Stop downloading; start designing. Parametric CAD from first principles to your first custom parts.
The path from 'downloading prints' to 'designing your own.' This course covers CAD landscape (Tinkercad, Fusion 360, OnShape, FreeCAD, OpenSCAD), the sketch → constraint → feature workflow, the four core feature types (extrude, revolve, sweep, loft), boolean operations, parametric design, tolerance and fitment for FDM, common joinery (snap-fits, threaded inserts, magnets), remixing existing models, and exporting for print. By the end you'll be designing your own parametric parts. Five capstones let you ship real things: a phone stand, drawer organizers, a household repair part, a PCB enclosure, or a parametric measuring jig.
Built by Lakshya Kumar
Paste this into any AI chat. Fill in the bracketed parts with your context — you'll get back a straight answer on whether this belongs on your plate.
I'm learning parametric CAD for 3D printing: Fusion 360 / OnShape / Tinkercad / FreeCAD / OpenSCAD. I understand sketches + constraints + features (extrude, revolve, sweep, loft), tolerance for FDM (clearance values, shrinkage, snap-fits), common joinery (snap-fits, heat-set threaded inserts, magnets), remixing existing STLs, and exporting for print. Help me think parametrically: what dimensions should be user inputs, what should be derived, what should be constants. My target tool is [Fusion 360 / OnShape / etc].
We grant free access case-by-case — students, career-switchers, builders on a tight budget. Sign in to send us a note.
Sign in to applyComplete all modules, then submit the required number of capstone projects. Each must earn a passing rating from an admin reviewer.
Measure your phone with calipers, then design a tilted stand with a charging-cable slot. Parametric: phone_width, phone_height, phone_thickness, tilt_angle all driven by user parameters. Print, refine clearance + ergonomics, document the iteration loop. Final: a phone stand that fits your specific device perfectly, parameters adjustable for any other phone you'd want to design for.
Build a parametric divider system that adapts to any drawer. Inputs: drawer width, depth, and the number/sizes of divisions. Output: an STL or 3MF that prints divider pieces fitting your specific drawer. Print enough pieces to organize one actual drawer in your house.
Pick something broken: a knob, a clip, a cap, a mount. Measure with calipers. Design + print + install + confirm fit. Bonus if the part is load-bearing. Document the original part dimensions, your CAD model, and the printed result side by side. Iterate until it fits and functions.
Design an enclosure for an off-the-shelf PCB (Arduino UNO, Raspberry Pi, Pico, ESP32 dev kit). Include: proper screw posts (heat-set M3 inserts), port cutouts for the specific board, ventilation slots, mounting feet. Use parametric inputs so the same design adapts for boards of different dimensions. Print + assemble.
Build a CAD model that produces a printable gauge for a tolerance you care about — wall thickness, hole sizing, snap-fit clearance, or some specific dimension in your work. Change one parameter; the gauge regenerates. Print at multiple parameter values to verify the parametric design works.
Browser-based alternative to Fusion 360.