Gyroid Construction Set

thingiverse

The Gyroid has got to be pretty much my favorite mathematical shape, what with all its complexity yet surprising order and periodicity. With the ancestor of this thing, I finally figured out how to print one well without support on a cheap 3D printer. Now I've figured out how to connect them together, which makes them vastly more useful and interesting. These little wiggly connectors actually screw into the gyroid modules and hold them very stiffly, especially once you get several going though in different directions. Check out the video to see my explanation of the assembly process: http://youtu.be/lIqKSJxahmc The sky's the limit on what you can build out of these modules. Show me some sweet "I made one" pictures of your creations! Instructions Printing these is not trivial, as they push the 45 degree rule, but if you don't scale them, they should print okay. I always recommend PLA with lots of cooling air to keep the corners from curling. The Customizer script is designed so you can export connectors with different tolerance, in case they come out too loose or tight on your printer. You can also make them longer or shorter, but keep in mind, it's easier to keep them short and stagger their positions when building large assemblies. There are so many places to put connectors that it's easy to build in redundant strength. I can usually remove connectors with my fingers, but a pair of needle-nose pliers can be helpful. If you have trouble figuring out how the modules should align to each other, it can be helpful to remember that they all stay in their printed orientation, so just line up the layers.