2 creditsIn progress

3D Printing & CAD 101

I can already print other people's models. Now learn to design my own: a clean Gridfinity shelf with a custom shadow box for each of my everyday-carry items.

Units

One step a week · 0 of 18 done

Unit 1Plan the shelf

Weeks 6–7 · 0/8

Not done yet: Measure the shelf with calipers: width, depth, usable heightWk 6
Not done yet: Work out how many 42 mm Gridfinity units fitWk 6
Not done yet: Print one stock 2x2 baseplate and a 1x1 bin to check fit and your printer's tolerancesWk 6
Not done yet: Photo shoot for the shadow boxes: each item alone, shot straight down on a grid or cutting mat with a ruler in frame (phone held level, no zoom)Wk 7
Not done yet: Caliper each item: length, width, thicknessWk 7
Not done yet: Save the photos + numbers in one folder on the laptop, ready for Thanksgiving at my parents'Wk 7
Not done yet: Sketch the shelf layout to scale: which item gets which bin sizeWk 7
Not done yet: Pick one filament colorWk 7

Unit 2Learn Fusion

Weeks 8–9 · 0/5

Not done yet: Before Thanksgiving travel: install FusionWk 8
Not done yet: Fusion beginner tutorial: sketch, constrain, extrude, offsetWk 8
Not done yet: Install the GridfinityGenerator add-inWk 8
Not done yet: Generate a baseplate sized to the shelf, split to fit the print bedWk 8
Not done yet: At my parents', laptop only: model the first shadow box by tracing one item's photo (a calibrated canvas), offset for clearance, add a finger notchWk 9

Unit 3First shadow box

Weeks 10–10 · 0/1

MidtermNot done yet: Back home: print the baseplate and the first shadow box. The item drops in and lifts out cleanlyWk 10

Unit 4Build out the shelf

Weeks 11–12 · 0/3

Not done yet: Model and print the rest of the shadow boxesWk 11
Not done yet: Reprint anything that is too tight or too looseWk 11
FinalNot done yet: FINAL: shelf fully kitted out, one color, every item in its own shadow box; photo + the CAD filesWk 12

Unit 5Wind down

Weeks 13–13 · 0/1

BufferNot done yet: San Diego week: restWk 13

Check-ins

0 check-ins

No check-ins yet. The first one counts as attendance for week 1.

Final exam · Wk 12 · Sun Dec 20One shelf fully kitted out in Gridfinity: a baseplate that fills it and a shadow box I designed for every everyday-carry item. One filament color, everything drops in and lifts out cleanly.

Midterm · Wk 10Back home: print the baseplate and the first shadow box. The item drops in and lifts out cleanly

Syllabus

Weekly minimumTwo CAD sessions of about 45 minutesOne test print a week, even a small oneA check-in with the print and what to change

When and whereStarts Wk 6, so the indoor work lands in the cold months. Printer + digital calipers already in hand. CAD in Autodesk Fusion (free for personal use) with the GridfinityGenerator add-in for baseplates and bins; the shadow-box cutouts are modeled by hand, which is the point of the class.

Credits2 · about 2 hours a week

Progress · 0%

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