Architectural Modeling 2D to 3D

thingiverse

Having students create their learning and ideas does not always have to start by using a 3D modeling tool. Artists can now print their drawn designs, scientists can now print their models, engineers can print detailed plans of their designs, and mathematicians can create mathematical models and more. This tutorial will show you how to turn any drawing or image file into a 3D print using the free tool Inkscape. Standards In this lesson plan idea, students design a needed addition onto their school by using TinkerCAD or another CAD program! The following tutorial can be used to have students create graphic arts projects, molecular structure, engineering plans, political – geographical – historical maps, physical learning aids, and mathematical models. Lesson Plan and Activity To turn an image into a 3D print you first need to choose the program that you are going to use for the job at hand. Two ways to do this are through the use of the Printshop app by Makerbot or using Inkscape. Printshop uses the camera on an iPad to take a picture of a drawing, which it then turns into a 3D file for printing. Inkscape is a free vector software that can turn even the most detailed black and white images into an SVG file that can be used for 3D printing. The following tutorial will show you how to turn the floor plan of your school into a 3D print that students can design a needed addition onto their school. Before you get going, you will need to get ahold of the floor plan that you want to use. Most schools have fire and tornado evacuation maps that will work for this. You will just need to scan the image so that you have it in a JPEG format. Inkscape In the world of graphic art software cost is always an issue. Most of the name brand software can be purchased to do similar work, but individual and school licenses can get fairly expensive. Inkscape however, is completely free for individual, business, and school use. Also, it works on both Mac and Windows computers. Inkscape can be downloaded with tutorials at https://inkscape.org/en/ The purpose of this project is for the students to engage in a real-world problem that is relevant to them. The school that they attend, like many others, is overcrowded and in need of more space in the form of an addition. The students will identify the needs of the school and design an addition onto the school that meets those needs. Once you have installed and opened Inkscape, you can click on the "File" menu and select "Open" to open your JPEG image. You can then use the "Tracing" tool to turn the image into a bitmap. Saving, Sharing, Creating and Printing The .SVG image that is now saved can be imported into TinkerCAD. When importing a large image TinkerCAD might give you on-screen instructions to follow for resizing. Websites Inkscape - https://inkscape.org/en/ TinkerCAD - https://www.tinkercad.com/