Using PicCollage And Tinkercad - AR/VR Development

 

For Pet Day 2026 our students across the school developed a range of ideas.   For our students in Room Two and Room Three, the senior classrooms with Year 7 and Year 8 students there was an overall theme of a 'Fairy Village' of recycled designs and fantastical village designs.

Our students took the opportunity to use these backgrounds for some creativity involving the use of Tinkercad (for its ability to design and create) and specifically the Tinkercad App and their iPads (which have the ability to project an image onto another location or place).   There are many examples of this process shown here on this blog  which you can click on the link here or use the search bar top right and  use the rag AR/VR.

Our students were given a tour of the displays and then asked to select something suitable that wouldn't look completely out of place in the display.   We then took our technology to the classrooms display and completed the projection process.  This took a few minutes as we had pre-prepared the designs or selected designs that we felt would work well.

One example was the process using the frog from the main Tinkercad interface.   This design has appeared on our blog in the past, as its one of our giant sized AR/VR figures that we showed off in February of this year.

Once the image had been snapped we weren't quite finished, the AR/VR process produces some creative designs but we have also for a number of years now then used additional apps to further enhance or alter the image that has been created.  Pic Collage has been a firm favourite with the ability to take the students image and use a variety of filters and now AR tools to change the image.   In the example shown left you can see the screenshot taken by the student in the process of then applying a filter which in this case was the B/W Pencil filter.   The student has then selected the frog and re-generated this part of the image so its stands out.   From here the final part of the process would be to crop the picture, although as it has been shown here you can see the design page from the Pic Collage app.

This image is another version of the same process - the student has open up the relatively new feature of the AI powered editing process whereby using prompts and writing the picture can undergo further developments and changes.

In this example shown left the frog is visible to the top right of the small pond, which is in a different location to the original as the student was experimenting with the best way to hide or place the frog striking a balance between placing it somewhere were it could be located to having it somewhere which look natural.  

The entire process for this was completed in a single block of time which from start to finish was twenty five minutes by a nine year old working under classroom supervision with the teacher.   There was no input into the creation or design process as the student was capable and able to complete it themselves.

In the image shown left the student used their creativity with a number of factors - they took a phot of their hand holding a bug, which they then regenerated and used the fairy village as the background.

Again this is a screenshot from the Pic Collage app so you can see how the students have applied the idea and the creativity and how it could be used in the classroom.   Obviously this is another example of using the design process that is provided by Tinkercad and applying it in a sense where a 3D Printed project is not the object - in this case it is the image which can then be used for a variety of purposes such as a display (or a colouring in page that is unique and specific to the students).

The Day Before Pet Day

 

Its our single biggest day of the year! (Well tomorrow it is) its our 2026 Auroa Primary School Pet Day.   On this day our students are going to be super busy showing their animal and their art displays.  As the displays were set up this afternoon we were able to get a sneak peak at some of the amazing work going on around our school.   Our senior school students (Year Seven and Year Eight) have used our school laser cutter to produce the frames for their digital photography as shown left.

The images have been taken by students using technology and then mounted within the custom made frames which have been printed out via MDF.

Some of the students have opted to print out pre-made designs while others have taken features like our local mountain, Mount Taranaki and included this in the design for the frame.

Although the laser cutting time for the frame has varied depending on the details and the additions to the frame.

The other creation that relates to our technology was the use of the laser cutter to produce additional material for the recycled dioramas.

Our senior students other big activity has been there amazing dioramas.   These scenes have had a number of details or features incorporated into their creation - but again students have used the laser cutter for additional details and features.

In the example shown left the idea of a path has been further refined by the arches that mark the path.   Other students have created and detailed doors and furniture which has then been mounted within the scene.

Our amazing AV teacher Mr Bloor is producing another one of his outstanding videos and we will make sure that we share that with you as soon as it is completed following tomorrows activities.

Two Years and Two Machines

In 2024 we used our then Snapmaker machines to produce a range of prints that were the spiral design that was popular at the time.  At the time a range of them had started appearing as part of some of the popular online sites where there were being sold to our students.  A number of students brought these into school and the classroom and we  then in turn located the .html code for these designs and printed our own version.

At the time we noted that the designs were quite robust and required to have some finishing on them, where we removed the 'rafting' or the excess waste PLA that was located in the groves or inside the prints.   Recently we again repeated this process with the change being it is now two years later and instead of using the Snapmaker we have used the Bambu H2D.

As shown left, the photograph has been taken from a design that we located from the Bamub Printer Labs online portal.   This design features a group of four complete designs - the four bases and the four inserts.   

Of note when comparing the two designs on the new version, shown left, there is no waste plastic/rafting which is contained within the groves of the design the designs are complete as shown and printed without the need for any removal.

Each spiral and insert used took thirty eight minutes to complete and used 40g of PLA this had a price point to produce one of the spirals of $0.45c.

This was relevant when considered producing this in large numbers for some kind of school event or fundraiser etc.   There is obvious potential to print with some colour variation or match up.

Pet Day 2026 is Nearly Here!

We've back at school in New Zealand and back for one of our most exciting weeks of the year - our annual School Pet Day.

This is when our students are able to bring pets to school and show their Lamb, Calves and other animals off in the best possible way.   This year we are also working hard on our art displays in the classroom and of course in Room Seven we are using our AR/VR skills and our design work such as our Tin Can Design that are also including a 3D Printed insect.  We have also been using Tinkercad and its AR/VR ability to ensure that we are creating, prototyping and working on our CAD design skills with out students.

Want to see what Pet Day is like at our school in New Zealand - well of course we have the amazing Mr Bloor and his videos such as our 2024 Pet Day Video which you can view by clicking on it here.

We also have some examples, work and great things to share.  Today in class we had a little time to work on our Tin Can Art Displays and also decided to look at using Tinkercad and its AR/VR features to have some fun.

Each photo on this page has a Tin Can theme but also has something that is not present in the actual scene as our students have AR/VR it into place.

In the very first photo it is the butterfly, in the second photo, immediately to the your left you can view the ladybird, but this is the 3D Print that we featured last week, so it is not present at all!

Later on we will be presenting another edition of 'Tinkercadhunt' when we use the Pet Day backgrounds as a project location.

There's also last years video from Mr Bloor below which you can watch with our students showing off some of their skills in art and animal care and responsibility! Can't wait until Thursday!

3D Printed Phone Stand: Fathers Day 2026 Revisited

 

Challenge: To produce a unique gift for Fathers Day 2026 that was created, designed and modified by a nine year old student.

Background: Earlier this year in New Zealand we celebrated Fathers Day.   While we focussed on producing a range of Fathers Day themed coasters we also had selected students who choose to work on other designed themed around this, although with time pressure and demand on the printing machines we also were unsure that we could realistically print all of the designs.

This design was in this category which had some inspiration from an earlier phone stand for Mothers Day from a different student.   The student worked off a basic seat or couch based design which included features such as a hole for the charging cord at the base of the design, was personalised with the name of the student who created the project shown on the base of the design (left) and then had further elements added to it, like the lip holding the phone in place.  All this was developed independently by the nine year old student.

Resources used to complete this print: iPad, Tinkercad App, Bambu H2D, Bambu Bronze regular PLA.

Size: The print measures 100mm across the front and was 60mm wide.   The print was 60mm tall at the front of the design and 90mm tall at the back.  

Cost:  The print used 123g of PLA filament to complete - there was no support rafting for the print (in the photos with the font you can see the additional PLA that needs removing but it is a small amount, the lettering is essentially correct as it stands).  This meant that the project had a price point of $2.47c to complete.   This was one of the reasons that this item was featured as a business by one of our groups from our 2025 Auroa School Market Day.  We were able to create similar sized and designed models that were highly personalised and that we were able to produce and sell as a viable product.

Timeframe: To complete this print the printer was operating for three hours and two minutes.  This was at the standard default settings with the machine and Bambu Studio Labs. 

The dimensions of the print was ideal for holding a regular phone securely.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students:   There could have been some adjustments to the lettering on the reverse of the design and potentially the student could have added some additional details to the print however the student was extremely pleased with the overall look and the functionality of it.   We have a multitude of designs that can be searched for with this theme on this blog if you search for 'phone stands'.

3D Printed Ladybird

 

Challenge: For a nine year old student to adapt and personalise a insect for 2026 Pet Day Art Display.

Background: This is another in the version of the insect challenge that was completed by our students in the final week of Term Three for 2026.   It is currently the school holidays but they're about to end and the students will be returning to school Monday to start working on our amazing term four projects.

This student had followed the process that we've described in detail previously.   This involved using our structured literacy to study the features of insects so that students knew what they needed to include in their design.   The student also researched Ladybird/Ladybugs and found and researched additional information about them (such as being able to identify them based on colour and the number of spots).

This is one of the projects and spots that has lost some of its recognition factor from its digital version (shown above) and the 3D printed versions shown left - this could be addressed by colour matching and using red as a base print colour.

Resources used to complete this print: iPad, Tinkercad App, Literacy Resources (for insect research), Bambu H2D, Bambu 'bronze' regular PLA.

Size: The print measures 30mm at the front is 40mm long and is 20mm high.  With these dimensions the print is still considerably larger than actual size, but the intention was to show off the students design skills.

Cost: To complete the print the project used 12g of PLA to print.   This had no rafting on the object and as a result the project had a price point of $0.23c to complete.

Timeframe: To complete this print the printer was operating for 31 minutes to print the insect and six minutes to warm up for a total of 37 minutes.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students:    The spots of the print which are clearly visible in the digital version were not large enough to ensure that they were printed in the physical version, so these would need to have an expanded size so that they would be able to be visible.   Obviously the printing of the object and the colour matching is extremely important to ensure that it had heightened recognition factor.

Kaibot Robot Storage: Prototype

 

Challenge: To produce an original storage solution to house a Kaibot.    The storage needs to include space for the robot, and space for challenge cards above the storage.   The storage needs to personalised for another school and classroom.

Background: We are always looking for ways to help and spread projects to other schools and classrooms.  As an Apple Distinguished School we are also looking for other schools in the network to help.  The recent NZAIMS Tournament in Tauranga for Y7/8 was another example of this.   Normally after each game it is customary to sometimes offer a gift to the other team that were playing, in this case we presented the other team with glow-in-the-dark 3D Printing Badges and Keyrings.

In this example the Kaibot Robot needed to have potential storage.  The task was presented to all of the students in the classroom with a prompt using Chat GPT (as shown left).   The prompt created an image and details for the project which was then pushed out to the students via Seesaw.   The students were tasked with creating a design and were then tasked to AR/VR the created storage into the classroom setting to check on its viability.   You can see the design projection in the first photograph in this post.   When we then went through the selections from the classroom it was decided to move forward to a single physical print - which is detailed below.  Each student (from our class of twenty five eight and nine year olds) was allowed to buddy work with another individual or to work by themselves to complete the project and at this stage the publishing was restricted to the virtual completed tasks.

This allowed the students to review their designs, share them with others and then look and consider adaptions that might need to be made.   It also allowed the publishing of each students example via their Seesaw portfolio.    The teacher then made a decision about the number of prints that might be completed moving forward as the dimensions of the print were significant and realistically printing an entire class run of these objects would take time.

Resources used to complete this print: iPad, Tinkercad App, Chat GPT, Kaibot Website, Bambu P1S, Bambu Candy PLA (regular).

Size:   The print is 130mm across the front, is 100mm wide and is 80mm high.   This contrasts with the suggestions made in the ChatGPT prompt which suggested making a width of 300mm.   Although we don't physically have a Kaibot Robot one of the students has come up with the idea of printing a cube, or making a mock up of the same dimensions of the robot and use this as a design point.

The insert into the base of the storage is 100mm wide 30mm high and is 80mm deep.   The four storage bays at the top of the storage for the cards measures 25mm by 50mm.    Again the intention is to mock up a card of the correct dimensions and then apply it to this storage to see if it work.

Cost: The price point for producing this print is $3.47c on the basis of the print using 220g of PLA.   There was considerable rafting that was produced primarily by the insert where the robot is intended to be stored.   In theory this could be produced in different parts and then glued together however there would be questions about stability if this was the case.

Timeframe: To complete this print the Bambu P1S was operating for five hours and twenty minutes to complete the project.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: The students need to consider the dimensions of what has been produced relative to the dimensions of the actual robot.  While at times there is an assumption that something will fit without there being an ability to move the object around and have space between the walls or the top of the object.   There is a slight ramp here although it has a steep angle so the consideration should be if the robot can make this up.  This has been a challenge when producing housing for Sphero Robots as shown in this laser cut project.

As noted the next step is to consider the effectiveness of the physical design.   If it does not work in conjunction with the robots how can we upscale or up-cycle this design? How can it be used for additional projects or converted for another purpose?