Now and then I come across a puzzle which I find deeply satisfying in its balance of complexity and attractiveness. If it’s not too daunting an undertaking I’ll create a CAD design with the aim of 3D printing it. I get a lot of enjoyment from the reverse-engineering process and the insight it gives me into the designer’s mind.
As I blogged about in my “Some Fun DIY Puzzles” post, I modeled Dic Sonneveld’s “4 Piece Cube” puzzle and then had it 3D printed in multi-colored nylon. I thought it came out beautifully and enough people have asked me about it that I asked Dic for permission to reproduce it. He very graciously agreed so I have created my Shapeways shop and now anyone who is interested can get a copy (and in any color(s) they want!). Here’s one in blue, green, red, and orange:
Another example is Stickman’s (a.k.a. Robert Yarger) puzzle box, “Snowflake”. I came across a remake that Brian Pletcher had put up on Shapeways and ordered a copy. I thought the mechanism was really elegant and particularly enjoyed the interlocking notches at the corners. It got me thinking that maybe they could be used as a decorative motif for the entire puzzle so I reverse-engineered the design (in OpenSCAD as usual), and then added a lattice design that I think blends in well with the original notches and also helps hide the seams of the six panels. Here’s how it turned out:
I asked Stickman if I could put it up on Shapeways and he agreed – thanks Rob! – so now it’s in my Shapeways shop too. (11/17/18 UPDATE: I just created a shop on “i.materialise” and put the puzzle up there. For some reason i.materialise charges less for this particular puzzle.)
While we’re on the subject of Shapeways, I want to draw attention to Scott Elliot’s “Engagement Diamond” puzzle. This thing is brilliant (no pun intended; OK, pun totally intended). It consists of two identical pieces that fit together beautifully and symmetrically. Hanayama makes a metal version but I greatly prefer my purple one from Shapeways:
Well that’s it for today. I’ve been working on my third metal puzzle but struggling to find the right shape for it and have no real news to report. Hopefully I’ll have a breakthrough soon!