An Interactive Design System for Sphericon-based Geometric Toys using Conical Voxels

Masaki Hirose, Jun Mitani, Yoshihiro Kanamori, and Yukio Fukui

Abstract

We focus on a unique solid, named a "sphericon", which has geometric properties that cause it to roll down a slope while swinging from side to side. We propose an interactive system for designing 3D objects with the same geometric characteristics as a sphericon. For high system efficiency, we used a conical voxel representation for defining these objects. The system allows the user to concentrate on the design itself while the system ensuring that the geometrical constraints of a sphericon are satisfied. The user can also preview the rolling motion of the object. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed system, we fabricated the designed models using a 3D printer, and confirmed that they rolled as smoothly as a standard sphericon.

Publication

Masaki Hirose, Jun Mitani, Yoshihiro Kanamori, and Yukio Fukui,
An Interactive Design System for Sphericon-based Geometric Toys using Conical Voxels,
Smart Graphics 2011, pp.37-47, Germany, 18-20th July, 2011.
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