3D Design Tools (Part 2)

It’s 3D design week on the Tech Tools for Teachers Podcast! Teaching resources look a little different this year and I have been hunting for new, free ways to challenge students with 3D design. At my school, we usually have software that is licensed on our computer lab PCs. However, this year, we don’t have access to those resources, so we use some of the resources that I talked about in Episode 21 AND some of the tools we are chatting about this week! These sites have a lot to offer middle and high school students.

Figuro & SketchUp

Figuro and SketchUp are websites that offer 3D design online. They are both setup on a work plane that allows you to use shapes or draw your own designs. You can change colors and textures as you work. They allow you to upload your own projects and continue to work on them. They both also offer tutorials of some sort.

SketchUp has them built right in on the righthand side of the screen so you can watch as you work. While they are both free sites, SketchUp does have several tools that you need to pay for an “upgrade” to use. Both of these sites are great for students to work on 3D designs without having to download software.

Blender & LeoCAD

The next two sites are free 3D design downloads with a ton to offer. Blender is definitely made for older students or adults who have a high interest in design and some background knowledge. There is a large variety of tools to design with from animation to structure design. The projects that are shared in the Blender community section are amazing!

LeoCAD, our second free software download, uses legos for 3D design. The software is user friendly with familiar icons. You can choose your lego brick size and color before you place it on your work plane. Middle school students and older would be able to navigate this 3D design software fairly easily.

TECH MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

I understand how virtual learning opportunities for students can be a little tricky if you don’t have access to your normal teaching tools. Hopefully, if your students are into 3D design these can help you out!

Take care. Thanks for listening!

Transcript not yet available for this episode.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More Posts

A photo of Shanna Martin with the text "Goblin Tools" and "Episode 160" over a green background.

Goblin Tools

6 Quick AI Tools to organize your life! Hey teachers! Looking to add a little magic to your life? Goblin.Tools is here to help! This

A photo of Shanna Martin over a purple background soundwaves behind her. The text says Episode 159 and "AI in Education, Part 1"

AI in Education, Part 1

Feeling like you could use a breather from your workload? Well, this week, we’ve got your back! We’re all about helping you reclaim some precious

A photo of Shanna Martin over a blue background soundwaves behind her. The text says Episode 158 and "Exploring Art & History"

Exploring Art & History

Are you ready to for a little extra engagement in your classroom? Look no further than these two fantastic tech tools that will have your

Green background with the Tech Tools for Teachers logo and the text "Episode 157" and "Canva for Education" with a photo of Shanna Martin in front of some swirly soundwaves.

Canva for Teachers!

Hey everyone! As we gear up for another exciting school year, it’s time to equip ourselves with some fantastic tech tools that will not only