3D modeling for beginners: from a sketch and bodies to a model for printing
Place basic bodies, shapes and text, cut openings with Hole bodies and download the model as STL, 3MF or OBJ for your 3D printer. 68 lessons walk you through it.
Part of Pro, 15 EUR a month.
- 6 bodies and 8 shapesplus text, QR code and barcode
- 68 lessonsfrom a name plate to a mechanism
- STL, 3MF, OBJa model for the slicer
- 0.8 mm wallthe FDM limit at Cutting
What online 3D modeling software is
EduBuilder 3D is online 3D modeling software, part of Pro at EduFacturing. You build a model for 3D printing from basic bodies, 2D shapes and text. Every body has a position, a rotation and dimensions in mm, and bodies with the Hole role cut openings and pockets in the solid ones.
It has two modes: 2D for sketches and 3D for the scene. The interface has two levels: Easy (the default) hides advanced commands, Pro shows them. The Pro button sets the interface level, not the plan.
What you can build in EduBuilder 3D
Builds from bodies, shapes and files
Six basic bodies, eight 2D shapes (star, heart, gear, shield and more), text, a QR code and a barcode. STL and 3MF import as a body, and a photo or SVG become a body, 60 mm wide and 4 mm thick by default.
Combines, cuts and arranges
A Hole body cuts the solid ones. Two bodies can be subtracted, united or intersected; selected bodies can be grouped, aligned and mirrored. A sketch on the plate or on a body face is raised into a body.
Finishes the model for printing
At the Pro level: a chamfer or fillet on edges, Hollow out to a 2 mm wall (the default), and Split with dowels, a dovetail, a puzzle joint or magnets. Cutting shows the final model and the advice, Download gives a file, and Order sends an STL to the order page.
Teaches with 68 lessons and a teacher’s assignment
68 lessons light up the next button and move on when the scene meets the step. A teacher’s assignment is a file with up to 8 kinds of checkable requirements.
When you need 3D modeling for beginners
Dimensions in mm let a model be checked before it reaches the printer.
A 3D modeling lesson in class
The teacher hands out an assignment as a file, for example at most 5 bodies, a hole, a label and a wall of at least 0.8 mm. The student ticks the list off while building.
Name plates, keychains, magnets
The Easy start screen gives a plate of 60 × 28 × 4 mm, a keychain of 42 × 24 × 4 mm, a magnet of 32 × 32 × 3 mm and a box of 40 × 40 × 30 mm.
Enclosures and brackets with fasteners
At the Pro level: a bolt or nut from M3 to M20 with an ISO thread, a threaded hole with a default FDM clearance of 0.3 mm, and parts from six catalogs: bearings, springs, joints, linear motion, motors, and pneumatics/hydraulics.
A model larger than the printer bed
The bed changes from a list of 58 bed sizes, and at the Pro level a body that does not fit is cut with Split and a joint.
How a model becomes a file for 3D printing
The model is a list of bodies. At Cutting, Download and Order they are assembled into one model with boolean operations.
Assembly
Solid bodies are united and Hole bodies are subtracted. Inside a group, holes cut only the group; outside one they cut the whole model.
Print advice
At Cutting, the thinnest side of every body and the diameter of every hole are compared with the FDM minimum. Below the limit comes advice with a reason and a consequence, and a one-click fix for numeric dimensions.
Export
The assembled model is written as STL, 3MF or OBJ.
| Applies to | Formula | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum wall, FDM | min(W, D, H) ≥ 0.8 mm | the thinnest extent of the body; two perimeters with a 0.4 mm nozzle |
| Minimum hole, FDM | Ø ≥ 2 mm | the diameter of a Hole body is the smaller of W and D |
| Dowel in Split | socket Ø + 0.4 mm; pin Ø − 0.1 mm | the cut is at the middle of the extent along the chosen axis |
Print advice and a lesson that watches the model
The whole chain in one place
Sketch, bodies, holes, cutting and export are on one page, Order in the same ribbon sends an STL to the order page, and cutting and export run in the browser.
The print advice says why
Each piece of advice gives a reason from the FDM rules and a consequence on the printer, and numeric dimensions also get a fix button.
The lesson watches the scene
The next step opens when the scene meets it.
EduBuilder 3D does not calculate strength or deformation. Cutting shows the final model with the holes cut out, not layers, and it does not make G-code: the file goes to a slicer. The advice measures the thinnest extent of a body and the hole diameter, not the wall of a hollowed body (from 0.4 mm), overhangs or supports.
Edges, Hollow out and Split replace the body with a triangle mesh: its dimensions are no longer parameters; Undo goes back.
Projects live in this browser: another browser or cleared data loses them, so download the project as .edubuilder.json.
Questions about 3D modeling for beginners
How to make a 3d model for printing?
Place basic bodies, shapes and text in the 3D scene, cut openings with Hole bodies and download the model as STL, 3MF or OBJ. At Cutting you get print advice if a wall or hole is under the FDM minimum.
How to start 3d modeling?
Start at the Easy level: the start screen gives a plate, a keychain, a magnet and a box, and 68 lessons walk you through the steps.
How to make a 3d keychain?
Pick the keychain on the Easy start screen: it is 42 × 24 × 4 mm. Change the dimensions, add text and download STL, 3MF or OBJ.
How do I make a hole in a body?
Add a cylinder and switch it from Solid to Hole in Properties. At Cutting, Download and Order the hole cuts the solid bodies, and Group (Ctrl+G) limits it to the group.
What does EduBuilder 3D offer if I am looking for a Tinkercad alternative?
EduBuilder 3D is a standalone tool from EduFacturing: basic bodies, Hole bodies, 2D sketches, 68 lessons and export to STL, 3MF or OBJ. It is part of Pro at 15 EUR a month.
How much does EduBuilder 3D cost?
It is part of Pro at 15 EUR a month. Pro also opens the other Pro tools in the catalog.
EduBuilder 3D is part of Pro
Pro costs 15 EUR a month and opens all 45 Pro tools.
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Build your first 3D model
Part of Pro, 15 EUR a month.