Tweak a Lowrider Using Tinkercad's Sim Lab

Welcome to Spark!Lab digital. This is an online invention space where you get to be an inventor. There are no wrong answers, and you can create an invention using the pieces provided — or create some pieces of your own. Think like an inventor: how does your design solve a problem?

Tweak a Lowrider with these virtual materials— or create your own parts and pieces. Using Tinkercad, you can delete, reshape, duplicate and create new parts. Using the Sim Lab in Tinkercad you can connect moveable parts and control the movements of your 3D model.

1. Free Tinkercad account
2. Inventive creativity
3. "Tweak a Lowrider" parts from Spark!Lab's Tinkercad designs

Invention is a Process

There are just two things to keep in mind as you tweak your lowrider model:

1. The invention process is not always linear, but inventors engage in these steps in some form or another:

"Think it" : Have a great idea for an invention.

"Explore it": Investigate inventions and ideas of the past.

"Sketch it": Draw pictures and diagrams to figure out how your invention might work.

"Create It": Build a prototype or model of your idea.

"Try It": Test your invention.

"Tweak It": Keep improving your idea.

"Share It": Share your idea with others or market your invention to people who might buy it.

2. We also know, everyone is inventive- and we do mean everyone! Today, you become the inventor. You will try new ideas, take risks, and learn how to keep going when things don’t go as planned.

The first step of the invention process is to "think it," meaning to identify a problem you would like to solve, or something you will create and begin to imagine your solution.

What is the problem you are trying to solve or what are you trying to create?

When you tweak your virtual lowrider, what steps will you take? How will you setup your lowrider in the Sim Lab to make it move? Where will you connect the pistons that make it work. What will you need to learn to test and tweak your prototype in the Tinkercad Sim Lab?

The next step of the invention process is to "explore it.” Inventors ask: “How have inventors solved this problem or explored this design in the past?” and then conduct research to learn more about the problem they want to solve or to understand solutions that already may exist. They learn from what others have already tried and make sure that their solutions are new or different.

Lowriders are custom-built cars featuring hydraulics: they are low to the ground and can be raised with the flip of a switch. They are a medium of artistic expression. Lowriding is a way of life in the Chicano (Mexican American) community; lowriders are a part of important rituals and traditions. The craftsmanship that goes into each car reflects the skill and creativity of generations of builders. Lowriding is more than just the mechanics of building and painting a car. It’s also a way of life and the expression of a vibrant community.

Visit the Corazón y Vida: Lowrider Culture in the United States / Cultura Lowrider en los Estados Unidos Smithsonian Learning Lab page to explore lowrider culture and history.

Check out the Smithsonian Magazine article Inside L.A.’s Lowrider Car Clubs to learn more about the LA lowrider scene.

Learn more about the way lowriders express identities—social, cultural, aesthetic.

Explore this EV lowrider being created by students at Sacramento Academic and Vocational Academy (SAVA).

Watch this video that talks about the artistry and innovation of lowrider culture.

Use this YouTube tutorial to get a handle on TInkercad Sim Lab connections and motors.

Inventors use sketching as a way to organize their ideas.

Drawing an idea allows inventors to imagine what their invention might look like and how it will work. Try sketching out your invention before working on your digital model! Take some time to sketch your ideas, images, and thoughts about how you would want your lowrider to look and to move.

You can sketch your ideas with paper and pencil, or you can try using a digital format. Remember! Inventors rarely get it right on the first try. Whatever the method, you may need to erase and re-draw your invention as you continue to think through how you want to solve the problem.

Click here to learn more about inventors' sketches in the Smithsonian Collection.

Now it is time to build a prototype of your invention idea. In this step, inventors get to see their idea turn into something real. Building or designing a model can also help you learn about any issues there are with their invention design. You will be making adjustments to the lowrider model. You can add and/or take away anything you like as you create your prototype. With this exercise you will be going back and forth between the lowrider model you are working on and the Sim Lab lab tab where you can test your 3D model.

How will you use virtual materials and a digital simulation lab to setup your lowrider? What will you need to learn to make the digital model move? How will you connect parts in new ways or change the movement setting to make the lowrider act the way you want? What pieces will you add to the lowrider model to make it your own?

"As you create your design be sure to use the "Notes" feature in Tinkercad to describe the parts and features of your lowrider." Some notes already exist to help you along your inventive journey.

Click here to go to the Tinkercad site where you can begin tweaking your lowrider.

Once you have learned how to use the Sim Lab and worked on your design, move on to the Try It step.

Now that you have created your 3D model, test your design using the "Sim Lab" button in Tinkercad.

1. Which pieces of your idea worked well?
2. How many pieces of your own did you create?
3. Which pieces did not work well?
4. Did you figure out how to connect parts together with axles?
5. Did you learn now to use the "motor" controls to make parts move in Sim Lab?
6. Are there certain angles, forces or motions that are having a negative impact on your model?
7. What will you do to make your lowrider work the way you want it to?

Share your 3D model and ideas with others. Ask them for their input about your design.

1. What did they like best about your lowrider?
2. What did they think needed improving?
3. What new ideas did you get by sharing your idea with them?

Now that you’ve experimented with the lowrider, made changes to the model, tested it using the Sim Lab, and shared your idea with others, it’s time to tweak your invention! Now is the time to ask yourself, "What changes can I make to improve my lowrider model?”

Inventors typically don't succeed with an invention on the first try. Inventors make changes to their prototypes to make them work better. Usually, they tweak their idea many times before it is finished. Once tweaks are made, inventors test their inventions again. It can take many tries to get it right.

Go back to your design in Tinkercad and tweak it to make it work they way you, the inventor, think it should work.

Sharing your idea is not only about putting it up for sale. Sharing an idea often happens when you tell others about your idea after you have made your final tweaks.

Tell us about your invention on social media!

1. Who will use your invention?
2. What makes your invention unique?
3. How does your invention work?

We want to hear from you! Follow us on Instagram at @si_invention or Facebook @lemelsoncenter and use the hashtag #sparklab on your posts.