only available for the Mac.
123D Sculpt is a tactile sculpting app for the iPad. It lets you sculpt an object out of virtual clay via a very intuitive and user-friendly interface.
Most confusingly of all, there is also a piece of software just called 123D, which is a 3D modeling program currently only available for the PC. 123D is a more traditional design program, rather like AutoCAD, only much simpler and easier to use. It lets you design an object from scratch.

Why all of the different software platforms? As I understand it, that's just a quirk resulting from different teams working on all the different pieces of software at the same time. The end goal is to make all the software available online for any operating system. Within the next few months, you should start seeing much more integration between all of 123D's different branches.

I hope that cleared some things up!

FamilyGuy2006 in reply to PenfoldPlantJan 25, 2012. 3:27 AM

Great news everybody! 123D Make is now an ONLINE APP. It only does slice build ups, no radial or orthogonal gap slice builds. But its at least SOMETHING that I can use on my PC! Though I have been unsuccesful in uploading any STL file I still have hope

Bestar says: Jan 22, 2012. 12:08 PM

Cool dino. Do you know that Noah took to his boat 2 dinos but they was boys both? Ahahaha =))

ramospk says: Jan 20, 2012. 8:06 AM

For all the work and technology needed, making this out of cardboard doesn't make sense to me. If the laser cutter can do thin plywood, or balsa wood, it would be much better, as you'd get a more permanent sculpture.

Otherwise, once you can print paper sheets with all the slices, glue it to plywood (so that it is removable afterward) or trace it into the wood, and cut them with a hand coping saw with fine teeth.

I think this would be more in the Instructables "spirit" as well

best regards,

133

caitlinsdad says: Jan 19, 2012. 8:48 AM

And why no Instructables Robot?

155

canida in reply to caitlinsdadJan 19, 2012. 10:35 AM

Robot looks pretty silly waffled, as too much detail is lost, but we're experimenting with a sliced version soon. The antennae are problematic in either case.

133

caitlinsdad in reply to canidaJan 20, 2012. 5:07 AM

The corrugations in the cardboard should only have impact on the scale of the final model to render the details. I would think a laser cutter should be able to cut one corrugation width paper straw.Change out to matte board. So this means it fails the sputnik test of 3-d modeling. All it takes is a sphere with some pencils stuck in it. I would stick a couple of IKEA pencils in for Robot's antennae.

raikoug says: Jan 19, 2012. 6:48 PM

Awesome instructable... but.. a laser cutter? how many people you think has a laser cutter at home or at work?! I will invest a lot of hours, or at least... will search for an instructable for lasercutters :D
Thanks for the perfect guide!

mir0k in reply to raikougJan 20, 2012. 2:24 AM

In one copy shop near by they have a laser cutter which costs 50$ per hour. I think for cutting a cardboard like this takes few minutes. I live in Slovenia, which is very small country in Europe, so I think lasers are available "everywhere" nowadays.

PenfoldPlant (author) in reply to raikougJan 19, 2012. 9:22 PM

123D Catch allows you to convert photos into 3D models. You take a whole load of snapshots of a single object, building or person and the software magically makes a 3D model from them. It is currently only available for the PC.
123D Make lets you slice up 3D models into different 2D pieces that you can then cut out and assemble, as shown in this tutorial. It is currently only available for the Mac.
123D Sculpt is a tactile sculpting app for the iPad. It lets you sculpt an object out of virtual clay via a very intuitive and user-friendly interface.
Most confusingly of all, there is also a piece of software just called 123D, which is a 3D modeling program currently only available for the PC. 123D is a more traditional design program, rather like AutoCAD, only much simpler and easier to use. It lets you design an object from scratch.

raikoug in reply to PenfoldPlantJan 20, 2012. 6:55 AM

http://www.123dapp.com/123d ... it says you can make slices too... i don't find the function :( will wait for guide. ^^

raikoug in reply to PenfoldPlantJan 20, 2012. 6:52 AM

So the make one isn't currently avaible for windows, but I saw there is a service of lasercutting and shipping.. I will see... but for now I can't make slices of the project, so can't order anything... :(
(Autodesk 123d Beta for windows is quite useless, is a maya 3d reproduction, or at least blender 3d... I can upload the project you made, but can't do anything but edit the 3d project, not slice... (or maybe i'm really noob :( and that's a possible option!!!))