Through the acquisition of the popular Modio app, Autodesk has announced the launch of Tinkerplay, a free app meant to introduce kids of all ages to 3D design and 3D printing through creative play. Describing the app as “another great tool designed for kids of all ages who want to play, create and tinker,” Tinkerplay will expand upon its Tinkercad family of simple 3D modeling products.
The Tinkerplay app gives users the opportunity to design and customize cool characters and creatures digitally. After designing their own unique characters, users then have the option to 3D print them, with the parts of each figure fabricated in separates pieces to be snapped together, giving them more mobility and dynamics. Samir Hanna, the vice president and general manager of Autodesk Consumer and 3D Printing, says of the app, “Creators, designers and makers from ages five to ninety, have blown us away with their passion for 3D modeling and 3D printing. With Tinkerplay, we’re providing another great tool designed for kids of all ages who want to play, create and tinker.”
Tinkerplay is surprisingly quick and simple to get started. You can drag and drop interchangeable parts right away to make your custom character. The parts are completely optimized for 3D printing fully movable characters and creatures. An interesting addition is that the 3D models do not require rafting or any support material to print, minimizing what could be a tricky hassle for an excited child. When you are ready to send your creature into physical reality, the print function shows the layout of parts for 3D printing. From there, exporting print files to a variety of 3D printers is very simple.
If a youngster finds that they want to take their design skills one step further to create totally new parts, the Tinkercad web app has Tinkerplay connectors to do so. For user convenience, Autodesk has made Tinkerplay available on many different mobile platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows and Windows phones. You can download Tinkerplay for free from the App Store, Google Play or the Windows Store for Windows 8.1 folks.
