Virtual Designs Into Christmas Cards 2026

 

Our students have enjoyed a number of processes over the past few years that combine several apps into different stages of a project. 

An example of this is the production of personalised or unique festive cards using a combination of Tinkercad and then some form of AR/VR alterting of the image (recently we have used Pic Collage but with the expansion of AI options this year we are experimenting with a range of options.  In the example shown left the snow globe has been created by a student as part of the ornament design challenge.   The globe has a lot of specific detail and when rafting is included and the detail considered there are lots of elements that would make a potential print but one that would require careful moving and adapting.

The same design has been taken and is included on the image shown left.    This is the image which has been put through a 'festive' Pic Collage filter which has significantly altered the design.

The AR/VR projection was conducted outside of the classroom and then the image was screen shot and put through a seperate filter.   In New Zealand particularly in our location actual snowfall is particularly rare (and Christmas itself is in the middle of our summer).

The second image with the pic collage is a standard tree - it has been suggested already to the student that they should have used one of the virtual Christmas trees that were produced by students in the classroom earlier in the term.   The student is now going to experiment with different visual combinations, messages and settings for the card to create the final card image.   As always you can use the search bar in this blog to see this process created a number of times and in a range of contexts.  All of the key apps used in the process are readily available on the app store.

Festive Decoration Exemplar: Revision

Last month we published the start of our festive decorations challenge for the students for this year.  One of the first designs that was created was the present that we posted in October, you can read the original project details here.
 

One thing that we try to do as much as possible is to give students the opportunity to review, evaluate and improve or adapt their designs.   In this instance while the original print was successful there was some adjustments that the student wanted to make.

The photograph left is the student with their revised design.  In this instance they have used Tinkercads AR/VR option (which is available with the iPad with the App).   The student was doing this so they could rotate, experiment with and view their revised design.  They have supersized this during the process - which really makes any error or potential problem stand out.

As shown in the revised print the most significant changes came on the top of the print.  In the original the student had inserted their name and the (year) date but only the date had been printed (as their name hadn't been low enough and therefore not translated to a physical aspect of the print.   

The student increased the depth of the insert and also decided to balance the design by adding decorations in the other corresponding corners.

Essentially the dimensions of the print and the price point to produce it remained the same.   It remains a 60mm by 50mm rectangle with a width of 40mm.  The print took two hours to complete and had a price point of just over $1.00 using regular Bambu (orange) PLA.

The student has opted for the design to remain as is, as the PLA has a different shade throughout the spool and the student felt that this was suitable in terms of decoration.   The project was completed independently by a nine year old student who has been working on using Tinkercad for a year and is part of cohort two.

3D Printed Christmas Present

 

Challenge:To produce a unique Christmas themed decoration that was suitable to be hung from a Christmas Tree.

Background: Its festive season here in New Zealand and as the New Zealand school system runs from February to December we are nearly finished another year with four weeks to go! We've a range of students who have been in the classroom for two years and who are moving onto our senior school.

As we have detailed in earlier posts on this blog related to the project theme.    In this instance following the work on our virtual Christmas trees the students have followed it up by creating a decoration.   In this instance a present was created.

The original design was shown left.   It is a straightforward design, once our school technology matrix had been applied to it the student thought about additional design elements that could be introduced.   The first was the personalisation and the date which were easily added by the student putting both in the top right and bottom left corner.

The other feature can be seen in the top left hand corner of the first design.   This is the new insert for Tinkercad designs which is the 'picture icon'.   It allows a digital image to be introduced into a virtual design on the Tinkercad dashboard.

This design feature while it does enhance the design in the main design space it does not translate to a print or AR/VR as in both cases it is not appearing for the transfer.   When we had a discussion about this with the students in the classroom the idea was raised that the image, which is in this case a photograph of the subject, it could of course be created using the Roland Versa Sign Maker (as a sticker) and then this sticker could be applied to the creation in the appropriate location.

Level of Difficulty: Low/Medium.   There is nothing that was a huge challenge to the student involved.   The ribbon or the top of the present was located in the main Tinkercad design page and obviously the shape of the present and the creation of the ribbon was achieved easily using basic shapes.

Resources used to complete this project: iPad, Tinkercad App, Bambu H2D Printer, Orange Bambu PLA, Tinkercad main design library,

Size: The print measures 80mm across at the front was 50mm long and had a height of 20mm.    

Cost: This project to print used 31g of regular Bambu PLA to complete - this had a price point of $0.51c.

Timeframe:  To complete this print the printer was running for one hour and one minute, so just under an hour of actual printing time.   The sticker from the Roland Versa Sign Maker would be in the ten minute range.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students:  The student other than the obvious inclusion of the photograph or sticker has no intention to change the print moving forward form this point, the student could have potentially looked at the ribbon positioning but otherwise was extremely happy with the project and the outcome.

Revisiting 3D Printed Dragons in 2026

 

We've some 'old favourites' that have featured on this blog many times over the years.  In this instance we have been looking again at one of the stock items that seem to appear at most market stalls - the 3D Printed Dragon.

We had this as one of our class creations in 2025 for our Market Day.   While it didn't feature from our classroom last year in the updated version the printing of these projects are something of a measure of printing progress.

This print used 55g of PLA to complete the print and had a price point of $0.88c.   It took three and a half hours to complete the print.  In previous versions of these kinds of dragons when completed there would be a fair amount of PLA rafting under each of the sections of the body which needed to be removed subsequent to printing.

In 20206 the standard print on the Bambu H2D means that the level of rafting is absolutely minimal.   What was there on the print was removed by using a small tool (which was actually in this case bamboo skewer).   At this price point using regular PLA these items could conceivably be used as a stock item - as they can be produced for less than one dollar.

We sourced this file from one of the public domain creations that was present on Bambu Studio Labs - there are limited opportunities for the students to develop this idea further as it is very much the finished print but we use them to encourage students to think about designs, how they might work (and yes we do indeed discuss with them things like the price point and what these are either retailing for or being sold for at local markets).

Interface Magazine Article

 

We are very proud to have been featured in this months Interface Magazine with an article featuring some of our 3D Printing work.   If you haven't seen a physical copy of the magazine then there is a digital version of Interface magazine and the article here is linked to the online article, which is the full article including additional images not in the magazine version.

3D Printed Student Labels

 

Challenge: This design challenge came from the same ChatGPT generated challenge as the post on the novelty desk storage.

Background: As we mentioned according to Chat GPT this is an 'extension' design and creation task - although with our students having two years of experience of CAD design and creation it was somewhat of a very straight forward task.   On a positive the student is a cohort one student and only joined the class mid year so their design opportunities have been somewhat limited but they were able to identify and execute a plan based around the task that was provided from the poster (essentially we increase the size of the sheet and made it an early finishers task.   In the basic form there is little to the task.

However we've used tasks like this before and had success in then having it lead onto other things, so already we've had verbal discussions with the students about 'where to next' and what could follow this.   In the AI generated chat it suggests that the student makes a wedge and then introduces a name into it but does so for the purposes of a group.

As noted this a straightforward task that the students were able to complete in a single session and independently without the need for teacher input.  there was initial colour matching on the designs shown on the left and when printed as a single colour on the P1S machine it produced the result in the first photograph.     

Level of Difficulty: Low - this is a straight-forward introductory task (despite the AI suggestion of note the 'name tag/badge was also present again which we would consider to be a basic 101 task for a eight year old.

Resources used to complete this project; Tinkercad App, Bambu P1S Printer, Bambu Cotton Candy PLA, Chat GPT was used to create the poster prompt.

Size: The individual wedge for the students measured 70mm across was 25mm high and 15mm wide at the base.    As can be seen in the photograph six of the wedges were printed at the same time.

Cost: Printing the set of six wedges used 60g to complete - therefore each had a PLA use of 10g.   The price point for the entire run of six was $0.94c meaning that the cost for each was $0.16c

Timeframe: To complete the entire run of six units the printer was running for two hours and seven minutes on the P1S.   That means that each of the six wedges had just over a twenty minute print time.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students:   We have had discussions about the purpose and what the ultimate use of the wedges would be.  As quite small pieces they could be used to mark a position or a stage but they are somewhat limited in that regard.   They also could have benefitted from some additional details or features.

3D Printed Novelty Desk Storage

Challenge: To design a complicated Y4 3D Print that was going to push the design skills of a student.  To start the process we used the 3D generated material from AI sources ChatGPT.   This prompt was targeted at the level of students based on the New Zealand Curriculum and specifically the design and creation part.

Background:  This activity came as a bridge activity that was assigned to the class but the ideas and the creation would depend on their creativity.   The students were given the prompt from Chat GPT pushed out via Seesaw as a file and then needed to respond with a design.   The class was spoken to about making sure that the design was of an innovative and creative standard - that it was not something that could be simply completed in a short space of time but would need to have elements to it such as personalisation and a degree of design that would elevate the project.

In this instance the student identified the personalisation storage creation that was suggested.   The student is a relatively new student to the classroom, they have been in the class a short space of time and as a result their design expectation for this task was different from a student who had been in the classroom since last year and a regular user of Tinkercad.

Resources used to complete this project: Tinkercad, Tinkercad App, Bambu H2D Printer, Bambu Silver PLA.

Level of Difficulty: Low/Medium all of the elements here the student was able to complete independently and they did so with a few sessions experience with Tinkercad.

Size: The print measures 130mm across and is 90mm long.   The print has a width of 15mm around the edges and is 15mm high.  The festive tree in the corner is 40mm high.

Cost:  To complete the project the printer used 70g of regular PLA.   With the computation by Bambu Studio Printing Software we would expect the print to have a price point to produce of $1.10c.

Timeframe: To complete the print on regular settings (such as the infill being 15%) the printer was running for three hours to complete.   There was essentially no rafting or waste PLA as part of the design (as it was the tree in the corner was produced as it can be seen in the photograph and nothing was removed).

What we would do differently/Next Steps for the students: The personalisation that is the name in the corner was a positive start however the student could have benefitted from further details to go with this - the space for the storage is something that would limit would could be contained in it.   The sides are quite plain and could have potentially had another frame or some kind of design applied to it.

Moving on from here we would like the student to consider how they could develop the ideas and design.