Getting Started Guide
Autodesk Tinkercad is a free (for everyone) web-based
tool for learning 3D design electronics and coding,
trusted by 50 million teachers and students around the
world.Learning design with Tinkercad helps to build
essential STEM skills like problem-solving, critical
thinking, and creativity.
Tinkercad’s friendly and easy to learn tools provide rapid
and repeatable successes, making it fun and rewarding
for learners of all ages to bring their ideas to life!
Help to your students develop a sense of curiosity and a
passion for STEM-related fields and inspire your students
on their path to future careers as designers.
We have lesson plans and support for teachers to feel
confident teaching design. Be the facilitator and watch
your students become the experts!
Sign up is easy using popular services like Google.
Alternately, add students without requiring personal
information using only nicknames and a shared link.
Design in Tinkercad begins with simple shapes and
components. Level up quickly with our library of starter
projects and tutorials and check out the community
gallery for endless ideas to remix.
What’s new in Tinkercad?
1 Learn more about the newest functionalities
in Tinkercad
Tinkercad 3D Design
2 From product models to printable parts, 3D
design is the first step in making your ideas
Tinkercad Circuits
3
From blinking your first LED to reimagining
the thermometer, we’ll show you the ropes,
buttons, and breadboards of electronics
Tinkercad Codeblocks
4 Write programs that bring your designs
to life. Block-based code makes it easy to
create dynamic, parametric, and adaptive
5 Tinkercad Classrooms
Send and receive assignments, monitor
student progress, and assign new activities
all in Tinkercad Classrooms
6 Tinkercad to Fusion 360
Level up your Tinkercad designs with
Fusion 360
7 Tinkercad Keyboard Shortcuts
Use these handy shortcuts below to speed
up your Tinkercad 3D workflow
8
Tinkercad Resources
We’ve gathered a wealth of Tinkercad wisdom
all in one place to help get you started
1 What is new in Tinkercad?
Sim Lab
Put your designs in motion in our
new physics workspace. Simulate
the effects of gravity, collisions,
and realistic materials.
Cruising
Easily drag, stack, and assemble
shapes dynamically in the 3D editor.
Codeblocks
Refreshed with powerful new
blocks for improved object
templating, conditionals
statements, and programming
Elevate your 2D designs
Scan here for more on Tinkercad 3D Design
2 Tinkercad 3D Design
If you can dream it, you can build it. From product
models to printable parts, 3D Design is the first step in
making big ideas real.
Combine and cut out with a vast shape library to make
your ideas real. A simple interface allows you to focus
on creating your vision and less on learning the tools.
Arrays and Patterns
Use Duplicate one after another to
create repeating shape patterns
and arrays. Mirror objects to create
symmetry.
Simulate
Visualize your design in action
by clicking into the new Sim Lab
workspace, or enter the AR viewer on
the free iPad app.
Custom Shapes
Create your own set of draggable shapes
you frequently use in the “My Creations”
section of the Shapes Panel.
Power up your creation
Scan here for more on Tinkercad Circuits
3 Tinkercad Circuits
From blinking your first LED to building autonomous
robots, we’ll show you the ropes, buttons, and
breadboards of electronics.
Place and wire electronic components (even a lemon)
to create a virtual circuit from scratch or use our starter
circuits to explore and try things out.
Learning with Arduino or micro:bit? Build behaviors
using easy to follow blocks-based coding, or switch to
text and create with code.
Getting started
We have a large collection of premade
virtual electronic components you can
try out in the Starters library. Modify
with Codeblocks or text-based code for
your own circuit behaviors.
Schematic view
Generate and view a schematic layout
of your designed circuit as an
alternative view of how it works.
Simulation
Simulate how components respond
virtually before wiring your real-life
circuits.
Build a coding foundation
Scan here for more on Tinkercad Circuits
4 Tinkercad Codeblocks
Write programs that bring your designs to life. F
amiliar
Scratch based block coding makes it easy to create
dynamic, parametric, and adaptive 3D designs.
Drag and drop from a library of blocks. Snap them
together to form a stack of actions that can be run and
visualized in an animated simulation.
Create and control variables for object properties to
experiment with endless variations of your code. Run,
stack, repeat for instant feedback.
Conditionals + Booleans
Conditional blocks combined with the
boolean blocks will add logic to the
designs your code builds.
Color Control
Use the “Set Color” blocks to control
color variables within a loop to create
colorful creations with code.
New Template
Define objects with the new “Templates”
blocks, and add them only where you
need them with the companion “Create
from Template” block.
Accelerate learning with Tinkercad
Scan here for more on Tinkercad Classrooms
5 Tinkercad Classrooms
Teaching with Tinkercad has never been easier. Send
and receive assignments, monitor student progress, and
assign new activities — all in Tinkercad Classrooms.
Set up your classroom and share the class link to
onboard your students in minutes. Works well with
Google Classrooms.
A variety of built-in tutorials will have students creating
in no time.
Lesson Plans
Tinkercad Lesson Plans span all
subjects and adhere to ISTE, Common
Core, and NGSS standards.
Tutorials
Tinkercad tutorials from the Learning
Center can now be added to a Class
Activity for in-app learning.
Safe Mode
Default “On” for each Class, Safe Mode
cuts down on Gallery distractions and
limits students from sharing publicly.
6 Tinkercad to Fusion 360
Fusion 360 is a cloud-based 3D modeling, manufacturing,
simulation and electronics design software platform
for professional product design and manufacturing.
It provides full control over aesthetics, form, fit and
function.
Fusion 360 is the perfect next step for Tinkercad users
that start finding limitations to make their ideas real.
When you’re ready to design and make like the pros,
Fusion 360 will let you:
Gain full control of all shapes
Enhance the quality of your 3D prints
Assemble and animate your models
Bring designs to life with realistic images
Take your design to the next level
Get started and download Fusion 360 today. Educators
and students can get Fusion 360 for free by creating
an Autodesk account and verifying eligibility.
7
7 Tinkercad keyboard
Tinkercad keyboardshortcuts
shortcuts
Shape properties
Group Ctrl + G
Ungroup Ctrl + Shift + G
Make a Hole H
Make a Solid olor S
Make 9ransparent T
Lock or Unlock Ctrl + L
Hide Ctrl + H
Show all Ctrl + Shift + H
Group Ctrl + G
Helpers
Place Ruler R
Place eorkplane W
Place eorkplane at shape Shift + W
Show Shape eorkplane E
Viewing 3D space
Fit selected in view F
Orbit Right mouse or Ctrl
Pan Middle mouse or Shift
Pan Ctrl + Shift
Zoom in or out + and -
Printable PDF version: autode.sk/tinkercad-keyboard-shortcuts
PC / Mac Ctrl Alt
Commands
Copy Ctrl + C
Paste Ctrl + V
Duilicate, reieat duilicate Ctrl + D
Drag a coi Alt
Undo Ctrl + Z
Redo Ctrl + Y
Redo Ctrl + Shift + Z
Select all Ctrl + A
Select multiile Shift
Droi to OorKilane D
Align L
Mirror or fii M
Move, rotate, and scale shapes
Move 1 grid stei nmy8 axisl Arrow keys
Move ui n3 axisl + Ctrl
10x move + Shift
Rotate snai to Shift
Scale aout center Alt
Uni:orm scale Shift
Cruise tool C
Cruise eloO sur:ace Shift
8 Tinkercad Resources
Tinkercad Blog
A wealth of wisdom in one place.
Tips and Tricks
Learn how to maximize your workflow.
Learning Center
Get Started fast with these easy
Lesson Plans
Free lessons for use in the classroom.
Help Center
Browse articles by topic.
Privacy Policy
Your students are safe.
Notes
Thank you from Autodesk
From all of us at Autodesk, thank you for teaching
teaching and
and inspiring
inspiring
the next generation of designers and makers. Going
Going beyond
beyond
the software, our goal is to provide
provide you
you with
with all
all of
o
the resources and partners to help you
you engage
engage
with your students. From
From learning
learning and
and
certifications to
to professional
professional
development to
to classroom
classroom
project
project ideas,
ideas, we
we have
have
got what
what you
you need.
need.
Let’s stay connected
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