Platonic puzzles
Source: Thingiverse by nicnacs
The Platonic puzzles is a free printable 3D model from Thingiverse by nicnacs. This is a spin (pun slightly intended) on George Hart's cube puzzle. You can download the STL file from the original listing below and print it at home.
About this model
This is a spin (pun slightly intended) on George Hart's cube puzzle. In his puzzle, he dissected a cube into two pieces with a spiral-like surface called a helicoid. The resulting two pieces are identical, and are themselves 2-fold symmetric. I played with this idea on some of the other platonic solids. I cut an icosahedron into two equal and symmetric pieces with a helicoid. Going further, if you have a solid with a 3-fold axis of symmetry, you can cut it into 3 equal pieces with 3 helicoid surfaces. I did this with a dodecahedron and an octahedron. Note that these polyhedra also possess 2-fold symmetry axes, and so can be cut into 2 pieces as well. I included the Python Jupyter notebook I used to create them. I was using SolidPython, which is essentially a Python wrapper around OpenSCAD.…
Frequently asked questions
- Is this 3D model free to download?
- Yes. Platonic puzzles is free to download from Thingiverse. Click the "Download free STL" button above to open the original listing.
- Where is the STL hosted?
- The download is hosted by Thingiverse, not by Thinger. We link you directly to the original listing by nicnacs.
- Who made this model?
- Designed by nicnacs, published on Thingiverse. Please credit the creator when sharing your print online.
- Can I print this at home?
- Yes. This model is intended for home FDM and resin 3D printers. Check the original listing for suggested print settings like layer height and supports.
