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TinkerCAD Cheat Sheet

A one-page printable reference for navigating the workspace, building with basic shapes, grouping & aligning, resizing, adding text and exporting your model for 3D printing. Pin it next to your monitor!

🧭 Navigation

Right-click drag	Orbit the camera around your model
Scroll wheel	Zoom in / out
Middle-click drag	Pan the view
Shift + drag	Pan (no middle mouse needed)
Home icon	Reset to the default home view
Workplane grid	Snaps shapes to a neat grid as you place them

Hold the right mouse button anywhere on empty workspace to spin freely it always orbits around the center of your view.

🟦 Basic Shapes

Box	Best all-rounder bases, walls, blocks
Cylinder	Pegs, wheels, rods, holes for screws
Sphere	Balls, knobs, rounded decoration
Cone	Spikes, funnels, tapered tips
Roof / Wedge	Angled ramps, sloped roofs, chamfers

Drag any shape from the right-hand Shapes panel onto the workplane to start building.

🕳️ Solid vs Hole

Click a shape, then choose Hole in the Inspector to make it a cutting tool
A Hole shape looks see-through (striped) it removes material instead of adding it
Overlap a Hole with a Solid, then Group to cut the shape out
Holes only cut when grouped with at least one Solid
Switch back to Solid any time from the same Inspector menu

🔗 Grouping & Aligning

Ctrl + G	Group selected shapes into one object
Ctrl + Shift + G	Ungroup back into separate shapes
Align tool	Snap shapes to center, edges, or each other
Ctrl + D	Duplicate the selected shape(s)
Ctrl + A	Select everything on the workplane

Grouping a Solid + Hole together permanently bakes the cut into one combined object.

📐 Resizing & Positioning

White squares on a shape's corners/edges resize that side
Black arrow above a shape drags it up/down to set height
Drag the shape body itself to move it across the workplane
Click the small ruler icon to type exact dimensions and position
Hold Shift while resizing a corner handle to scale proportionally

🔤 Text & Lettering

Find Text under Shape Generators in the right-hand panel
Type your message directly in the Inspector's text box
Drag the black arrow up to make text taller raised lettering
Set the shape to Hole and push it into a solid for engraved text
Use the Align tool to center text neatly on a base shape

🎨 Colors & Materials

Click a shape, then the color swatch in the Inspector to recolor it
Colors are just for the TinkerCAD preview they do not export
A 3D printer uses whatever filament color is loaded, not your TinkerCAD color
Still useful! Different colors help you tell solids and holes apart while building

📤 Exporting & Printing Tips

Export	Top-right "Export" button → choose .STL for 3D printing
Select all first	Ctrl + A so the whole model exports together
Infill	10-20% is normal for most prints, more for strength
Supports	Turn on for overhangs or floating parts
Layer height	0.2mm is a good default balance of speed & detail
Printing services	No printer? Try a local library, school makerspace, or an online print service that accepts STL uploads

Always check your model has no floating "Hole" shapes left ungrouped before exporting they won't show up in the print.

Want to build something hands-on?

Follow one of our free step-by-step workshops in the Workshop hub.

🔧 Browse Workshops →