Anna: This is a dodecadodecahedron, basically a stellated dodecahedron nested inside a simple dodecahedron. This is much harder to assemble than the others, the process of weaving the pieces was really tricky to figure out.
Elizabeth: A variant on a stellated dodecahedron, this one was much simpler to build – You just need to thread the faces between each other as you go. Definitely the easiest to construct.
It’s hard to tell from this but this one is also the most open of the structures, which I like. Was going for something with a bit more breathing room.
And here is the whole family. A banana for scale, but this is an imperial banana, which is about 1.3 metric bananas. (Read: it was a big banana. Anna (on right) is 10" point to point)
I did zero math! It’s all about good software. I use Stella, Sketchup, and Inkscape. I rely on guides a great deal to keep things aligned, and I use clones to make multiple copies of parts. Using clones lets me make changes to the design later on that will carry through to the final design (things like slot thickness etc).
Good software is key. Stella is great for exploring and designing shapes. Sketchup or something other 3D model software lets you scale and simulate the design with scale material thicknesses, then it’s all vector editing after that.
I can’t believe you can make such complicated shapes. I wouldn’t even be able to start figuring out to design something like that. You have a rare talent.
Wow. Maybe it’s just the pictures, but it seems there’s a bit of optical illusion, too… all the weaving and curved cuts makes it looks like the material is twisting even though it’s flat.
