Pythagorean Tree

thingiverse

I decided to bring my own unique design to life inspired by a brilliant concept created by Walter Janssens. The mesmerizing fractal known as the Pythagorean tree comes alive in this 3D model. Although I only printed a version with limited iterations, bigger iterations are absolutely feasible. You can play around with the openSCAD file that I've shared to tweak the number of iterations and adjust other settings. Fun fact: Albert E. Bosman first conceptualized the Pythagorean tree back in 1942. Surprisingly, mathematicians have proven that the total surface area of a 2D Pythagorean tree is finite, which also applies to this 3D model. To explore more, visit the Wikipedia page dedicated to the topic. I'm excited for you to get creative! I used black PLA at 200°C with a layer thickness of 0.2 mm to bring this design to life. Printer Settings: Printer Brand: RepRap Printer: Prusa i3 Hephestos Rafts: Doesn't Matter Supports: Doesn't Matter Infill: Choose between 15% or 10% Notes: Keep in mind that for larger iterations, you might need to increase the RADIUS constant within the OpenSCAD file due to some brittleness issues with the smaller cubes. For smoother results, I recommend editing the SIZE constant instead of resizing through Cura/Slic3r. I approached this design by leveraging the power of recursive programming in openSCAD. It's my first time working on an openSCAD program, and I'm pretty sure it could be optimized – give it a try and let me know if you can make any improvements!