First steps with Rhino8

Since I had never really worked with a 3D program like Rhino before, the first class felt like jumping into cold water. At first glance, the software interface seemed quite complicated, which made me feel uncertain. But Mr. Kretzer explained step by step and in detail how to properly construct an icosahedron, and by the end of the session, I could proudly look at my virtual icosahedron.

Icosahedron model and surface net in Rhino

Ornaments

Once the surface net was complete, it was time to design the patterns for the sides.

I experimented a bit directly in Rhino and quickly grew fond of a combination of curved and straight lines. I decided early on that I wanted to create two different patterns that would share similar elements to give them a sense of cohesion.

In the end, I had two ornaments, both reminiscent of the floral aesthetics of Art Nouveau.

When arranging the two ornaments, I initially decided on a simple and uniform distribution. All triangular sides pointing upwards received one pattern, while all other sides got the other.

However, once the icosahedron was assembled, the patterns looked completely random and chaotic. So, I decided to realign everything and bring a bit more structure to it.

I chose one side that would ultimately be at the top and aligned the ornaments on the other sides accordingly. This way, the top side featured one pattern, while all adjacent surfaces had the other pattern. The sides bordering these then alternated back to the first pattern.

The finished icosahedron

Putting together the cut out surface net turned out to be pretty difficult. Even though it started out as easy, it got harder the further you got. The last few sides were especially hard to glue together because the ornaments made the whole structure very fragile.