Turning Your Kid’s Drawings into 3D Printed Toys

In years past, you may have seen various projects online where artists turn kids’ drawings into 3D art or animation. In this video, Bob of I Like to Make Stuff, turns one of his son’s robot drawings into a really cool 3D printed toy. You can obviously use this technique to transform any 2D art into a 3D object.

Bob scans the image into his computer and then uses Fusion 360 to turn the drawing into a 3D object. He then prints the parts on his 3D printer, finishes and paints them. The joy (and the hug) he gets from his son when he surprises him with the finished toy is worth the price of admission.

There are some good tips in this video, too. Bob finishes the model using several sanded coats of automotive filler primer for a nice, smooth, and fairly durable finish. He also keeps the tolerances on the pegged joints really tight so that he can sand to just the right amount of friction for a nice, snug fit.