I had to create a five piece, 2 ¼” cube that could be solved by a high school student in 5 minutes or less. The puzzle must be made of 27- ¾” cubes. No two parts could be the same, and some of the pieces should interlock. I had about 2 weeks to design a solution, sketch it out, create several drawings on Inventor, and make a physical model. We could use any material for the physical model, as long as the pieces made a 2 1/4" cube.
The puzzle cube design challenge allowed me to get a sneak peak at what it is like to design a puzzle/toy. I had to go through all of the steps of the design process to get my final model. Throughout the process, I was able to learn how to use Inventor, a 3D modeling system. In the pictures above, I drew out the multiview sketches of each piece, the puzzle cube key, and an exploded view. Inventor made it a lot easier to get professional looking drawings than doing it by hand.
There are several changes that I would make if I could go back to fix my puzzle cube. I would change the design of some of the pieces because there were a few that looked similar. If I changed the pieces, it would give the puzzle a more unique design and it might make for an easier solve. I might also find a solution that involves the pieces interlocking more. My design did not lock together, so the pieces could easily slide around. If I interlocked them, it would be easier to pick up and carry around.
There are several changes that I would make if I could go back to fix my puzzle cube. I would change the design of some of the pieces because there were a few that looked similar. If I changed the pieces, it would give the puzzle a more unique design and it might make for an easier solve. I might also find a solution that involves the pieces interlocking more. My design did not lock together, so the pieces could easily slide around. If I interlocked them, it would be easier to pick up and carry around.