Octet Truss Node Environment (from rhombic dodecahedrons)

This is the local environment of a node in an octet-truss.

The struts are made from rhombic dodecahedrons which have their faces facing in the direction of the octet-truss struts.

3D images:

Sidenote: I've added some images for unaided 3D crossed-eye viewing. Here's how you attain the autostereograpic viewing superpower: Set your eyes vergence (where your lines of sight cross) at half the distance to the screen. At the same time set your eyes accommodation (where your eyes lenses focus at) at the screen. Setting vergence and accommodation to different distances is deeply unnatural and thus a skill that is bloody hard to attain. But once you've got it you get to keep that superpower forever. Keep training beyond first success, this makes it way easier plus you can view bigger and bigger images.

Background

This came up when investigating possible translatory and rotatory motions for self replicating pick and place robots in an modular lattice that itself is part of the system.

Like the rails depicted in Fig. 28 in the paper An architecture for universal construction via modular robotic components but instead of a planar square lattice going for the simple-most stiff 3D lattice which is the octet-truss.

Print Settings

Rafts: No
Supports:  Yes
Infill: 80%

Notes:

You absolutely should print this in the given orientation (111 direction facing upward) despite the lowest points hovering quite high up over the build platform this way.

The reasons for this printing orientation to be optimal:
(1) Some struts are pointing vertically upwards and thus need no support.
(2) You have the biggest unobstructed see-through channels in 111 direction and thus the most area that does not need support material.

I used colorfabbs unpigmented PLA-PHA blend filament.

If you use same material as support material then be prepared for some pain removing it precareously.

While removing the support material use needle nose pin pliers and do balance care with force. Despite the individual struts being filigree the whole structure is surprisingly stable (owning to it being an octet-truss).

Category: Math Art