Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Autodesk 123D
123D is Autodesk's suite of free apps for iPhone, iPad, and computers. It
includes design tools as well as a 3D scanning tool (which you'll learn about
in
Chapter 9
. The 123D Design app is an easy-to-use program for 3D design.
It runs on Windows, OS X, and on the iPad. (There's an online version, too).
Although the iPad version isn't as full-featured as the version for desktop
computers, you can take the designs you create on the iPad and open them
on your computer to clean them up. Visit
http://www.123dapp.com/design
to download 123D Design.
Before you follow these instructions, you should get familiar with the 123D
user interface. For a quick overview of the user interface, including the names
and default locations of each user interface element, view the “onboarding”
intro that appears the first time you run the app. You can also get it to appear
by clicking the question mark in the upper-right, and choosing Quick Start
Tips.
Next, sign in to your Autodesk account by clicking Sign In in the upper right
corner. You can't get an STL for printing until you're signed in.
Let's use 123D to create a chess pawn. This project will let you work with a
variety of shapes, and you'll also learn how to carve one object with another.
Create a new document
At the top left of the 123D screen, click the 123D logo, then choose New.
Add a cylinder
Click the Primitives tool in the main toolbar at the top of the 123D window,
and choose Cylinder, as shown in
Figure 8-30
.
A cylinder will appear with a place for you to type in the radius and the
height. Before you click the mouse to place the cylinder, use the key-
board (you can move between radius and height with the Tab key) to set
the height to 10mm and the radius to 20mm (for a 40mm diameter), as
shown in
Figure 8-31
.
Move the mouse to place the cylinder somewhere near the center of the
workplane. Click the mouse to place it there.
