Video - May not work at the moment...

Lets start from the beginning.
Ever since my first and only 5x5x3 was made back in 2009 I've felt the need to make a redesign.
First and formost it's huge, that alone should be enough reason for a new design. The other thing comes to show when you try to solve it (something I have not yet done, damn parity..). It works great, smooth and stable turning, until pieces start to fly all over the place.
And lets not get started on olzing. I know it's cool and makes non-buildable puzzles possible, but I like the clean look of a propotional cuboid. No olzing, no pillowing and no rectangular cubies.

Not long after the original 5x5x3 was made I started designing a smaller version. It still had olzing, although not as much of it, but I had no plans on hiding it. I also made the mech stronger to resist pops. But I kept getting into problems and enevtually quit working on what would have been 5x5x3 v2.

In the years that followed I have from time to time been looking back at the 5x5x3 looking for new ways to design it, but nothing good ever happend from that.

Then we have the 4x4x2. After successfully making a smaller working non olzed version of that the plans for a 5x5x3 revisit was hatched.
So when Shapeways had one of their discounts I decided to get on working on the 5x5x3 again. My goal was to make a propotional good working non olzed puzzle.
The first thing I did was to scrap the v-mech used in all previous designs and start from scratch to make something more useful in this case.
Although I had a prototype design done that time I ended up not having it made.

Then comes Shapeways 3 days of 3D campain in early december. This is when I decided to actually make it.
So I spent a day with the design I made earlier and as usually it was totally redone, but in the same way. This is what became the 5x5x3 version 3, just like the 4x4x2 the v2 never got made.
When it came to the choise of size I decided to go with the same size as a normal Rubik's 5x5 missing two layers. The reason for that size was that it is a working size, although the biggest reason was that I was able to get stickers cheaper and discrete

My intention was to show it on christmas eve, but I didn't get the stickers until yesterday.
And when I was done sticker it, the stickers started to fall off. I guess the stickers didn't like painted WSF, or the dust it had gathered from sitting on my desk for a month. So I had to glue them all in place.

Thanks for all nice comments so far, they make it all worth doing


I'm sorry but don't get your hopes up.
For a starter so does it need a redesign before I'll sell anything. For instance, the screws on the 5x5 sides sticks out about a millimeter and makes a bump in the sticker because there is no place at all for them inside.. Any tips??
Secondly, if I'll sell any it will not be trough Shapeways due to the fact any chinacopycompany can get the designs from there. Instead I'll make a few and sell them myself.


Pictures anyone??










The last picture was taken before the video was made. First time I solved a 5x5x3
I have a crappy webcam video of that solve.


And I like the topic title, so I'll probably not change that any time soon

Ok that's awesome.
Video?

-Doug

Very nice image, I do hope that this is real!

Please say your putting this on Shapeways...

This^

It looks great though.

I don't think this is a printed puzzle. Olz is a master of hand mods. Looks great!

I'm normally a fan of descriptive topic names (not by example myself of course...), but this really cracked me up!

And it looks very nice. Congrats!

I've had my fun now
The first post has been edited

I tried to watch video but ....
"Permission Denied
This is a private video. Do you have permission to watch it? If you do, please first log in to Vimeo to watch this video."
?

There is some problem on vimeos side that makes me unable to make it public.
Although I've been in contact with them and it should be fixed soon.
I'll let you all know when it's working again.

The video is good to go
https://vimeo.com/56979291

You call that a puzzle that has been bothering you.
I call it
1. A slott filler
2. An amazing puzzle.

And BTW: Good images. (stupid inside joke)
Thank you.

Oh? I thought that 4x4x2 v3.25 was slightly olzed, and just the stickers were straight?

-Doug

Hidden olzing then..

Is there any indication that any chinacopycompany has gotten their designs from Shapeways? If so I haven't heard this concern before. Many Shapeway puzzles aren't designed in a way that would allow them to be easily copied with injection molding techniques.Would you accept orders down the road? I'm currently tied up trying to buy a home so all puzzle buying has been put on hold at the moment.

Great looking puzzle!!!

Carl

I just don't like the fact you can get a clear view of the design if it's on Shapeways.
How do you know no one buys popular puzzles just to study the design with the intention to eventually mass produce?
Anyways, that's just how I am and there's not much that can be done about it.

I see no problems with orders down the road other than perhaps the obvious, I haven't even started selling any

I 100% agree with your reservations about putting this puzzle on Shapeways. But, if you only sell completed puzzles, what's to stop any KO company just buying one and getting a look at the design that way?

Oh, BTW, what a great achievement making this puzzle fully proportional.

I can never be sure, but at least I can decide who I want to sell one to or not. Although I can not control the second hand market.


Thanks
With a lot of thinking and pushing things beyond their normal boundries you can do many great things

The back door method allows one to upload just a box of the same volume and the actual file is just given to shapeways when an order is made. You can't see the mech of models uploaded this way. I don't like it as it requires you to be on top of things. I'd hate for a customer to order one of my puzzles and just get a solid block. I think you could also put your model inside a hollow box and I think that would keep the mech from being visiable. Again not ideal as it would increase the cost and maybe leave customers wondering how to get the pieces out if it was printed that way.I don't... but I enjoy the openness of the comunity here and I enjoy seeing new mechanism. That and I have never had any of my designs stolen. But I'm not really sure how I'd react if I did. I don't expect to get rich making puzzles... its more for the fun of it to me. A hobby if you will... so if one of my designs were stolen maybe I'd contact Mefferts to see if he could sell a few "authorized" versions after the fact to make a penny or two. But there is also a part of me that would be hightly flattered that someone saw one of my designs as worthy of being stolen.Sure... no objection from me. To each their own. And it does sound like you intend to make this available in some format and that is really all I was after. It looks like a great design... and designs are meant to be appreciated and played with (at least when it comes to puzzle designs) so I appreciate you are planning to give others a chance to buy one.Understood... just being optimistic.

As for tips about the screws... if you grind off enough of the head to allow it to fit propery does enough of the head remain for you to use it as a screw? I assume you have caps over the screws... if so another option may be to do away with the caps altogether and that would let the screw head go up all the way to the surface of the puzzle. It would then be covered by just the sticker.

Carl

Really great to see this made Ola! Great job!
Will you be making a new version of the 7x7x5 as well?

Even though I see the 7x7x5 every day as it sits by my window for a reason long forgotten, and it never worked in the first place.
I see no reason for me wanting a new version. A 5x5x3 is a puzzle I can have fun and play with, the 7x7x5 is just to much.
Besides it will not be possible to hide the olzing on that one. This 5x5x3 is allready faar beyond the limits for that.

If however I make it, it would most probably be just so I can solve it as it is one of the few puzzles I have that I have not solved due to the fact I'm unable to scramble it..