Introduction: Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?

So this is a quick, fun little idea to do for a small ornament for a christmas tree. First is what you do is you start by going to Tinkercad.com it is a very user friendly website especially for beginners. Once you are there select create new design and you will be taken to a work space. Looking on the left side of the screen you will see a tool bar that looks like the first image. Scroll down and look for geometric and select it. Once you have selected it you can see that there are a lot of different types of shapes, look and select the sphere. When you click it drag you mouse onto the work plane and you will see the sphere will appear in the workspace click and it will allow you to change the size. Every time you want to add a sphere you will have to click the sphere and drag your mouse on to the workspace and click to get a new sphere. You can make the sizes of the spheres as big or as small as you would like. To stack the spheres as shown in the fifth image you must select what looks like a arrow shown in the forth image and drag it to line up correct so the snowman look symmetrical.

Step 1: Snowman: Step 2

Is what your going to do next is that you are going to make the snowman's hands. Next go over back to the geometric tab and select the box and drag your mouse into the work space and click. Then is what you will do is you will click and drag like any other image and make it as small or as big as you want it. The main part of the snowman's arms are going to be longer (of course) for the fingers you will do the same thing and drag them all to the end of the stick which ever side you so choose and put 1 of the 3 fingers in the middle. Make sure all of the 3 fingers all meet at the same place in the middle so when it prints the fingers wont fall off so easy. In order to drag and align the whole arm (since they are all separate parts) drag your mouse over the arm you made and highlight the arm so it will select the entire arm so it will make it easier to put the arm on the snowman. Make the fingers to look like the ones up on image 4. Once you have that then is what you need to do is click the icon shown in image 2 (highlighted in red looks like to arrows one pointed up the other down in the middle of image 2) and 3, then move it how ever you so choose. When it comes to putting the arms on the snowman (do NOT put them just barley on or they will fall off very easily make sure) are fully on the body.

Step 2: Snowman: Step 3 (Almost Done)

You are almost done building your snowman but we are still missing some of the most iconic parts for the snowman. He still needs his little buttons and the nose. Then I will show you how to change the colors so looks like a good old fashioned snowman. So by now you should have a body and arms, these next steps are really easy and do not take very long. So for his buttons is what you need to do is go back to the tab titled Geometric and select a sphere. Now you need to make the first button (which goes on the bottom and biggest sphere) as small as you need it to be depending on the size of your snowman. Make sure the circles are symmetrical with the res of your snowman. Then repeat this process for the other sphere on the snowman. Now for the eyes basically do the same thing and make sure the eyes are symmetrical to each other. For the first image ignore the measurements and do so ever as you please. Next go back to the Geometric tab and scroll down and select cone. This is what you are going to use as the nose for snowman. MAke the cone slimmer to look more like a nose but make it whatever size you need for your snowman. Again to move the cone so click the arrow tool you used in the previous step and make it to where the cone looks like image 7.

Step 3: Snowman: Step 4 (Final)

Now we are almost done making our snowman, and all that is left is the top hat and coloring. So to make the top hat go to Geometric and select the cylinder. Again make the top hat as big or as small as you need it to be. Next select another cylinder and place it next to the first cylinder, than flatten it as thin as you need it the drag it right under neath the fist cylinder and you will have your top hat. Now just like in the last step due to multiple parts you need to drag and highlight to select the entire hat so it will make it easier to place on the snowman. If you want his hat to be tilted like mine just click the icon that looks like two arrows going at an angle and make it as tilted as you would like. Now all that is left is to color to color select any of the shapes as you have probably noticed there has been a tab that pops up when you click a shape. If you look at it it gives you an option to change the color of that specific shape. Just go around and click all the shapes and change them to any colors that you want so if you print him in colors he will look like a snowman. Now for the last touch you need to add a ring to the top so you can slip string through to hang him on the tree. Go to Geometric and select Tube Thin, make the size as small as you need it to be and put it on top of the snowman's hat half way so its not a whole circle just half and it will be on securely so it wont break. You can also change the color of the loop if you wish to.

3D Printed Ornament Design Challenge

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3D Printed Ornament Design Challenge