Week 5

Pirate Ship Playhouse: Cabin, Portholes & Details

Adding details and preparing for 3D printing

Welcome Back!

Your pirate ship is starting to look like a real ship! You've built the hull and the deck. Now it's time to add the details that make it come alive.

This week, you'll add the ship's cabin, cut round portholes into the hull, and add the famous plank. Then you'll check if your model is printable — ready to be turned into a real 3D object.

By the end of this lesson, you'll have a complete Pirate Ship Playhouse model.

What You'll Learn This Week

Build the ship's cabin
Create portholes using Circle + Push/Pull
Add the plank and finalize your model
Check if your model is printable

Let's Begin

10 minutes

1. Warm-Up: Recap Hull and Deck

Before we add details, let's review what you built last week. Open your Week 4 pirate ship model.

Quick review:

Orbit around your ship
Check that the hull is hollow inside
Confirm that the deck sits inside the hull
Check for any gaps, holes, or floating parts

If your model has issues from last week, take 2 minutes to fix them now. A clean base makes the details much easier to add.

Reminder: Save your file with the format week#-studentid-firstname-lastname.

20 minutes

2. The Ship's Cabin

The cabin is the small house-like structure at the back of the ship. It's where the captain sleeps. The cabin sits on top of the deck and usually has a door and windows.

Step 1: Draw the cabin base

Select the Rectangle tool (R)
Draw a rectangle on top of the deck near the back of the ship
Type 1m, 1.2m — press Enter
This is the footprint of the cabin

Step 2: Pull the cabin walls up

Select Push/Pull (P)
Click the rectangle face
Pull up — type 1m — press Enter
You now have a box for the cabin

Step 3: Add a roof (optional)

Use the Line tool to draw a triangular roof on top
Or just Push/Pull a thinner rectangle on top as a flat roof
Both styles look good — choose your favorite

Step 4: Add a door

Select the Rectangle tool
Draw a small rectangle on the front face of the cabin
Type 40cm, 80cm — press Enter
Select Push/Pull and push the door inward by 5cm
This creates a recessed doorway

Where to place the cabin: Most pirate ships have the cabin at the back (the stern). Place it near the back edge of the deck, leaving space in front for the main deck area.

15 minutes

3. The Portholes (Circle + Push/Pull)

Portholes are the round windows on the side of a ship. They let light in and look great on a model. To make them, we use the Circle tool and Push/Pull.

Step 1: Draw a circle on the hull

Orbit to see the side of your ship
Select the Circle tool (C)
Click on the side of the hull where you want a porthole
Type 15cm for the radius — press Enter

Step 2: Push the circle inward

Select Push/Pull (P)
Click the circle face
Push it inward slowly — until it breaks through to the other side
This creates a round hole — a porthole!

Step 3: Add more portholes

Draw 3–5 portholes along the side of the ship
Try to space them evenly
Use Select tool to check each porthole is the same size

Step 4: Add portholes to the other side

Orbit to the other side of the ship
Repeat the same steps to add matching portholes

Careful: Don't push the circle too far or it may create a long tunnel. Just push until you see the hole open up on the other side.

Pro tip: If your circle doesn't snap flat on the hull, hold Shift while placing it to lock it to the surface.

15 minutes

4. Add the Plank

Every pirate ship has a plank — a wooden board sticking out from the side where prisoners (or unlucky sailors!) walk.

Step 1: Draw the plank

Orbit to the side of your ship
Select the Rectangle tool
Draw a long, thin rectangle extending outward from the side of the ship
Type 1.5m, 30cm — press Enter

Step 2: Give the plank thickness

Select Push/Pull
Click the rectangle face
Pull up slightly — type 5cm — press Enter
The plank is now a solid board

Step 3: Position the plank

Use Move (M) if you need to adjust the height
The plank should stick out from the side of the hull
About midway up the hull is a good place

Add ropes (optional): Use the Line tool to draw thin lines from the tip of the plank back up to the deck. This looks like rope supports.

20 minutes

5. Complete Your Pirate Ship

Now it's your turn to finish your pirate ship. Add the cabin, portholes, and plank. Make it your own.

Required features:

A cabin on the deck (with at least a door)
At least 3 portholes on each side of the hull
A plank sticking out from one side
All parts connected — no floating pieces

Optional extras (if you have time):

Add a flagpole on top of the cabin
Add a ship's wheel using a circle
Add small crates or barrels on the deck
Add a rudder at the back of the ship

Suggested dimensions:

Part	Suggested Size
Cabin base	1m × 1.2m
Cabin height	1m
Cabin door	40cm × 80cm
Porthole radius	15cm
Plank length	1.5m
Plank width	30cm
Plank thickness	5cm

Save every few minutes. This is the most detailed lesson so far. Don't lose your work.

20 minutes

6. Solid Check + Fix Common Issues

Before we can 3D print your pirate ship, it needs to be a solid group — a completely closed object with no gaps or holes.

What is a solid group?

Every edge is shared by exactly 2 faces
No gaps, holes, or open faces
Nothing floating separately
No inside-out faces

How to check your model:

Select your entire model (drag a box around it with the Select tool)
Right-click → Group
Look at the Entity Info panel on the right
It should say "Solid Group"

Common problems and how to fix them:

Problem	How to Fix
Stray lines inside the model	Use Eraser tool to remove them
Gap in the geometry	Use Line tool to close it — trace along the missing edge
Inside-out faces (dark gray/blue)	Right-click the face → Reverse Faces
Two overlapping objects	Use Intersect Faces then delete the parts inside
Extra hidden geometry	View → Hidden Geometry → delete what you don't need

Save your work:

Click the model name at the top
Rename it: week5-studentid-firstname-lastname
Click Save
Verify it appears in your Google Drive

Don't stress if it's not perfect. Solid geometry is the hardest part of 3D modeling. If your model isn't solid yet, that's okay — we'll keep working on it in Week 6 when we prepare for printing.

Check Yourself

Before you finish, make sure you can do all of these:

I built a cabin on the deck
I added a door to the cabin
I created portholes using Circle + Push/Pull
I added a plank sticking out from the ship
I checked if my model is a Solid Group
I fixed at least one issue with my model
I saved my file correctly

Key Words to Remember

Term	What It Means
Cabin	A small house-like structure on the deck of a ship
Portholes	Round windows cut into the side of a ship's hull
Plank	A wooden board sticking out from a ship's side
Solid	A 3D object that is completely closed with no gaps or holes
Manifold	Another word for solid — every edge shared by exactly 2 faces

Quick Check

Answer these in your head or on paper:

What two tools do you use to make a porthole?
Where is the cabin usually placed on a ship?
What does a "Solid Group" mean?
How do you fix an inside-out face?

Optional Homework

Sketch a flag design for your pirate ship
Think about what colors and materials would look good on your ship
If you have SketchUp at home, experiment with different cabin styles

Coming Next Week

Week 6: Customization & Export for 3D Printing — You'll add materials and colors, explore the 3D Warehouse, and export your pirate ship as an STL file ready for printing.

Teacher Instructions

Verify each student still has their Week 4 hull and deck saved in Google Drive.
Review Offset, Move, and Copy quickly before starting new content.
Demonstrate how to build the cabin step by step.
Show how to add a door using Rectangle + Push/Pull.
Demonstrate the Circle + Push/Pull technique for portholes.
Show how to place portholes evenly along the hull.
Demonstrate how to add the plank.
Guide students through completing their pirate ship.
Circulate and assist students who struggle with portholes.
Demonstrate how to check for a Solid Group using Entity Info.
Show how to fix common non-solid issues (stray lines, reversed faces, gaps).
Remind students to save often with Ctrl + S.
Verify each student's file is named and saved correctly.
Note which students need extra support in Week 6.

← Back: Week 4 Next Lesson: Customization & Export →