Printing polygonal puzzle pieces

January 9, 2015 4:53 AM

I'd like to have polygonal pieces made for an (essentially) flat dissection puzzle similar to this nice-looking tangram set at Shapeways. The pieces are simple, but I could use some guidance / tips on the whole process of bringing them into existence.

I use OS X, and recommendations for software to prepare the files would be appreciated as well as general design tips and pitfalls if anyone has made similar things before. If you can steer me to good resources instead of explaining it yourself, that would be great too.

posted by Wolfdog to Computers & Internet (3 answers total)

Trammell Hudson wrote a tool called boxer that he uses to make laser-cut pieces for boxes. Even if your puzzle is 2D and doesn't require tongue-and-groove elements to fit together into a 3D prism, you might modify that software to make SVG or PDF files to bring to a laser cutter. There's some more info on Hudson's page about related hardware tools.
posted by a lungful of dragon at 9:40 AM on January 9, 2015

This sounds to me like a job for a bandsaw. No computer work required; just lines drawn on the initial piece showing where the cuts are supposed to go. A skilled workman could do it all in about five minutes.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 12:01 PM on January 9, 2015

However, if you're really wedded to using high tech solutions, it wouldn't be too difficult to make all the pieces with a 3D printer.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 12:03 PM on January 9, 2015