Tinkercad — The Complete Guide: Your First 3D Models in the Browser, Free

Tinkercad is about the simplest modelling tool there is: drag a box, cylinder or sphere onto the workplane, set its dimensions, and mark a shape as a hole to subtract it from another body. Group several shapes into one solid and you have a complete part. It belongs to Autodesk, runs in the browser and needs an Autodesk account and an internet connection, with no paid tiers.

Tinkercad

Autodesk

Browser-based 3D modelling by adding and subtracting basic shapes, plus electronic circuit simulation and block coding.

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What you get

Primitive-based modelling — adding and subtracting shapes with exact millimetre dimensions.
Ready for printing — export the model to a file you open in a slicer and print.
Circuits — building and simulating simple electronic circuits on a breadboard.
Block coding — generating shapes and models from a visual program.
Classes — teachers create a class and follow their pupils’ work.

What it does not do

There is no parametric history tree, no constraints and no production drawings with dimensions and tolerances. Bodies with fillets, drafts and complex surfaces quickly become awkward. For commercial use of the models you design, read the current terms of use.

Related tools

For a parametric model written as code — OpenSCAD. For the same idea with visual blocks — BlocksCAD. When it is time for real mechanical design — FreeCAD.