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).

3D Printed: Using Tinkercad Creations

 

Challenge: Using the pre-made characters or designs from the main Tinkercad interface in a creative way.

Background: This print came as a very brief activity from one of the students who was using some of the pre-generated designs in Tinkercad to create a potential project.   The student felt the dog that they were able to locate bore more than a passing resemblance to their dog and wanted to produce a print associated with it.   As the dimensions for the print were quite limited it was felt that this would be a worthwhile project and could lead to further development.

The student was easily able to use their own design skills to mount the animal on a base (that was made by importing one of the basic shapes0 and then they completed the quick design by introducing a name into the base of the plate.   This process was completed by a cohort one student in under five minutes independently.  

The print shown gives an example of the kind of detail possible from the Bambu P1S Printer - which is more-or-less as effective as the Bambu H2D.   The sole rafting that was produced with the print was a tree that came under the muzzle of the dog - the rest of the detail such as the legs and other features had none.

Resources used to complete this project: iPad, Tinkercad App, Bambu P1S Printer, Cotton Candy PLA.

Level of Difficulty: Low.   The student used the pre-generated design and adapted it - the level of skill was in recognising this could make a viable print rather than a focus on the design.

Size: The print measured 55mm across at the base and was 55mm long and 20mm high.   The dog was 70mm high and 40mm wide.

Cost/Price: The project used 33g of PLA to complete which included 10g of rafting.    The price point for this was $0.82.

Timeframe: As a relatively small print this print took fifty seven minutes to complete and had the standard six minute warm up time for. combined print time of just over one hour.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: The student in question is going to put additional details into the design, re-centre the lettering and has thought about what else can be put around the base.   These changes are additions and would not significantly affect any of the major details of this print.

Using Tinkercad to create Matariki AR/VR Design

 

In New Zealand we have the Matariki Celebration coming up next month.   At our school we have a number of projects that we want to create for this celebration.   When considering this event we also need to take into account location variations such as ourselves in Taranaki celebration a variation of this with Puanga.

We used Tinkercad to create a students versions of the stars.   We wanted the students to create their own version of this group of stars and then project them into different locations and also look at the different grouping of the stars, the relative size of the stars and the different locations so that the group could be recognised.

This work plane from Tinkercad is a students representation of the group of stars.   This was the students first attempt to create this and is going to undergo some revision and reworking.   This version of the cluster also used a basic star shape before the students had the ability to modify and adapt the design.   A number of the students in the classroom had completed different versions of this group of stars.   One had introduced labelling into the design and had the names of each of the stars in Maori written underneath the picture.

Again the sharing of this project with the students had helped them create the ideas and think about different ways that they could use Tinkercad to show this design and how it then might be created.

Once the design was created the next step was to look at locations where the students could use the Tinkercad App to AR/VR the design onto a blank background.   Once this had been completed the students then took the image that was projected and applied a pic collage filter.

This is the design from one of the students (it is shown above) then projected onto the floor of the classroom.   The shapes that are created by the AR/VR image maker are the carpet from the floor and also the walls and the furniture into the classroom.

The students then attempted to look at a number of locations and different filters which they could apply and attempt to find that best that represents the constellation.

Some filters tend to make the design less dramatic and not stand out - and there are some experimenting to go and we are also looking at different filters, exposures and editing of the photograph to improve the presentation.   There will be a number of additional images for this activity uploaded on the Facebook page, you can locate that by clicking on this link here.

Combining 3D Printing and Tinkercad with ChatGPT

 

The image shown left was created by using ChatGPT to create an image with a series of prompts based around the Tinkercad creation of a piece of work.

The purpose of doing this was initially to help the students with a series of writing prompts, however the piece itself contained a number of errors that were spotted by the students.

If you look at the placement of the hole inside the keyring you can see that it changes places from the middle of the design to the top left hand corner by the end.

It also added several steps that our students didn't need to complete the process.   The time for the creation of the poster took under two minutes.

Combing Tinkercad + Pic Collage Step Two and Three

 This weeks classroom challenge for the seven and eight year olds at Auroa Primary School has been using AR/VR technology in using Tinkercad to AR/VR students design - and then we have 'app smashed'.

In this example shown left you can see a screenshot from a students iPad.   The design that is present in the figure is the original Tinkercad design.   Using the students iPad and the Tinkecad App a single button allows the projecting of the image to nearly any location and nearly any size.

The student has super-sized this design so it towers over a local building (the Auroa Cricket Club) and the Auroa Primary School Field.   The student concerned is a cohort one student who is eight years old who worked on this design independently without any teacher input.   The design brief was to create a original 'lego inspired' figure for our 'lego - not lego'  design and this is the second step in the process.     While this design is creative and amusing.

This is the same figure with a Pic Collage Filter applied (which in this case is the Autumn figure) it has changed the image background significantly and turned it from an interesting one into something more creative.   The process for this was to apply the app and use the 'Magic Camera' AR/VR filter.    It then produced the finished shown left.

The student now needs to consider the trimming or the editing of the photo and then reintroduce the altered image back into a photo editing program before it is displayed on the wall or as part of a digital display.

This is a further example shown left.  In this example the student created a frying pan as part of the objects to be placed inside the 'lego-not lego' task.   The design took the students under ten minutes to create and then project into the kitchen setting.   Once this had been completed the student experimented with different pic collage filter to look at what would manipulate the image to produce the most striking image and settled on the image shown left.

Again the final step is to manipulate the image again in photo-editing software to complete the task. 

AR/VR Projecting onto 'not Lego"

 

We've previously blogged about the set of lego 'not lego' bricks that were a promotion at a local supermarket that we were able to purchase for $1.00

In the example shown left you can see the basic set up which is a kitchen, inside of a building.  As an introductory task for our students we wanted to use the Tinkercad App, the students and their iPad to create an object that could be placed somewhere into this scene.    We allocated a single afternoon block of time for this task, approximately forty minutes.

The theme of the build is to create 'Lego' ish figures - as we have noted this is not an official Lego set.   Tinkercad works well in this regard as it is able to produce 'block' figures easily as can be seen in the photograph shown left.   The image has been manipulated in the senses that the figure in red is not there, it is an AR/VR creation important and 'projected' into place by the student.   The student concerned is an eight year old student from the second cohort of students in class.   He was able to produce this design independently without any teacher input.

We also encouraged students to produce an item of furniture or an object and include this with the physical design crated by the bricks being assembled.

This is a second example with a more comical looking figure that the student has added a generic guitar.   In the second example here the figure is oversized relative to the rest of the furniture in the picture and the other objects.

The student has also some additional features that could be potentially added - of note for instance the hands at the end of the arms are missing at present and the facial features of the figure could benefit from having some additional details.   All of the design features are created from the main Tinkercad interface. 

3D Printed Giant Cyclops Design

 

Challenge: For an eight year old student to create a unique 3D Printed design using Tinkercad that includes plastic eyes as part of the design.

Equipment Used: iPad, Tinkercad App, Orange PLA (regular) Bambu H2D.

Background: This design came out first in a challenge set to our students from September 2025 to include a novelty eye as part of a Tinkercad design.  We revised this again in April of this year having students include the physical (eye) as part of a design.

This design came out of this print.  It needs to be stated at this point that this is an extremely large oversized design and it was always intended as a single print.   The design was completed by an eight year old student who is showing flair and creativity with his work both last year and this year in the classroom - he created this design and did so without any input from the teacher.

Level of Difficulty: High/Hard - this design was developed over several attempts by the students and they revised the design several times to ensure that it was balanced and robust and worked.

Size: The print is significant for a single run print.   It measures 150mm across the main body has the tentacles that extend 120mm from the top of the print and has legs that are 70mm high.   From the base of the print to the top is 240mm.

Cost/Price: Using the inbuilt software for Bambu Studio Labs the the print used 364g of filament (including rafting under the design) and had a price point on current dimensions of $9.10.

Timeframe: The intention was always to push the limits of the printer with this design and the print took fourteen hours to complete.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: Due to the scale of the design and the length of time it took to complete it is not viable as such to complete it again and is more of a one off.  The student put too large and deep holes in the base of the design and this is an excellent storage for whiteboard markers (as shown in the photographs).    The eyes that can be seen at the front of the design could have benefitted from being placed more to the front of the design as they are somewhat sunken into place by the design.

Junior Engineering Progressions Book/iPad Stand

 

Challenge: To take an online available model and adapt and personalise it.

Background: As detailed previously in a post on this blog we had a student who in their own time created an idea to tidy up what they were doing with the display and organisation of their books.  This led into a pitch to the library at school and the location of a online file, from Thingiverse, that created a stand.

The original print is shown in this series of photos in the yellow PLA and the students version is shown in the green PLA.

While this was more than functional and detailed it lacked the personalisation that we would like to see from some items, and in this instance if this item was to be placed in the school library we would also want to ensure that it was durable and easily identified.

We started the process by giving the students access to the online copy, which we had printed out.   We then asked the students to make their own version using Tinkercad, their iPad and the Tinkercad App.

We deliberately did not give the students access to the original file.   They used their rulers to measure the distances required and made some adaptations.

The biggest adaptation was with the personalisation access of the stand.   They decided in this instance to have the name of the student placed at the front and then the name of the school on the back (as shown in the photographs).   The students who are eight years old and designing in Tinkercad for the first time were able to complete the design, the construction and personalisation completely independently of the teacher and presented the finished prints for publishing.

Level of Difficulty: Low.  This is a straightforward design task completed by an eight year olds with eight weeks experience.

Size: The original design was 120mm wide and 130mm with a 10mm lip at the front of the design.  The revised version was slightly taller and the base of the design was pushed out slightly compared to the original.  

Cost/Price: The original was determined to use 136g of filament and have a price point of $3.40.   The revised student version used slightly less filament using 131g and having a price point of $3.15.  The differences can be explained by the level of 'rafting' or waste PLA between the two prints.   The angle of the second print meant that less support was required.

Timeframe: As noted with the amount of PLA used the redesign also improved the print time.   In the original we were looking at three hours with the revised version it was two and a half hours.

What we would do differently/next steps for the students: The students were able to complete the task associated with this build and did so independently, we have produced a range of similar prints over the years (which can be accessed by using 'stand as a keyword).   The lettering could have been sunk into the design instead of out, but given the use of the item and relative depth of the lettering it should not make a difference.

Lore #8 - You don't need to be an engineer to 3D Print

There's a new poster coming to create a series of 'talking points' based around 3D Printing in the Classroom and while its from the perspective of our small rural school in South Taranaki New Zealand - we've already posted a series of talking points about this - which you can click on the link below about each topic for further information or details about how it applies to us.

#1 You don't need more than one printer at your school to print your student projects.

#2 All of your 3D Printing projects don't need to be 3D Printed - there are other options!

#3 There's a range of non-standard filaments that are available to enhance your prints

#4 Juniors can create, design and develop a range of 3D Projects 

#5 The teacher doesn't need to be an expert in 3D Printing

#6 You have options to enhance your printing projects with options

#7 Engage with the wider community with your projects and resources

#8 - You don't need to be an engineer to troubleshoot 3D Printing projects.

We've been tracking our 3D Printing over a number of years with the first printer at our school operating in 2014.   The early machines that we had were complex and 'relatively' reliable.   When we had problems with the printing with the machines (when they would print incorrectly) it could at times require significant teacher input to correct the machines.

Following our early machines we went to a series of other branded machines that were significantly more reliable Ultimakers (2015-2022) in various version and updates.  We went to Snapmakers in 2022 and then last year 2025 we switched to (primarily) Bambu.

It has never been our intention to endorse any particular products or processes via this site - however we would like to point out that everything here is created by students and staff (where noted) and the intention is simply to share what we do so that other people can get inspired and have a think about how that might apply to themselves or their school.

With that in mind the Bambu H2D that we are using has taken things to another level.   Since August last year essentially everything on this blog has been printed off the one machine.   The machine itself has had to be greased (the axel) however this was relatively simple.   The inbuilt protection against a miss print has stopped it a handful of times.   The changing of the filament etc is extremely simple.  We have yet after seven months to have any significant issues with the use of the machine with prints ranging from 30 minutes to forty hours.

The print shown with this post took forty minutes but crucially the print itself is how it came off the machine - the sunk in lettering that is visible was completed without any support or material needed to be removed.  If you note the smallest name, Penelope, this has been completed and is currently 3mm in height.   This is something that we have seen with this machine.   It is also noticeable that the amount of rafting or support plastic with this machine for general prints (such as the cow) this has been greatly reduced.

As the technology has evolved with the 3D Printing the scope, accuracy, reliability and potential has continued to improve the outcome for students using the tools available.

AR/VR Supreme Tinkercad Exemplar

 

The example shown left is a original student design created by a cohort two (more experienced student in the use of Tinkercad, having spent one year in the classroom previously).   

The student used the various shapes from the main interface and included the paws/claws which can be located with a quick search.   The body, mane and details were all created quickly.    The student then used the AR/VR Tinkercad app to project the image into a location which would demonstrate its scale - in this instance it was in the middle of our school field in summer, which provided an excellent backdrop.  While this looked fantastic and the student was thrilled with the result - pic collage took it to the next stage.

With the 'festive winter' themed pic collage filter the design really comes into its own - the expression in the face provides the detail that was previously absent.   The background and foreground also really suited the  composition of the picture - which again when shown left looks particularly striking.

The student wanted to use the image as a creation (art) based however it would obviously make an amazing writing prompt or potential card etc.  The entire process took under half an hour to complete (independently) with the student working with the app and their iPad.

This is the students summary on Seesaw which is draft combining all of the elements that the student put into it from the original Tinkercad design and then into two additional versions 

The student is going to refine the post to ensure that it is grammatically correct and then post it to be shared with the classroom and their family.

 

Using Junior Stencils to create AR/VR Images

Using our iPads, the Tinkercad App and our stencil creations we created a series of images of the students work and then used the AR/VR button on the app to project the images into a variety of locations around the school and in the classroom.

While some of our students were experienced with their use of this app and the process for the majority of the classroom to experiment with for the first time.  To further clarify the amount of time that we had available was fifteen or so minutes before other school commitments required our attention.

This was possible because these designs had previously been created on Tinkercad and did not require any additional completion.  The designs were/are saved in the students folders in their accounts.

At this early stage we are allowing students to experiment with the process and look at their output, experiment with finishing and look at locations, ideas and contrasts (for instance students can alter the colour of their Tinkercad designs and adjust them to suit the background and the foreground etc.)

The AR/VR-ing of Tinkercad designs is like many other tasks something of a skill that students will develop, particularly over time.     Certain colour combinations work - as do certain iconic locations around the school (the swings are appearing numerous times).   Posing for image when there is nothing in front of you (such as a student trying to hold the design shown left) can take a little time to accurately place and adjust the size.

Given the timeframe and the introductory nature of the task to most of the students this would be considered a positive outcome, and more will be developed moving forward.

3D Printed Badge - 2026 Edition

 

Two weeks after the start of the school year and a basic introduction to Tinkercad the students in the classroom are at the point where they have started to develop and hone their skills - this sought of design is being produced by students, which we are then printing as an introductory task.   

This design measures 100mm by 60mn and is 5mm wide.   The print is using 19g of PLA and has a cost price associated with it of $0.50c.    The print took 35 minutes to complete.

The print was completed by a Y4 student who is working independently and using Tinkercad for the first time, as of two weeks ago.

Continued Revised Individualised Stencil

 

We have blogged at length about one of the starting project for 2026 in our junior classroom, students using their iPads and the Tinkercad App to create a personalised, unique and original stencil.  We are currently in the process of printing a class set of these including a revision by the student so we can trace the progress with their designs and use it to increase the creativity.

We have encouraged students to add their names to the design, to see if they can stencil their name into the creation, and experiment with this and various shapes that are tessellated to produce an art output.

The students key skills that they are developing is the basic shapes, measurement (as all designs have to be measured by the students to check size for being submitted for printing and using the 'hole' design from the main interface, to in this case go through the entire design and reduce the printing.   As repeatedly noted we have utilised the Bambu H2D for this.

Later designs have evolved to have the student put their own name in the bottom right hand corner (as shown left) and students have started experimenting with original shapes and using the 'scribble' tool to create an original shape.

Already we've had other projects come out of the examples - one of the student wants to increase the size of the base and produce matching shapes so they can be inserted into the design as a match task for a young child.   As a teacher there is the clear potential to use this to create some geometric work in the future (by having a range of shapes featured that could then be used to identify various features of a shapes). 

This is also allowing students to circle back to a previous task.   This is the second task for the year, the first being the 'badge' or name plate task.   Several of the students have now returned to this task and improved or revised their earlier designs.   An example of this is left - the student has produced a different version involving using the 'hole' to partially sink the name into the base.

This student also modified the base font design and explored altering its shape and dimensions - which is something that they are now passing onto other students.  All these designs have come from students who are eight years old, two of the three are designing using Tinkercad for the second week.

One student opted to include every member of the family in a design, but obviously looking at it you could include short phrases, greetings etc and it would prove to be effective.  We have yet to spray paint any of the designs or use anything other than regular base filament.

We also have a classroom with considerable glass bi-fold doors that lead to an outside area.    We are always considering ways that we can display information and projects on this (glass) space - this might be something that we could complete either using the stencil directly or correcting something that potentially could be spray painted into place as is completed during Christmas on plenty of stores by local sign writers.

This print shown left is one of the largest that the students have produced measuring 140mm across and being 150mm long.   This print took forty five minutes to complete, used 23g of filament to complete the project.   According to the Bambulab software the projected cost of the project was 0.55.    

3D Printing 101: Class Prints Cohort One

 

For the start of the school year we are aiming as quickly as possible to use our block of afternoon to introduce students to Tinkercad and begin the process of having the students develop their skills.

For the first challenges we have two distinct groups of students.   The first are the students who spent last year in the classroom and have worked with Tinkercad for a school year.

The other group of students are novices who have not used Tinkercad previously.   We are a 1:1 iPad ADS School - we are very fortunate that every student has an iPad.   The students have a class Tinkercad account and use it to design.    The first task should be very familiar to regular visitors of this blog - we typically call it 'badge' and you can of course use the search bar top right to locate many previous examples.

The core learning was done via the students utilising the 'experts' in the classroom and also the flipped video that we mentioned yesterday.   This tutorial video is the number visited page on this site - 

The intention is to up skill the students.   Once the task was completed we checked the criteria with the students prints.   We looked at the composition, the balance and the criteria.    Students needed to have their name on the design, a shape and a hole to create the purpose for the print.

We allocated thirty minutes for this time to include the design, and then reviewing the design in Tinkercad.   We did not use the AR/VR function of the design at this point but were able to rotate the students designs and creations.

The class currently consists of twenty students.   There are fifteen students in the cohort who are starting to design.    Each of the prints have a different completion time as the sizes vary but in the example shown left the print measures 90mm by 90mm and is 8mm wide.

In this version shown left the student opted to have their name sunk down into the design, instead of sticking out, this again is something of a design 'trick' of 3D Printing designs while the obvious design would be to pull the letters above the base line in this example as a design feature.   Once this was completed the second part of the challenge was to complete the process again for another person (so it could be assessed differently from the first) and include two additional features.   This had the students starting to understand the concept of using the shapes and design contained within Tinkercad.

3D Printed Mt Taranaki Progression

 

We have started using the print that we discussed yesterday as our first AR/VR task for the year.   We have detailed in the past how we have used this function of Tinkercad and the Tinkercad App to project images around our school - including making them supersized to show details and features that might otherwise not be noticed.

This is the 3D Print of our local Mountain that we are working through with our students.   We started discussing how we can develop this idea, this display and think about the features and how we might present it to our classroom and school.

The mountain is a hugely iconic local image that dominates the landscape and our community.   In the image shown below the model of the mountain being held in front of the mountain itself - the mountain is currently obscured by cloud cover - however we will repeat the process when the conditions are suitable. 

Already with discussions with the students some of the features of the mountain have come up as part of the physical model being available.

We are going to use the .stl file for all students to be able to produce an original AR/VR image of the mountain and project it around the school creating a visual display to start off the school year.

At the same time we are also undertaking our very first 3D Prints and original designs - we have spilt this into two distinct cohorts.   The first group of students have begun the process of working on the AR/VR and the functional repair of the 'Farm Building' that was purchased from a thrift shop which has a number of elements needing to be repair and replaced.

The second group of students is following a flipped video concept from 2019 - this is a fundamental skills starting with the use of Tinkercad where the students create a basic design.   This post here is amongst the most popular on this site.

Resources for Potential 3D Printing Part Two

As we are preparing to start the 2026 School year later this month we are continuing to look for objects that the students might be able to use in conjunction with 3D Printing and/or AR/VR modelling and creation using iPads + Tinkercad.

Recently we posted about the farm building that we are going to be working on and we have also discovered a range of backgrounds in a department store clearance.

We've another object adding to the group - as we recently purchased from a second hand thrift shop a 'BoomTrix' Kinnetic Launch (as pictured).

The set was broken when it was purchased as several of the stands were missing - and this is what attracted it to being purchased.   As we have a set of objects which are engaging and can promote problem solving the hands on aspect of the design will work potentially like the Dolls House project from 2025.

Currently contained in the set is the taller tower, the bounce pads and the target finish line.   The tallest tower is 270mm high and 200mm wide at the base, but could do with a clearer launch ramp.

Each of the current mini trampolines are 90mm across, there were some cardboard targets and jump options (like a cardboard hoop) that have broken in the process of the use - however these are ideal for a 3D Print based on their size and design.   

We also have the benefit of the packaging of the product which clearly shows the ball passing through a target and the message should be clearly able to give ideas for the students to create.   The use of Tinkercad will allow the students the ability to AR/VR the designs and put it in place with the rest of the objects, which are intended to work in sequence.   Tinkercad also has ability to motion test objects which we could use to simulate the ball bearing dropping before we move towards 3D Printing of the potential additions to the set.

School Market Day Ideas - 2025 Overview

Every second year at Auroa Primary School we have a major School event, our School Market Day.  On this day students run businesses with a focus on invocation, creativity and personalisation and we have the local community come to school for the event to purchase items and see what our students have created.   This is a major undertaking for the school.   This slideshow is an updated selection of ideas that the students were involved in creating (from seven to twelve years of age) using iPads and Tinkercad, Mac Books and Sketchup (for laser cutting).   We have also included Sonic Vision Studios amazing summary videos of the events.

We are looking forward to being back at School at the end of January with our new classroom of students with new designs, creations and projects.

3D Printing Projects for 2026: AR/VR Modelling

 

In 2025 we had a number of projects that our students were involved in, and as part of our planning for 2026 we have started looking at what projects that we might be involving our students in.

Our 2025 Dolls House project involved taking a item that was destined for the rubbish skip and was remodelled, redesigned and rebuilt using our school technology - you can see the overview of the project in this post here.

Recently when visiting local hospice/red cross stores we found an item that potentially we could use for a project work in 2026.   We selected this item for a number of reasons.

Firstly the dimensions of the object are considerably smaller than the dolls house and some of the associated 3D Printing will be subsequently smaller.   When we worked with the Dolls House we essentially laser cut the body while we 3D Printing the matching furniture.    The main building is 30cm by 20cm.  Some of the potential replacement items such as the doors will be 70mm by 90mm.

The building has a farm theme to it.   Our school is in a significant dairy farming area in New Zealand, this will allow the students to consider items and vehicles etc. that they would see at their home location.

There are other features of this item that would lead to potential 3D Printing projects.   There are caps missing on the tops of the chimney, there are holes on the outside of the structure, which would be suited for small vegetation or trees.

The students are going to be starting projects in two tiers this coming year.   Tier one will consist of students who have had no experience with 3D Printing prior to being in the classroom.   The second group of students are tier two students who have had a years experience with using Tinkercad and 3D Printing they will be working on more complex and challenging prints and designs.   

This is the sort of task that the second tier of students will begin the year with.   When the students have completed their initial designs they will follow the process of using the Tinkercads App AR/VR to test their designs and apply it to the item.  This is something that we have completed extensively during 2025 with students using their iPads to use the Tinkercad app to design the object and then AR/VR their designs into locations to check its viability.  You can see a number of examples of this process here on our blog such as the Dolls House Furniture

From this point we will then be selecting certain project pieces to advance to the printing process before we test them in viability.   

Finally the price which we paid for this item was $5.00 at the local charity shop- the fact that pieces are already missing is a bonus, the only regret is that this item has no print markings on it and at this point we have not located the original play set as we would ideally be able to identify what needs to be replaced or designed.  

Tinkercad Christmas Song Challenge!

 

Can you recognise the famous Christmas song by looking at the image?

This image was created using Tinkercad, where the student, who is eight years old, found the lyrics to a famous Christmas themed song and wanted to create a literal interpretation of that song in Tinkercad.

Once this was completed (hint: have a look at what the two figures are passing to each other!) the student then took the created image and AR/VR it into the classroom setting.  Once this was done the student then took the image and put it through a filter - which created the overall effect.   Looking at the image, and the details and the presentation can you work out the lyric from the image and therefore identify what famous Christmas song has been shown here?

How could the students added more detail to make the song title clear? (The answer for teachers present, is of course the song is "Last Christmas by Wham!" as the lyric is 'Last Christmas I gave you my heart' and the two figures are passing a giant sized heart to each other).   There are more  images in this group to come.

To complete this process the students used their iPads and the Tinkercad app.   The design was created on their iPads using the Tinkercad App,    The students then used the app to AR/VR the image into another location (in this case the classroom floor).  The final step was to use the Pic Collage app to then apply a Christmas themed filter to AR/VR the amended image.

Tinkercad/scribble + Pic Collage Filter

We have a range of students in the classroom a group who have been working in the class time provided (which is usually once or twice a week for forty five minutes or so) and also in their own time to use their iPads to develop their design skills.

During that time in class over the course of the year we get students who develop their ideas and skills and we build into them the ideas, encourage creativity and look for ways to have moments of excitement and magic with them.  Sometimes in the time frame they work this creativity in ways that is great to share.  As we posted recently our creative 'festive' designs have started taking shape for the year.   

Another example is the original design shown left.  This was created by an eight year old student whose been designing in the first year of using Tinkercad as an app.   The student tends to be a little reserved with some of their ideas.   They opted to use the Tinkercad scribble tool which we have used in the past and created an elf like figure, which is shown in the photograph above.   They then used their iPad and the Tinkercad apps AR/VR function to start projecting their image in different locations around the classroom.   In the photo above it is 'standing' on the floor of the classroom.   The student has used one of the 2025 Market Day Christmas trees to include in this projected image as she intended to use the Pic Collage filter for the next step.

The image shown left is the Tinkercad image, which has then been VR/AR projected onto the floor and then screen shot, which has then had the Pic Collage Silent Night 2 filter (which is currently free for anyone who has the app) applied to it.

The filter has taken the design added additional features, taken the tree at the front, coloured the entire photo and then added the additional colour and stars to the picture.
 

There are currently a range of filters with the app that are available for use (and free) and the student used a range of them with her Tinkercad image.  She settled on this final design as she is going to create a Christmas Card using this image as the front of the card, with additional lettering and a message on the inside.

As noted the entire process took under one hour.   Other students also created a range of designs using Tinkercad for this project, searched through their Tinkercad accounts and looked for other designs that they could import and then 'filter'.   Some students opted for figures but we also had others building entire scenes such as the typical 'Santas Grotto' with a range of buildings and other features.    This task (using scribble) could easily be completed (successfully) by younger students.