TriSphere Flexable Mesh

thingiverse

Human: Like FlexMesh, TriSphere is a geometric pattern I developed about a year ago to push the boundaries of affordable 3D printing technologies. The origins of this design appear to be rooted in the Celtic tradition. Improving joinery in this pattern remains my top priority - it will make assembly easier and result in a more flexible fabric. However, after devoting attention to other pressing projects for nearly a year, I'm releasing this version so designers can experiment with it. The TriSphere fabric results from combining 3 separate mats spatially. Each mat is constructed using two fundamental shapes: Mains and Subs. Mains are the visible three-legged pieces that form the foundation of each mat's design. Subs, mostly hidden beneath Mains, connect one leg of each adjoining Main on a mat. To facilitate clarity, all Mains on the mats in this particular design share the same color. This means the yellow pieces are linked by Subs, as are white and orange pieces. Nevertheless, there is no direct connection between the resulting fabric's components from the individual mats. Each mat in the provided design consists of Mains with matching colors, but even more striking patterns can be generated or discovered through the weavings created using 2 or more color varieties for Mains. One included screenshot illustrates such a pattern incorporating 9 different colored Mains. I look forward to seeing designers unleash their creativity by experimenting with the combination and distribution of different-colored Mains to create interesting fabric designs. The vast potential hidden in mixing and distributing Mains is quite tremendous. TriSphere Design Guidelines: Parts for this design can be printed using PLA, PETG, or ABS materials. When immersed in developing this design, ABS was my material of choice for experimentation, so the fabric shown here was printed in ABS at 220 with 2 shells and 20% infill without a raft or supports. With costs being a major factor, I found both Mains and Subs turn out fairly well even when produced using subpar filament quality.