An Examination of Learning 3D Modeling Software and Creating 3D Data Using Online Video in a 3D Printer Workshop for High School Students

In the educational use of 3D printers, the key issue is how to support students in learning 3D modeling software. However, students have few opportunities to practice operating them, especially in primary and secondary education in Japan. In order to obtain insight into how to support students in learning to operate 3D modeling software, we used online video to exam whether students could create 3D data similar to their design sketches. Specifically, we learned how long it would take them to create 3D data in a 3D printer workshop for five high school students. We found that all of the students could create 3D data with almost the same shape as their design sketches using online video. The students took 2 to 5 hours to create the first 3D data, and all of the students completed the second and subsequent 3D data in much less time than the first.