Behold.
My very first attempt at 3D-rendering. Note the rounded ends, the curved elbow, the metallic finish. For a newbie, I was extremely pleased with myself! Following the Fusion 360 tutorial video, step-by-step, I think that this model came pretty darn close to their’s. If you would like to try this process out yourself, Fusion 360 offers a free, 30 day trial, and their site provides a variety of tutorial videos, to step you through the process. If you can follow a recipe, you should be able to follow their videos. Remember that the Pause button is your best friend.
This week in class, we situated ourselves within the world of 3D Printing. Classmates Ebru and Marshall produced an informative website, guiding fellow ETEC 522-ers through everything one would want to know about utilizing 3D-printing technology at school or at work. As always, I LOVE learning a new skill that utilizes technology. Spending time with Fusion360, creating my copper “thinga-ma-doodle” was really great!
Will I be using this technology with my Math and Physics classes? That is a really great question…
Right now, applications are not really jumping out at me. This is not to say that they do not exist, however! Students must invest time, and heck, I need to invest time, into Fusion360 skill sets. I do not have in-class time to devote to this, but perhaps as an out-of-class time project, individuals could opt to utilize this technology.
Ebru and Marshall provided 3 programs as suggestions to experiment with, however, Fusion 360 was my unquestionable choice. My school’s technology teacher uses this program, so I wanted to go with a program that high school students actually work with. Here is a link to the Fusion 360 site. I downloaded the free 30-day trial, however, it seems that more serious individuals can sign up for a free, 3-year trial, if they are in education. Through this link, the software also provides learners with many tutorial videos, for different skill levels. This program has an extremely broad range of functions, to say the least. If you were looking to jump into this technology, I would give Fusion 360 my green thumb’s up!
Hey Dana!
Thanks for the post and welcome to the world of 3D Printing. I agree with you that right now in packed curriculum, creating a time slot for 3D printing can be hard but technology is full of surprises, so maybe soon the process can be quicker and easier to teach, who knows?
I wholeheartedly agree, Ebru. Finding the time is easier said than done, when one is completing projects and weekly assignments for a Masters degree. I tweeted my post yesterday, and a former MET student that I follow, provided a list of cool math/science ideas for 3D printing! One day, we will be him with “all the time in the world”, haha!