Fab-in-a-Box Dice

Setup / Pre-Preparation

Print handouts for each learner to help with brainstorming.

List the features to include on the faces.

Provide 2D, flattened views to map layout of faces.

Sketch multiple perspectives of the finished, 3D product.

Collect a variety of dice or other polyhedra.

Welcome:

Greet the students and introduce the lesson topic: designing and fabricating custom 3D-printed dice using CAD software and a 3D printer.

Briefly explain what CAD software is and its importance in design and manufacturing.

Show a few examples of 3D-printed dice to spark interest and creativity.

Context:

Dice can be used for more than numbers! Incorporate this activity into your existing curricula by adjusting its theme accordingly.

Story starters: Make a set of multiple dice, with one dedicated to a different story component (genre, setting, character, conflict, hero, villain) or part of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs). Once fabricated, roll the dice and write, tell, or act out a short story that incorporates the words and concepts that appear. (Stories should include a beginning, middle, and end!)

Decision makers: Take inspiration from the Magic 8-Ball! Write a different decision on each face and let the dice decide for you: yes, no, maybe, roll again, etc.

Mindfulness aids: Put a different breathing exercise or calming technique on each face.

Tricksters: How might you adjust your design to favor one or two outcomes over the others? Can you make this invisible? What about undetectable entirely?

What happens if you put a small sphere or other weight into your cube as it prints?

Key terms:

Probability: The measure of the likelihood that an event will occur. It is expressed as a number between 0 and 1, where 0 indicates an impossible event and 1 indicates a certain event.

Event: A specific set of outcomes of an experiment. An event can include one or more outcomes. For example, rolling an even number on a die (2, 4, or 6) is an event.

Sample Space: The set of all possible outcomes of an experiment. For a single six-sided die, the sample space is {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}.

Random Variable: A variable that takes on different numerical values based on the outcomes of a random experiment. For example, the result of rolling a die can be considered a random variable.

Ideate

Decide how many sides your dice will have. On a three dimensional body, these sides are called faces. A standard cube has six faces, but polyhedral dice have more. (link to ideas for polyhedra)

Choose your dice’s theme. This will dictate what you put on its faces. Be descriptive, and get creative. Remember that numbers can be numerals, words, or dots—and you don’t have to limit yourself to just numbers! You can make a decision-making dice with words like “yes,” “no,” and “maybe.” Just make sure you have as many features as you have faces. (It can help to make a numbered list!)

Determine the layout for your dice. Use the templates provided or make your own. These show which features will appear next to one another, on neighboring faces. 

Design

Shape your dice:

xDesign Steps

Click OPEN on the xDesign landing page

Click the “Minimize” icon in the upper right-hand corner of the Search results page

— the results will be repositioned to the right-hand side of your screen so you can see things alongside your xDesign session

[1] Type “Lesson8” in the Search field, [2] press Enter on the keyboard, then [3] click on the blue header bar (to dismiss the Search History panel)

— the Search results will update to show you the dice template

[1] Drag the Dice template into your xDesign session and then [2] click “Cancel” in the lower right-hand corner of the Search results panel

Click SAVE AS… in the dialog that appears

[1] Type a new name for the component (perhaps add your initials) and then [2] click SAVE

Double-click the “Cube Size” parameter in the Design Manager

[1] Enter a number into the “Value” field (make sure it’s small enough to fit on your 3D Printer), [2]  Press “Apply” to update the model, [3] Click the OK checkmark to close the dialog

Double-click the “Dot Size” parameter in the Design Manager

[1] Enter a number in the “Value” field, [2]  Press “Apply” to update the model (if you don’t  like the size of your dots, repeat steps 1 and 2 again), [3] Click the OK checkmark to close the dialog

Repeat the above steps to experiment with modifying the “Fillet Size” value

Double-click the “Edge Fillets Or Chamfers” feature in the Design Manager

[1] Click the dropdown arrow next to “Fillet” at the top of the dialog, [2] click Chamfer from the flyout menu, then [3] click the OK checkmark (if you prefer fillets, you can edit the feature again and change back it back to a Fillet)

[1] Select the “Corner Rounding” feature in the Design Manager, and then [2] click the dropdown arrow in the context menu

Click the “Activate” button to enable this feature and see its impact on the model

— if you don’t like this style, you can select the feature from the Design Manager again, and choose “Deactivate” from the dropdown section of the context menu

Click “Save” on the Action Bar to save your custom die

Save your finished dice as a .stl file. This is the file format most commonly used for 3D printing. Often referred to as a “mesh,” it is an intricate three-dimensional web made up of thousands upon thousands of tiny triangles. (STL stands for stereolithography, but you can think of it as “standard triangle language” or “standard tessellation language” instead.)

Prepare & Slice Files

Open your slicing software: Bambu Studio

What is a slicing software? Slicing softwares, often called “slicers,” are used to prepare .stl files for 3D printing. They offer tools and workflows to help you lay out multiple bodies on a single print bed, add supports, and more. 

Import your design into the slicer:

This is easy: you can just drag and drop! 

Select the type of printer you’re using (P1S).

Select the bed type.

Select the filament type being used (PLA).

Select the slicing settings.

Click “slice.” This will create a .3mf file and take you to a preview window that shows you what your finished design looks. Your dice is now ready to print! 

Launch Print 

You have two options to launch your print: 1) send it wirelessly, or 2) us an SD card. 

The printer will likely run an automatic leveling check before printing. This usually takes a few minutes.

Retrieve Finished Dice

Once the printer is done, pop your dice off the bed. If they seem stuck, you can either: using a soft prying tool (a 3D printed one works well!), or remove the magnetic bed entirely and gently flex it to help the objects release.

Time for Testing: Roll the Dice!

Give your finished dice a roll! Does it seem to land randomly, or to favor one result over the others? How might you adjust your design to change this?

Discussion Questions:

What about CAD did you find difficult?

Can you apply any of the skills you learned here to principles of design?

If you were to teach this lesson to your classmates, what, if anything, would you do differently?

Optional Tie-ins:

Euler’s laws of motion are fundamental principles in classical mechanics that extend Newton’s laws of motion to rigid bodies. Formulated by Leonhard Euler, these laws describe the motion of rigid bodies and are crucial for understanding rotational dynamics.

Euler’s First Law: This law states that the rate of change of linear momentum of a rigid body is equal to the sum of the external forces acting on the body. Mathematically, it can be expressed as: $$ \mathbf{F}{\text{ext}} = \frac{d\mathbf{p}}{dt} $$ where (\mathbf{F}{\text{ext}}) is the external force and (\mathbf{p}) is the linear momentum.

Euler’s Second Law: This law states that the rate of change of angular momentum of a rigid body about a fixed point is equal to the sum of the external torques acting on the body. It can be written as: $$ \mathbf{M} = \frac{d\mathbf{L}}{dt} $$ where (\mathbf{M}) is the external torque and (\mathbf{L}) is the angular momentum1.

These laws are essential for analyzing the motion of objects that rotate or have complex shapes, such as wheels, gears, and even celestial bodies. They provide a deeper understanding of how forces and torques influence the motion of rigid bodies in various applications, from engineering to astrophysics.

Career Connections:

Learning to design and fabricate custom 3D-printed dice using CAD software and a 3D printer opens up a variety of exciting career paths:

Game Design: Game designers create the rules, mechanics, and visual elements of games. Understanding how to design and 3D print custom dice allows them to prototype and test new game concepts, enhancing their ability to develop innovative and engaging games.

Graphic Design: Graphic designers use CAD software to create visually appealing and precise designs. The skills learned in this lesson can be applied to various projects, from branding and logo creation to product packaging and digital media, enhancing their ability to produce professional-quality work.

Probability & Statistics: Professionals in this field analyze data and develop models to understand and predict outcomes. Designing and creating custom dice can provide hands-on experience with probability concepts, helping to visualize and explore statistical principles in a tangible way.

Mechanical Engineering: Mechanical engineers use CAD software to design and analyze mechanical systems. The experience of creating 3D-printed dice helps in understanding the principles of balance, material properties, and precision, which are crucial for designing efficient and innovative mechanical components.

These career connections highlight the versatility and applicability of the skills learned in this lesson, showing how they can be valuable in various professional fields.