3D printing has a good application prospect in the civil engineering industry, while this frontier knowledge is not covered in the current teaching. 3D print node assembly model was first introduced in the ninth national structure contest for college students. Taking the competition works of Hunan University of Science and Technology as an example, the application of 3D print in structure design for college students was expounded from the point of design, optimization and installation. The structure was well assembled with 3D print node by sticking, inserting, wedging and interlinking. The competition would promote the popularization of 3D printing technology and expand professional vision for college students in civil engineering.