How to 3D Design a Stairs Illusion in SelfCAD
SelfCAD's Shapes tool allows users to easily create basic geometric shapes such as cubes, spheres, cylinders, and cones, among others. This tool is essential for quickly generating foundational shapes that can then be modified, combined, or manipulated further to create more complex designs. In this guide, you'll learn how to make the stairs illusion using just a cube and replicate it using the copy offset tool to.
To begin, launch SelfCAD and open the workspace:
From the 3D Shapes, select a Cube:
Set the parameters of the cube as shown below, and then tick the check mark to finalize the cube:
From the Tools category, select Copy Offset. Set Y to 2.5 and Z to -2.0. Then click Add Option, and set the operation to Scale. Set Y to 5 and the Number of Copies to 4, and click Copy:
Click copy, and then click “X” to close the panel:
Select the mesh 6, then on the Tools category, select Copy Offset:
Set Position X to 20, and Y to 2.5. Click Add Option, set the operation to Scale, and set Y to 5. Set the Number of Copies to 4 and then click Copy:
Click “X” to close the panel:
Select the object highlighted below and on the Tools category and select Copy Offset:
Set Position Y to 2.5 and Z to 20. Click Add Option and set the operation to Scale. Set Y to 5, and the Number of Copies to 4, and then click copy:
Click “X” to close the panel:
Select the mesh as shown below, and on the Tools category, select Copy Offset. On the Position, set X to -20 and Y to 2.5. Click Add Option and set the operation to Scale and set Y to 5. Set the Number of Copies to 1 and click copy:
Click “X” to close the panel:
On the top toolbar, on the Edit menu, click Select All:
Select Stitch and Scoop on the toolbar, and select Union:
Tick the check mark to finalize the union:
Click on the Color picker, select the Black color, and click ok to confirm the color:
You can always set the colors according to your preference:
There you go, you have made the stairs in SelfCAD. SelfCAD's Copy Offset tool helps you make copies of objects in your design. You can choose how far apart each copy is from the original. This tool is handy for making things like patterns or lines of objects where you want them to be evenly spaced. If you would like to 3D print the file, you can use the in-built online slicer of the software to do so. Learn how the online slicer of SelfCAD works in the video below.
Enjoy powerful modeling, rendering, and 3D printing tools without the steep learning curve.
Need to learn 3D modeling? Get started with interactive tutorials.