The Snowflake Generator Tutorial was created as a part of the BlocksCAD® Snowflake Challenge. The desire of this tutorial is to boost interest in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Fields among students. It is the author’s belief that through the development of promotion of these fields, we are creating a better tomorrow for our students.

This tutorial gives students a step by step guide through creating a random snowflake generator. The tutorial is broken into six assignments. Each assignment begins with an introduction to the assignment which pulls in various fields of science and engineering. As a student progresses through the assignments, they are designed to keep the student challenged through an increasing level of difficulty. Examples and illustrations are used to increase the student’s thinking and understanding of how BlocksCAD®, 3D Modeling, and Programming work.

Submitted are the Snowflake Generator Tutorial.pdf and seven XLF files—one to display the result of each assignment of the tutorial and a final “Snowflake Generator.xlm” file. In addition to these files, various pictures have been uploaded to illustrate the various parts of the tutorial and to show 3D printed examples of some of the snowflakes created. Four STL files are provided for the four snowflake 3D prints pictured for the rare case that someone desires to print these snowflakes without going through the tutorial.

A complete list of the BlocksCAD® Tools used in this Tutorial can be found here: • Basic Math Block • Circle Block • Color Block • Common Constants Block • Count Block • Cylinder Block • If, Then Statement Block • Logic Compare Block • Mirror Block • Module Block • Number Block • Random Integer Block • Rotate Block • Set Variable Block • Sides Block • Test: If True, If False Block • To Module Block • Translate Block • True/False Block • Union Block • Variable Block

As a volunteer who regularly helps with the BEST Robotics Competition (Boosting, Engineering, Science, and Technology), I see just how valuable sofware like BlocksCAD can be in helping students create 3D designs while also learning fundamentals of programming. It excites me that as a result of this competitions three schools throughout the nation will get a free 2 year subscrition to BlocksCAD®. It is my hope that regardless the outcome of the competition, this tutorial can be used in aiding students in learning BlocksCAD®. For this reason, I authorize the reuse, modification, or recreation of this tutorial and its contents within the educational setting.

I hope you enjoy! Please post some of your created snowflakes under the makes tab on this thing.