Autodesk TinkerCAD Suggestions

caleb.sanford3UXJK · ‎10-21-2022

I just want to get this out there and hope somebody will that can make this happen will see it:

TinkerCAD is a highly under-appreciated product from Autodesk. I am a process engineer in the automotive industry, and my colleagues and I all use TinkerCAD every day to design jig prototypes. It's web based and it's free. That alone is enough incentive to not use our company Solidworks blades (they are always being used by somebody else!).

Although, I have a lot of experience with traditional 3D modeling software (Inventor, NX, Cimatron, Solidworks), I almost exclusively use TinkerCAD now because of how quick it can be to model a tool (even complex tools).

But, TinkerCAD could use a few mild upgrades that would make it so much better! The ability to add fillets and chamfers the traditional way would be awesome. If TinkerCAD could detect edges/corners and make them selectable features of a body so that you could add a fillet would be great. I currently just use a 'radius block' that I saved to my 'Your Creations' tab so that I can drag/drop/scale just like any other basic shape.

Also, and this is the most important one, if TinkerCAD could detect isolated chunks of 'material' inside a single 'body' (Let's say you have a square and you use a thin rectangular plane hole to cut the square into two separate halves), so that you could select the free-floating chunks, even though they are all grouped together into one body, and delete the chunks you don't want. All the time, we import STL files of our car components into TinkerCAD, and they come in as one grouped body, but there are mutliple separate pieces (usually because the STL files we get are of systems, like the brake line system). I want to delete half of the components but because it's all one body I have to patiently use 50+ square holes to cut away the free-floating other stuff I don't want.

Christian_P · ‎10-31-2022

Thanks for the suggestions. We walk a fine line with adding more features to Tinkercad and keeping it an approachable first step in CAD for all ages.

For the modeling features you request, such as filleting, chamfering and sub object selection of edges and vertices: These features are not likely something we will add to Tinkercad.

I can see a need to import as separate shells, and that may be something we can make happen.

Fusion 360 is the next step up in functionality from Tinkercad.

Since we are the same company, we've:

-Added Tinkercad navigation to Fusion360.

-Added a way to Sent To Fusion360 from Tinkercad (in Fusion360's native format).

Here's some resources and videos for Tinkercad users who want to make the move to Fusion 360: https://blog.tinkercad.com/level-up-from-tinkercad-to-fusion-360

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carwellbob · ‎10-29-2023

I'm replying here because I've been looking for an HOUR where to provide suggested improvements to Tinkercad.

First, sure seems the Autodesk Community as it relates solely to Tinkercad is woefully convoluted, complex, and complicated to new users. I found Reddit and Facebook almost instantly but forums and the interface in Autodesk are a horror show IMHO.

Now to my humble suggestions: I realize Your Creations has "tags" and "search". But seems it would be very helpful to provide folders/subfolders to stick creations in.

Also, seems in Basic Shapes it would be helpful to have a few premade "knives" (cleaver, butcher knife, paring knife..) to cut off or trim portions of a model. A real PITA to repeatedly have to use a rectangle and resize for a simple cut.

Finally, maybe a warning in Your Creations that if you put something in there that is a combination of shapes, you cannot thereafter take them apart. I spend several frustrating hours trying to figure out why I could not do this before finding an obscure comment from a user somewhere.

I also realize Tinkercad is free and cannot be as robust as Fusion 360, etc., , so I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth. Truly a wonderful program and gift to us. Actually the BEST hands down for what it does.

All the best,

Bob