Building a Suspension Bridge

by rhenryURVZQ in Workshop > 3D Printing

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Building a Suspension Bridge

suspension bridge.jpg
Screenshot 2023-05-26 3.00.36 PM.png

I am in 7th grade, and about to move to 8th. When I was very young, my family and I rode our bikes from San Diego all the way to San Francisco and then back. So, when I read about this contest, my first thought was the Golden Gate Bridge.

Supplies

3D printer (optional) -- I use Toybox because it is what i have, but other ones will work just fine.

Tinkercad -- use for making the bridge design

Convertio - File Converter -- Allows you to make images into 3D objects

Basic Side Layout

Screenshot 2023-05-25 6.27.44 PM.png
download.png

My first step was to find a two dimensional image of a suspension bridge and raise it using Convertio, although you could also just download the file below. This gave me something to work off of.

Adding Cables and a Floor

Screenshot 2023-05-26 12.58.32 PM.png

The next step was adding a floor and cables. The floor is a simple square changed to match the dimensions of the cutouts. The cables are made of four springs pointing in different directions. You can try to make your own or download the ones below.

Trimming the Cables

To trim the cables, I just changed the dimensions of three cylinders, made them into cutout mode, and grouped them with the cables.

Finished!

Screenshot 2023-05-26 2.48.26 PM.png

Here is the link to my finished suspension bridge!

here

Note: If you want to print it, you will need to turn it up-side-down.