EDUstick® Creators Club
First 3D House
Flat, filled PLA panels become a colorful little house: four walls, an open window, and two roof panels. A recreational activity for home or a workshop, with help positioning and tacking the parts.
Your outcome: Assemble a recognizable model from a few simple flat parts.
Illustration of the finished construction. Full-size (1:1) templates are supplied on a separate sheet.
Session dom • stage 1/8
Six outlines
Choose the colors for the walls, roof, and window frame. On the six templates arranged together beneath the mat, make only four wall outlines and two roof-panel outlines; also trace the window in the front wall. Leave all the outlines on the mat, unfilled. You will fill them in step 2.
Check: There are six unfilled outlines on the pad: four walls and two identical roof panels. The center of the window is empty.
If it does not work: After cooling, fill the gap in the outline with a short strand.
Six outlines
Front wall with window · Left side wall · Rear wall with gable · Right side wall · Left roof panel · Right roof panel
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session dom • stage 2/8
Colored edge and cooling
On the pad, fill the six outlines, starting with the wall that has the window. Connect adjacent strands to the outline; at the window, end them at the frame. Keep the layer flat and choose your own color scheme for the walls and roof.
On the cool front wall lying flat, add a thin second layer of color along the edge of the window; leave the opening empty. Leave the outlines on the pad until they have been filled and cooled. Once the frame has cooled, you may move the finished panels for assembly.
Check: You have six cool, filled panels. The frame is bonded to the wall; the window opening is empty.
If it does not work: Fill only the missing section of the frame; do not add a thick mass.
1 × Front wall with window · PLA | template follow the written method
1 × Left side wall; 1 × Rear wall with gable; 1 × Right side wall; 1 × Left roof panel; 1 × Right roof panel · PLA | template follow the written method
1 × Colored window edge · PLA | template follow the written method
Stage outcome
Front wall with window · Left side wall · Rear wall with gable · Right side wall · Left roof panel · Right roof panel · Colored window edge
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session dom • stage 3/8
Position and tack the first corner
Stand the front and left walls on their lower edges on the flat worktop. The side wall meets the inside of the front wall, flush with its left edge. The helper holds one cool wall in each hand, away from the corner. The remaining panels wait nearby.
While the helper supports both walls, add two short tacks to the outside joint: one near the bottom and the other near the top of the straight side. Cool each one before releasing the grip.
Check: The corner maintains its angle; the lower edges still stand flat.
If it does not work: If the assembly spreads apart, the helper repositions the cool parts; complete the tack and let it cool.
1 × Corner tack fl · PLA | template follow the written method
→ T004 • Techniques — reference appendix
Stage outcome
Front wall with window · Left side wall · Colored window edge · Rear wall with gable · Right side wall · Left roof panel · Right roof panel · Corner tack fl
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session dom • stage 4/8
Position and tack the rear wall
Stand the rear wall on the worktop and move it against the end of the left side. The left side fits between the front and rear walls. With one hand, the helper steadies the cool corner; with the other, they hold the rear wall at its center. The helper supports the cool assembly and the rear wall.
Add two tacks to the outside rear corner as before. Hold until cool.
Check: This creates a rigid U-shaped assembly of three walls.
If it does not work: Before adding the next wall, correct the alignment or complete an inconsistent tack.
1 × Corner tack bl · PLA | template follow the written method
→ T004 • Techniques — reference appendix
Stage outcome
Rear wall with gable · Corner tack bl
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session dom • stage 5/8
Close and tack the four walls
Insert the right wall between the front and rear walls. The helper holds the cool U-shaped assembly and the added side. Check the fit at both ends and make sure all lower edges are flat before adding material. Add two short tacks to each corner of the right side while supporting the cool walls.
Once they have cooled, release the grip slightly and check the alignment.
Check: The structure stands on its four lower edges and does not spread apart.
If it does not work: Do not make a long seam yet. Correct the tack or alignment first.
1 × Corner tack fr; 1 × Corner tack br · PLA | template follow the written method
→ T004 • Techniques — reference appendix
Stage outcome
Right side wall · Corner tack fr · Corner tack br
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session dom • stage 6/8
Reinforce the checked corners
Only when the four walls are positioned correctly, add two short seam sections between the tacks at each outside corner. Cool each section before moving to the next. The helper steadies the cool opposite side; rotate only the cool assembly so that each joint is accessible from the outside.
Check: Each of the four corners has tacks and two short reinforcements. The structure stands unsupported.
If it does not work: Cool and fill only the interrupted joint. Do not flood the entire corner.
1 × Short corner reinforcements fl; 1 × Short corner reinforcements bl; 1 × Short corner reinforcements fr; 1 × Short corner reinforcements br · PLA | template follow the written method
→ T004 • Techniques — reference appendix
New sections between the tacks
Short corner reinforcements fl · Short corner reinforcements bl · Short corner reinforcements fr · Short corner reinforcements br
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session dom • stage 7/8
Tack the roof on both sides
Place both roof panels on the cool walls. The helper holds each one with a separate hand at its cool center. Align their front and rear edges with the gable walls; position their top edges opposite each other above the center of the house. Check their support on both gables.
You will join small gaps at the eaves and ridge with tacks; do not force the edges into place. The helper continues to hold both roof panels at their cool centers. At each eave, add one short tack near the front and one near the rear, from the side wall to the roof panel.
Alternate between the two sides; cool each tack before making the next one. Do not release the other roof panel while working on the first.
Check: Both roof panels are tacked to their side walls. The ridge edges are still aligned.
If it does not work: If a roof panel has shifted, stop; correct the fit before reinforcing it.
1 × Eave tacks left; 1 × Eave tacks right · PLA | template follow the written method
→ T004 • Techniques — reference appendix
Stage outcome
Left roof panel · Right roof panel · Eave tacks left · Eave tacks right
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session dom • stage 8/8
Stand up your house
While supporting the cool centers of the roof panels, add two short ridge tacks: one near the front and one near the rear. Join both edges with a new strand and let it cool. After checking and cooling the tacks, add two short sections at each eave and two at the ridge. The helper steadies the house by the cool walls below the roof.
Work from the outside, one joint at a time, pausing to let it cool. Once it has cooled, place the house on a flat worktop and release your grip. View it from all four sides and through the window. Choose a place for your own colorful house.
Check: The house stands unsupported and does not rock; four walls surround an empty space, the window is open, and the roof is attached on both sides.
If it does not work: If the model rocks or the roof moves at a joint, set it aside and correct the appropriate cool part with an adult's help.
1 × Ridge tacks; 1 × Eave reinforcement left; 1 × Eave reinforcement right; 1 × Ridge reinforcement · PLA | template follow the written method
→ T004 • Techniques — reference appendix
Stage outcome
Ridge tacks · Eave reinforcement left · Eave reinforcement right · Ridge reinforcement
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Finished model
View 1
Compare your model with the illustration.
Finished model
View 2
Compare your model with the illustration.
Finished model
View 3
Compare your model with the illustration.
