Tray puzzle 1

Here is another variation on the Aztek Puzzle. Aztek Puzzle

As you can see in that thread, I had a go at a similar puzzle, which works (I think) but isn’t very aesthetically pleasing. So I had another go. I hope you like it.

As I don’t have my GF yet, I’d love to see someone else cut this, even if it is just out of cardboard, :slight_smile:

62 Likes

You can just ZIP the file, in which case it will allow anything to be uploaded.

I’ll see if I can this evening for you.

10 Likes

I love it Ian.
I can just imagine coming across this on a wall in some cave along the Silk Road.

2 Likes

I like this one as a puzzle better than your other one, which had too many orphan triangles. I was going to offer to cut this one for you but I see Henry has already committed to it.

I think you’ve got a real talent for this! Not surprisingly, considering your already established artistic talent.

6 Likes

I love this. I really like tray puzzles and you’re inspiring me to try out some things.

One thing to think about: try introducing some “tricks” in the design, places where it can be put together wrong, requiring backtracking in the solving process. For example, the hook shape coming out of the northwest piece has one and only one other piece it could fit into, the cutout in the north piece. Having a similar cutout in another piece can fool the solver, forcing them to fiddle with it.

Please keep posting as this evolves, and pictures once you get some cut out. Thanks!!

5 Likes

Nice idea, thanks, I’ll try that. I’ll definitely be doing more of these. :slight_smile:

1 Like

I like the other one too…since Henry’s already doing this one, I might just have to make one of the other ones after I catch up…(sometime in November…)

1 Like

What is the best kind of way to save as an .svg? With or without Illustrator editing? And is there anything else in the .svg save panel that I should be turning on/off?

I love it. It looks great! I imported it into Fusion 360 and made a 3D render of it in various woods. I wish I could cut it for you, but alas, I also do not yet have my GF.

28 Likes

Wow! That looks fantastic!!! :smiley:

3 Likes

It’s your design! You get most of the credit (with the Fusion 360 developers getting the rest)!

Their renders look awesome.

4 Likes

Nice job, @ian. I really love how it uses empty space to confuse things.

And that render really does make it look amazing! Thanks @polarbrainfreeze as well.

2 Likes

Thanks so much for posting the design. I’ve been wanting something to show of the Proofgrade hardwood in a tray puzzle like this, especially after seeing @cynd11’s cat tray puzzle in person. With this and a tangram puzzle that takes care of a lot.

1 Like

These are the svg save settings that I have found to play nicely with discourse.
(use Save As or Save Copy, not export)

6 Likes

Thank you :slight_smile:

2 Likes

Updated design. Took out a stray path off the artboard that was stuck in the original.

There are several ways of dealing with this file. If you want different colors for the pieces, you can keep the pieces separate and have their paths colored differently and just cut the pieces you need from the different wood. But in the end the most efficient use would be to cut three sets of pieces from three different kinds of wood and then mix and match them. Once again, a fourth color of Proofgrade plywood would make a difference so we could solve the four color map problem and get a different colored edge.

Since there are only three types of Proofgrade, this simplifies the design greatly. I went ahead and removed all the double lines, including the inner line of the frame. That gets cut by the lines of the pieces. So You have only three operations. The one set of pieces and frame. The base and then the engrave.

I rotated 45 degrees to save material. That extends the engrave time a little, but it only took 5 minutes to do the whole thing.

s

17 Likes

Hahaha, and you also lost those tiny squares… Never found one of them (will step on it at some point to hilarious lego-effect…)

4 Likes

Did you remove the double lines? Illustrator seems to have that feature. I didn’t look in Inkscape and did it manually. The little diamonds went into the crumb tray.

2 Likes

No because I wasn’t looking (and didn’t recut, since I had to get back to making cat steps tonight), but now that I know, I can retry tomorrow.

By the way Titebond III seems to bond to Parchment Paper somewhat! I didn’t know anything stuck to silicone!

2 Likes

Missed your post while I was printing my version and writing it up! Sorry.

1 Like