Design a personalized keychain with your name in TinkerCAD, learn text extrusion, hole vs solid shapes, and export settings for the best 3D print quality.
Open TinkerCAD, create a new design, and drag a base shape onto the workplane for your keychain.
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Parent note: TinkerCAD runs entirely in the browser at tinkercad.com. A free Autodesk account is needed, parents can create one for under-13s. No downloads required!
Get started
1Go to tinkercad.com and sign in. Click Create new design.
2You'll see the Workplane (the blue grid) where you build your 3D models.
3On the right side, you'll see the Shape Panel with Basic Shapes. Drag a Box onto the workplane, this will be your keychain base.
4Want a different shape? Click Shape Generators in the dropdown at the top of the shape panel to find hearts, stars, and more!
5Give your design a name, click the title at the top left and type "My Keychain".
Everything in this episode works on any flat base shape. Box is the easy start; the Shape Generators dropdown hides hearts, stars and gears when you feel adventurous.
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A simple Box or Cylinder works best for your first keychain. You can always come back and try fancier shapes later!
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Knowledge Check
+15 XP
Which shape panel has hearts and stars?
ABasic Shapes
BShape Generators
CText
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Size It for a Keychain
Resize your shape to real-world keychain dimensions
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Goal for this step
Resize your base shape to about 50x25x4mm, a perfect keychain size.
Resize your shape
1Click on your shape to select it. You'll see white square handles on the corners and edges.
2Click one of the corner handles and look at the dimension boxes that appear, these show the size in millimeters.
3Click a dimension box and type 50 for the length (the long side).
4Set the width to about 25mm, roughly half the length.
5Click the top white handle (the small square on top of the shape) and set the height to 4mm. This makes it thick enough to be strong but not too bulky.
Credit-card long, two fingers wide, pound-coin thick. 50 × 25 × 4 mm survives life on a school bag. Type the numbers, the white handles are for grabbing, the dimension boxes are for precision.
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50mm is about thumb-length, hold your thumb next to a ruler to get a feel for the real size. A keychain that's too thin will snap, too thick will feel clunky.
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True or False?
+15 XP
Keychains should be as thin as paper for best results.
50mm is about thumb-length.
Thickness affects how durable a 3D printed keychain is.
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Knowledge Check
+15 XP
Why do we make the keychain 4mm thick?
AIt's strong enough not to snap
BIt looks prettier
CTinkerCAD requires exactly 4mm
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Add a Keyring Hole
Create a hole so a keyring can go through
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Goal for this step
Add a cylinder hole near one edge of the keychain so a keyring can pass through it.
Add the hole
1From the Basic Shapes panel, drag a Cylinder onto the workplane.
2Resize the cylinder to 5mm diameter (width and length both 5mm). Set the height to at least 5mm (taller than your keychain).
3With the cylinder selected, look at the top right of the screen, click Hole to change it from a solid shape to a hole. It turns striped/transparent!
4Drag the hole cylinder to one end of your keychain, near the edge but not too close (leave about 3mm from the edge so it doesn't break).
5Select both shapes (click the keychain, then hold Shift and click the hole). Click Group (or press Ctrl+G). The hole cuts through the keychain!
Near the end, never AT the end. If the hole touches the edge, the thin sliver of plastic left will snap the first time the keys jangle. Group after placing to punch the hole through.
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If the hole doesn't go all the way through, make sure the cylinder is taller than the keychain. It needs to poke out both sides to cut completely through.
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Fill-in Challenge
+20 XP
Fill in the blanks for the keyring hole settings:
Cylinder diameter: mm
Shape type:
💡 Hint: The hole needs to be wide enough for a keyring (about 5mm) and set to a type that cuts through other shapes.
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Knowledge Check
+15 XP
What happens if you forget to make the cylinder a Hole before grouping?
AThe keychain disappears
BIt stays solid, no ring can go through
CTinkerCAD shows an error
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Add Text
Drag a Text shape onto your keychain and type your name
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Goal for this step
Add a 3D Text shape to the workplane and type your name or initials.
Add your name
1In the Shape Panel on the right side, scroll down or search for the Text shape (it looks like the letter "A").
2Drag the Text shape onto the workplane. It appears as 3D text saying "Text" by default.
3With the text selected, look at the Shape inspector window that appears. Find the text field and type your name (or initials if your name is long).
4You can also change the font in the shape inspector, try different ones to see which looks coolest!
The Text shape is real 3D geometry. Drag it in, then replace the word "Text" with your name in the inspector box. Chunky rounded fonts print far better than thin elegant ones.
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Short names work best on keychains. If your name is long, try using just your initials or a nickname.
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Fill in the Blanks
+15 XP
The Text shape is found in the panel on the right side of the screen.
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Put It In Order
+15 XP
Click these steps in the correct order to add text to your keychain:
Type your name in the shape inspector
Find the Text shape in the shape panel
Resize the text to fit on the keychain
Drag the Text shape onto the workplane
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Knowledge Check
+15 XP
Where is the Text shape in TinkerCAD?
AIn the right-side shape panel
BIn the top menu bar under Edit
CIn the bottom toolbar
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Resize & Position Your Name
Scale the text to fit and center it on the keychain
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Goal for this step
Scale the text so it fits neatly on the keychain surface and use the Align tool to center it perfectly.
Resize and align
1Click on your text shape and use the corner handles to make it smaller or bigger until it fits on the keychain surface.
2Make sure the text is not wider than the keychain, leave a small gap on each side.
3Set the text height to about 2mm, this is how much the text will stick up (or cut in) from the surface.
4Select both the keychain and the text (click one, Shift+click the other).
5Click the Align tool (the "L" icon in the top toolbar). Black dots appear, click the center dots for both the horizontal and vertical axes to center the text perfectly.
Shrink the name until there is a gap on every side, set its height to 2 mm, then let Align do the centring, eyeballing it always ends up slightly off, and you WILL notice on the print.
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The Align tool is your best friend in TinkerCAD! It ensures perfect centering without trying to eyeball it.
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Predict What Happens
+15 XP
You've scaled your text, but it's wider than the keychain.
What will happen when you group them together?
AThe text sticks out past the edges of the keychain
BTinkerCAD automatically trims the text to fit
CThe keychain stretches to match the text
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Knowledge Check
+15 XP
What does the Align tool do?
AIt deletes overlapping shapes
BIt centers or lines up shapes along an axis
CIt changes the color of shapes
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Raised vs Engraved Text
Try both solid (raised) and hole (engraved) text styles
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Goal for this step
Understand the difference between raised and engraved text, and choose which style you prefer.
Solid vs Hole text
1Raised text (Solid): If the text stays as a Solid shape, it sits on top of the keychain surface. When grouped, it sticks up, you can feel it with your finger!
2Engraved text (Hole): If you change the text to a Hole shape, it cuts into the keychain surface when grouped. The letters are carved in.
3To try engraved: click your text, click Hole in the shape inspector (top right). The text turns striped/transparent.
4Position the text so it slightly overlaps the top surface of the keychain (raise it up on the Z axis if needed).
5Try both! You can always Undo (Ctrl+Z) to switch between raised and engraved to see which you prefer.
Same text, two moods. Solid text prints bold and grippy; Hole text gives a smooth face with carved letters that catch shadows. Raised is more foolproof for small prints.
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Raised text is easier to read and more dramatic. Engraved text is more subtle and elegant. Both look great when 3D printed!
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True or False?
+15 XP
Setting text to "Hole" and grouping it with the keychain creates engraved (cut-in) text.
Raised text is always better than engraved text.
You can switch between Solid and Hole at any time before grouping.
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Knowledge Check
+15 XP
How do you make engraved text on a keychain?
AMake the text really small
BChange the text to Hole and group it with the keychain
CUse the Eraser tool
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Group & Add Color
Combine all shapes and set a color
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Goal for this step
Select all pieces, group them into one object, and choose a color for your keychain.
Group and color
1Press Ctrl+A to select all shapes on the workplane (keychain base + text + any decorations).
2Click the Group button in the top toolbar (or press Ctrl+G). All shapes merge into one solid object!
3With the grouped object selected, click the color swatch in the shape inspector (top right).
4Pick any color you like! This color shows in TinkerCAD and some slicer programs. The actual print color depends on your filament.
Group before colouring. Once everything is one object, a single click recolours the whole keychain. The screen colour is a preview; the print colour comes from your filament.
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If you need to make changes after grouping, you can Ungroup (Ctrl+Shift+G) to separate the shapes again, edit them, then re-group.
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Fill in the Blanks
+15 XP
combines all selected shapes into one single object.
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Knowledge Check
+15 XP
What does grouping do in TinkerCAD?
AIt deletes all shapes
BIt duplicates the shapes
CIt combines separate shapes into one object
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Export & Layer Height
Export your keychain as STL and learn about layer height settings
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Goal for this step
Export your keychain as an STL file and learn which layer height gives the best text detail.
Export and print settings
1Click the Export button in the top right corner of TinkerCAD.
2Choose .STL as the file format. This is the standard format that 3D printers understand.
3Save the file to your computer. You'll load this into a slicer program (like Cura or PrusaSlicer) to prepare it for printing.
4In your slicer, the most important setting for text keychains is Layer Height:
50.1mm layer height = Fine detail. Small text is crisp and readable. Takes longer to print.
60.2mm layer height = Faster print. Good for big text but small letters may look blobby.
7For keychains with text, we recommend 0.1mm, the extra time is worth it for readable letters!
Ask for 0.1 mm layer height. A keychain is tiny, so the extra print time is minutes, not hours, and the difference in how your name looks is night and day.
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Parent note: Layer height is like the resolution of a printer. Thinner layers = more detail but longer print time. For a small keychain, even 0.1mm prints in under an hour.
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Fill-in Challenge
+20 XP
Fill in the blanks for the export settings:
Export format: .
Fine detail layer height: mm
💡 Hint: The standard 3D print file format is three letters. The finest common layer height is a tenth of a millimeter.
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Final Knowledge Check
+15 XP
Why use a smaller layer height (0.1mm) for text keychains?
AIt uses less filament
BFiner layers make small text more readable
CIt prints faster
🛠️ Printed it and something's not right?
It snapped at the keyring hole. The hole was too close to the edge. Keep 3mm of solid plastic between hole and edge (step 3), and print with 30-50% infill rather than the default 20%.
The letters look melted or blobby. Print at 0.1mm layer height (step 8) and make the letters chunkier, thin elegant fonts do not survive at keychain size.
My keyring won't fit through the hole. Rings are thicker than they look. Enlarge the hole to 5.5-6mm in TinkerCad, or carefully ream the printed hole with a drill bit.
The engraved version printed with rough letters. Engraved letters need the text Hole to stop 1mm above the bottom of the tag, cutting too deep makes the printer bridge over gaps and get messy.
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You Made a Custom Keychain!
Amazing, you've designed a personalized keychain with your name, learned about holes vs solids, text extrusion, and export settings. Now try Episode 8!
