While the final product is not fully satisfactory, it proves the concept works, and works very well. I consider this an Advanced Prototype, and while it turns perfectly well there are still issues to be worked out. Until that time I'll leave you with these photos.

I present to you....


Drewseph's Elite Tetrahedron

wow. absolutely amazing. what is it that you'd like to improve on?

AMAZING


Andrew

You build amazing things Drewseph!! You could also build yourself a Master Skewb and a Professor's Skewb with those mods. It looks so cool with the pillowed look too.

Wow. That is absolutely amazing. I would love to see a professor skewb from you.

simply amazing cant wait to see it stickered
fantastic work

Thanks for the compliments!
The master skewb has already been done. once I perfect this, I'll consider an Elite Skewb (Professors skewb implies 5x5, which is the master skewb)

Single layer: "Puzzle name"
Dual layer: Master "puzzle name"
Triple Layer: Elite "Puzzle name"

Maybe a master skewb with a dual layer, and a..... higher order skewb thing with the triple layer tetrahedron.

Excellent, it looks really crazy with that pillowed shape. So if I'm right, this is like a Halpern-Meier but with two extra layers, and the previous had one extra layer?

Slick!

Did you use a shells approach for this design, or the V-Cube approach (I'm not sure what you would call that--cones maybe)?

Cheers!

Ah, I see it finally shows its face! Very nice work, as usual.

Very nice!

Does this remind anyone else of one of the Aliens from the movie The Fifth Element?

Dave

Now it will.

Great job! Beautiful work. I can't wait to see it stickered, but then again I leave town in the morning. I guess I just have to wait.

I'm trying to think of new superlatives. Deliteous.

It looks great curved - it looks smaller.

You've done it again, Drew!

This is a really nice piece of work.

I don't really know anything about CAD but would it be possible to use rotation planes that curve with the outer curvature of the puzzle (maybe using large radius sphere-sections for the rotation planes?) rather than the flat rotation planes? I don't have any idea whether this would make the puzzle operate better or worse, but I think it would look good!

Fantastic, I suspected that you were working on something pretty special, from all of your hints!

Personally, I don't care if the Master Skewb has been made before, I still would love to see one from you (then I would have to try to persuade you to trade it).

The Professor Skewb has yet to be made though. (Cube version of this mech).

Amazing puzzle! Nicely done!

Noah, The Elite skewb hasn't been started yet, however it should be doable.. but first I want to perfect this design.

Timselkirk, if I made the line around the rotations planes curve with the pillowed structure then I would actually end up canceling out the purpose of the pillowed mech, the reason its pillows is because it has to be in order to fit in the extra row, and keep the corners attached to the main puzzle

It looks awesome Drew, amazing work.

I'm missing something here I'm sure.

I can't see how curving the rotations doesn't help the pillowing effect, or at least, doesn't cancel it



I know this is very rough, and a little exaggerated, but even with curved rotation planes the cut off point moves towards the "inside" of the shape?

I really am sure I am missing something. I think it must be my inability to clearly visualise how the pieces fit inside.

[edit] Checking this back its sounds like I am being critical. I don't mean to! This is a fantastic puzzle, don't get me wrong.... just correct me...!

you're not being critical at all =)

I have tried this, and the reason it cancels out the pillowing is because it shortens how far the tip of the corner piece sticks into the puzzle. you can really only tell when looking at a horizontal view or all intersected parts, you'll end up with a piece that looks like this )( instead of this ||

With curved rotation planes, the cutoff point moves toward the outside of the shape. I'll exaggerate it even more in my picture.
The only thing we're talking about here is adding curved cuts. Your illustration is looking at BOTH curved cuts and pillowing. The pillowing it countering whatever loss you're creating from the curved cuts.

You can EASILY see the cutoff point moving upward with the curves in my picture.

Hope this helps.

If the curved cuts are reversed, they will make the corner situation better, not worse, but in a tetrahedron, there may not be room for that. I have experimented with it in a couple of concepts, and it was an interesting alternative to pillowing the faces. (a pillowed dodecahedron looks a bit funny...)

I understand all of the pictures, but what I don't get is why this picture

that moves the cut-off towards the centre is not just as valid. I think if I understand that, I will have it......

Thanks for your patience, all three of you!

I suspect it will only become really clear when I get hold of a CAD package and try it all for myself.

well, you lose a LOT on the edge pieces. The layers would have to be a lot thinner to keep adjacent slices from intersecting before the edge.
Everything is a give and take.

Breathtaking!

Really a very interesting design. Congratulations!!

- Frank -

Another fantastic puzzle! Great job!!

Sooo... it's a prototype of a cat?

Thanks, that made me laugh.

But upon evaluating the picture, the cat cannot be a prototype. That is clearly a production-quality, fully-indifferent feline.

Therefore something else in the picture must be a prototype. I wonder what. Hmm. Could it be the carpet?

Outstanding work.

Love the pillowing work

I have a quick question:
So pretty much all the was needed to be done to the master tetrahedron was a bit of cutting and resizing of the parts in CAD or a CAD like program? If so, thats great because seeing this puzzle up to an "11x11 equivalent" will be awesome!

The Elite Tetrahedron is a 7x7x7 Equivalent. and the puzzle had to have a completely different design from the Master Tetrahedron. an 11x11 equivalent would be a 5 layer tetrahedron, which I don't plan on working on, at least until I get this design to be stable. This puzzle might need a redesign and reprint if I can't solve the issues, though it is fully functional, so I'm glad it works. Right now I am designing a smaller version which will hopefully be stable, the current one is HUGE as you can tell.

Hey man, if you are calling your current elite tetrahedron disfunctional because it is unstable [quote]at least until I get this design to be stable[quote] I'll take it

Beautiful