Knotted Orbit

thingiverse

I took a bold step by creating something for a full color powder printer. The STL fails to capture its essence; with Windows 8.1 (or 10) at your disposal, you can unlock the secrets of the 3MF file through 3D Builder, a platform I work on diligently. I utilized NASA's imagery: the Blue Marble for the earth, and the Hubble Deep Field for the knot. The earth is now eternally frozen in its state, yet it revolves around a knot-shaped orbit seamlessly. View my video showcasing the finished print to experience it fully. One of the exciting features we've incorporated into 3D Builder is "Buy Print," which empowers users to craft items utilizing materials beyond our domestic capabilities. I printed this magnificent piece using Colorstone at a cost of $172 (although I acknowledge that it's not as budget-friendly as desired, considering its impressive 6 inch width). **Instructions** This intricate creation was born from Matlab, with the associated .m script readily available in the downloads section for those eager to dive into its depths. While OpenSCAD is my primary design tool of choice, curvaceous forms like this are not well-suited to it; thus, I developed a recursive knot script that intricately builds a 3-1 knot along the path of a 2-3 knot, upon which the earth majestically glides. Mastering texture mapping presented an intriguing challenge, but its execution adds a rich layer of complexity to this design. The 3MF file encompasses all texture information and other essential details; with 3D Builder, you can access it seamlessly (and, hopefully, more advanced 3D applications will soon follow suit). Given STL and OBJ's limitations as 3D printing formats, I continue to work on improving the 3MF format.