3D Cube Design & Build Challenge

Purpose

Have you ever looked at a product that has been well-designed? Do you find yourself asking questions, such as, “How did the designer think of that idea?” or “What is involved in the creation of that product?” The more you study and learn about design and how designers create items, you begin to learn certain skills and knowledge that you can only acquire through experience. Design challenges provide opportunities to apply skills and knowledge in unique and creative ways.

Taking an idea you have and transferring it from a concept to a sketch, to working drawings, to models, and then to a working prototype is exciting and fun. It also entails several steps. When you are a one-person design and build team, the task of effective communication is rather simple. However, what happens when you must communicate your ideas to others, or the responsibility for building a team’s solution falls on someone else’s shoulders? This increases the level of responsibility significantly and requires the development of a complete set of design documentation in order to communicate effectively.

Procedure

This project will provide you the opportunity to exercise your creativity and develop your sketching and modeling skills, as well as your ability to use the computer as an efficient communication tool.

The Challenge

Design, build, test, document, and present a three-dimensional puzzle system that is made from the scrap hardwood cubes. The 3D Cube must provide an appropriate degree of challenge to a 

person who is three years of age or older.

Constraints

1. The 3D Cube must be fabricated from 27, ¾” hardwood cubes.

2. The 3D Cube system must contain exactly five puzzle parts constructed from individual wood cubes.

3. Each individual 3D Cube part must consist of at least four, but no more than six hardwood cubes that are permanently attached to each other, and each piece must have a 3-dimensional shape.

4. No two puzzle parts can be the same.

5. The five puzzle parts must assemble to form a 2 ¼” cube.

6. Some puzzle parts should interlock.

Instructor Materials Required 

27 - 3/4 inch wooden cubes for each participant.

2 Sheets Isometric Drawing Paper for each participant.

Colored Pencils - 1 Pack for each 2 participants.

Glue

3D Cube Challenge Part 1

You will design and draw a scaled sketch of a 3D cube.

10:00AM

1. You should obtain:

    27 - 3/4 inch wooden cubes

    2 Sheets Isometric Drawing Paper

10:15

2. Arrange and sketch on Isometric paper 3D parts that are assembled using 4 cubes. Note that a 3D part is at least 2 blocks deep in the X, Y and Z dimensions.

    Come up with at least 3 ideas for parts and sketch them on Isometric paper.

10:30

3. Arrange and sketch on Isometric paper 3D parts that are assembled using 5 cubes. 

    Come up with at least 4 ideas for parts and sketch them on Isometric paper.

10:45

4. Arrange and sketch on Isometric paper 3D parts that are assembled using 6 cubes. 

    Come up with at least 5 ideas for parts and sketch them on Isometric paper.

    NOTE: PARTS CANNOT BE MORE THAN 3 BLOCKS DEEP TO FIT IN THE CUBE.

11:00AM

5. Use the parts that you designed to create an interlocking 3D cube design. 

    - Sketch out your 3D cube using the assembly sketch paper.

    - You may find that you need to add a new part to your design ideas.

    - Assign each of the parts in your cube a color.

    -Get your Counselor to check off on your design/

11:30AM

6. Once your design is approved, build the parts for your 3D cube using the 3/4 inch wooden cubes and wood glue.

3D Cube Challenge Part 2

You will learn how to model your cubes in a Computer Aided Drafting and Design software, and you will put the parts together to make your 3D cube parts and cube.

1:00

1. Create an Inventor Project:

    - Create a Folder in a safe place on your PC (use Thaw space in the lab rooms)

    - Name the folder ETSC_INVENTOR_PROJECTS

    - Inside the ETSC_INVENTOR_PROJECTS folder, create folders for each of the projects that you have (i.e. ETSC_3D_CUBE)

    - To create a project, select New in the project screen, then define the project name and select the folder in which to place the project files.

1:15

2. Create a new part file and model a single cube. 

    - The cubes are 3/4" x 3/4" x 3/4". 

    - After you have modeled a single cube, assign a color.

    - Save the cube "LASTNAME_COLORCHOSEN_CUBE". For example, "SMITH_RED_CUBE". 

    - Create the next 4 cubes, and assign them their colors.

1:45

3. Create a new assembly file and assemble a single cube part.

    - The parts are made by putting 4 to 6 cubes together.

    - After you have modeled a cube part, save the part "LASTNAME_COLORCHOSEN_PART". For example, "SMITH_RED_PART".

    - Create your next 4 assemblies and save them. 

2:35

4. Create a new assembly file and assemble the 3D Cube from the cube parts.

3D Cube Challenge Part 3

You will now prepare a 3 view drawing of your cube for plotting.

3:00

1.  In Inventor, create a new drawing.

2. In the Browser pane, RMC on the sheet name (Sheet:1), and select Edit Sheet...

3. Set your paper size to Architectural D size.

4.  Use the text tool and add your name to the title block.  Keep your text size between 0.12 inches and 0.24 inches.

5. On the Place Views tab, in the Create panel, use the Base command to add views to your paper.

* File - choose the file you want to add to your drawing

*Scale - Set the scale to a 1:1

*Style - Set to shaded view

* Move the Drawing View window out of the way, 

   then LMC the first time to place the FRONT view, 

   then move up and LMC to place the TOP view, 

   then move to the right of the Front view to place the RIGHT SIDE view,

   then move above the right side view to place an ISOMETRIC view.

6. On the Annotate tab, use the Dimension tool to dimension the drawing.

7. Use the text tool to add text for the drawing if needed.

8.  Repeat for your other parts.

3:30

9. We will now print your drawing to our large plotter.