3D Twisty Puzzles

In the early 70s a new type of puzzles: Three dimensional twisty puzzles were invented.

1972 Larry Nichols invented the 2x2x2 Cube, with magnets which held the pieces together.

1974 Erno Rubik invented his Rubik's Cube and started the greatest puzzle craze of all time.

I can still remember of my boy hood, when the cube hype started.

On television and in advertising everywhere was the cube.

Newspapers and magazines published solution algorithms for the cube or

announced new championships.

My classmates were playing under the school tables with the cube.

In our Woolworth, the Cube was sold out for weeks.

When I finally got one, I ran straight home. There I opened the round box and make the first three moves.

After I successfully solved it, I tried six moves.

Instead of solving it, I mixed up.

My mother and I could not solve the cube.

My mother was very proud one day, when only two pieces were left.

The last layer, I never succeeded, I solved the cube on the standard way like the others.

I took the pieces apart and put them back together.

Now 30 years later, there is no run anymore for the Rubik´s Cubes.

But nevertheless you can notice a revival of the scene.

Thus, twisty puzzles are again offered in shops.

Many clubs notice a strong increase of membership figures.

New speed cubing clubs are founded and many Cube Days happen on different continents.

You can also notice the interest in the internet.

Many people present their hobby,

there are many good forums only for twisty puzzles

and you can purchase twisty puzzles and supplies in many special online twisty shops.

Designers:

Many things have also changed for twisty puzzle designers.

In former times, it was extremely difficult to develop a prototype,

nowadays the work has become a lot easier.

There is a variety of good and cheap 3D software available.

Some of the 3D software are even Open Source and therefore for free accessible via internet.

Therefore, the model can be comfortably designed by a 3D software

and then sent to a 3D printing service such as Shapeways.

After a few days the finished puzzle will arrive via post.

Therefore, the invention of new designs is not limited anymore to a small exclusive group.

Already pupils invent new designs.

But there are also disadvantages. Designs are very fast stolen and produced,

so that designers earn merely anything.

Designs:

Whereas in former times there existed only one shape of a puzzle,

nowadays a number of twisty puzzles have different shapes.

There is especially a lot of variety for the 3 x 3 x 3 cube.

For example, it is available as apple, valentine´s heart, star or other objects.

Since Verdes presented his 6 layered Cube to the general public,

more and more puzzles with several layers appear on the market.

Thus, the Cube exists already with 11 layers, the Megaminx with 4 layers, called Petaminx

or another example the Prof Pyraminx.

New puzzle ideas are transfered into old known twisty puzzles,

examples therefore are Void, Gear or Crazy puzzle types.

Since 2008, every month several new twisty puzzles are launched on the market,

especially from popular designers such as Tony Fisher, Adam Cowan,

Oskar van Deventer and Katsuhiko Okamoto.

As the puzzles are produced cheaply in China,

they are also affordable for the general public.

Puzzles with tetrahedral axis axes

Pyramorphinx

Pyramorphinx

Jing's Pyraminx

designed by Adam G. Cowan

made by Mefferts.com

Pyraminx

designed by Uwe Meffert

made by Mefferts.com

Tetraminx

designed by Uwe Meffert

made by Mefferts.com

Bandanged Pyraminx

Jing's Pyraminx

designed by Adam G. Cowan

made by Mefferts.com

Vulcano / Trignis

designed by Timur Evbatyrov

made by Mefferts.com

Prof Pyraminx

designed by Timur Evbatyrov

made by Mefferts.com

Gear Pyraminx

designed by Timur Evbatyrov

made by Mefferts.com

Master Pyramorphinx

Master Pyramorphinx

designed by Tony Fisher

Master Pyramorphinx

designed by Tony Fisher

Master Pyramorphinx

designed by Tony Fisher

made by Mefferts.com

Puzzles with cubical axes

marusenko Spheres

As the name already indicates, the marusenko Sphere is a sphere puzzle.

It can be moved like a 2 x 2 x 2 Rubik’s Cube / K-Ball.

On each face is additionally a disc which is composed out of four parts of the same size

and which can be rotated. Thus the puzzle is similar to the ShengShou Cubes or the Circle Ball Cube.

red & white 2 Colors Sphere

Puzzle Design Competition 2009

Difficulty: simple

Puzzle Review

designed by Aleksandr Marusenko and Felix Perez

made by marusenko

Flag Sphere

Puzzle Design Competition 2009

Difficulty: simple

Puzzle Review

designed by Aleksandr Marusenko and Felix Perez

made by marusenko

Triangular Sphere

Puzzle Design Competition 2009

Difficulty: moderate

Puzzle Review

designed by Aleksandr Marusenko and Felix Perez

made by marusenko

2 x 2 x 2 Cubes

Topola (US patent: US 7438290 B2)

Difficulty: easy - medium

Playing Time: 30 - 90 minutes

Topola is a spherical twisty puzzle with the movement mechanisms similar

to a 2” x 2” x 2” Rubik´s cube.

However, its Sliding Shell mechanism makes it different from all other twisty puzzles.

This modularized puzzle is pieced together

so that the user can manipulate into many possible topological orientations

and shapes by a simple twist of the wrist.

You’ll notice immediately that it has no colors which are to be sorted.

Instead, you will find a magic globe on which five islands,

a lake and an ocean exist. Moreover, you see prominent

symbols and animals are present which is part of

a mysterious weave of riddles and stories leading you to the puzzle’ solution.

The big island is called Peaceland.

Six species coexist in the four territories of Peaceland in peace and harmony.

To prevent argument among the animals, the following species may not be neighbors:

In the middle of Peaceland’s lake is a sailboat.

Nearby, two whales are swimming in the ocean.

The first task is to sail into the ocean with the boat

and to catch one of the whales.

After you’ve successfully mastered this first task,

your next task would be to maneuver

the sailboat back to the lake of Peaceland with the captured whale.

In the ocean, landlocked by four islands,

is a compass that is damaged during the capture of the whale.

Therefore, the final task is to free the trapped whale

in a way that will repair the compass,

and therefore to restoring the peace between of the species.

Puzzle Review

designed by Mehdi Yahyavi

made by Fourier Idea Inc.

QUARKS!

made by Fourier Idea Inc.

2x2x2 Magic Puzzle

Micra 2 x 2 x 2

Darth Maul Puzzle Head

K-Ball

18From

Simple Overlapping Cube

designed by David Calvo

made by Kevin Phelan

Fused Bandage cubes 2x2

Turbo Mind Twister

From

Floppy Mirror Cube

Floppy Cube

Puzzle Design Competition 2006 (First Prize)

designed by Katsuhiko Okamoto

LOVE

made by www.chinaqunjia.com

Scramble Cube +4

designed by Katsuhiko Okamoto

made by Chronos Co. Ltd.

3 x 3 x 2 Dominoes

Domino

made by LanLan

Rubik's Domino

designed by Erno Rubik

Blind Rubik's Domino

designed by Erno Rubik

3 x 3 x 3 Cubes

A Rubric on Rubik Cubics

Strange imports come from Hungary:

Count Dracula, and ZsaZsa G.,

Now Erno Rubik’s Magic Cube

For PhD or country rube.

This fiendish clever engineer

ntrapped the music of the sphere.

It’s sphere on sphere in all 3D—

A kinematic symphony!

Ta! Ra! Ra! Boom De Ay!

One thousand bucks a day.

That’s Rubik’s cubic pay.

He drives a Chevrolet.

Forty-three quintillion plus

Problems Rubik posed for us.

Numbers of this awesome kind

Boggle even Sagan’s mind.

Out with sex and violence,

In with calm intelligence.

Kubrick’s "Clockwork Orange"—no!

Rubik’s Magic Cube—Jawohl!

Ta! Ra! Ra! Boom De Ay!

Cu-bies in disarray?

First twist them that-a-way,

Then turn them this-a-way.

Respect your cube and keep it clean.

Lube your cube with Vaseline.

Beware the dreaded cubist’s thumb,

The callused hand and fingers numb.

No borrower nor lender be.

Rude folks might switch two tabs on thee,

The most unkindest switch of all,

Into insolubility.

In-sol-u-bility.

The cruelest place to be.

However you persist

Solutions don’t exist.

Cubemeisters follow Rubik’s camp—

There’s Bühler, Guy and Berlekamp;

John Conway leads a Cambridge pack

(And solves the cube behind his back!).

All hail Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw,

A mayor with fast cubic draw.

Now Dave Singmaster wrote THE BOOK.

One more we must not overlook—

Singmaster’s office-mate!

Programming potentate!

Alg’rithmic heavyweight!

Morwen B. Thistlethwaite!

Rubik’s groupies know their groups:

(That’s math, not rock, you nincompoops.)

Their squares and slices, tri-twist loops,

Plus mono-swaps and supergroups.

Now supergroups have smaller groups

Upon their backs to bite ‘em,

And smaller groups have smaller still,

Almost ad infinitum.

How many moves to solve?

How many sides revolve?

Fifty two for Thistlethwaite.

Even God needs ten and eight.

The issue’s joined in steely grip:

Man’s mind against computer chip.

With theorems wrought by Conway’s eight

‘Gainst programs writ by Thistlethwait.

Can multibillion-neuron brains

Beat multimegabit machines?

The thrust of this theistic schism—

To ferret out God’s algorism!

CODA:

He (hooked on

Cubing)

With great

Enthusiasm:

Ta! Ra! Ra! Boom De Ay!

Men’s schemes gang aft agley.

Let’s cube our life away!

She: Long pause

(having been

here before):

—————OY VAY!

Claude E. Shannon, December 1, 1981.

Rubik's Blind Man's Cube

designed by Erno Rubik

Bump Cube

Puzzle Design Competition 2006

designed by Hidetoshi Takeji

Bump Cube

Puzzle Design Competition 2006

designed by Hidetoshi Takeji

Magic Ball / Rubik's Sphere

Diamond Cube

Magic Heart / Valentine's Heart

made by YJ

3x3 Diamond Cube

nothing than a normal rubiks cube

QJ Dodecahedron

made by QJ

QJ Octahedron II

made by QJ

Box Cube

designed by Tony Fisher

Box Cube

designed by Tony Fisher

aXe

designed by John Lin

Edge Only Hollow Cube

Spinning Top

Void Cube

designed by Katsuhiko Okamoto

Windmill Cube

designed by Katsuhiko Okamoto

The Fisher's Cube

designed by Tony Fisher

made by Mefferts.com

Rubik's Cube

designed by Erno Rubik

made by Mefferts.com

Star 3 x 3 x3

3 x 3 x 3 Birthday Cake Cube

Apple Magic Cube

made by www.yongjuntoys.com

3 x 3 x 3 Cubes with different mechanique

Crazy 3x3 Cube Earth

made by MF8

Gear-Cube Extreme

designed by Oskar van Deventer

made by Mefferts.com

Gear Cube

designed by Oskar van Deventer

made by Mefferts.com

Latch Cube

Puzzle Design Competition 2010

IPP 30 Exchange / Osaka + Hakone

On each side is either a white clockwise arrow,

a black anti-clockwise arrow

or a mixture of black and white arrow parts.

In case of a white clockwise arrow,

the face can only be turned clockwise.

In case of a black anti-clockwise arrow,

the face can only be turned anti-clockwise.

If there are black and white parts,

the face cannot be turned at all.

designed by Katsuhiko Okamoto

made by Chronos Co. Ltd.

Mosaic Cube

designed by Oskar van Deventer

made by Mefferts.com

3 x 3 x 3 Bandage

Fused Bandage cubes 3x3

Fused Bandage cubes 3x3

Bandage Cube

made by Mefferts.com

Fused Cubes

Quadruple 2x2x2

Triple Mini 2x2x2

Rubik's Mate / Double Cube / Siamese Cube

Sparring Cubes

designed by Anatoli Kalinin

made by Anatoli Kalinin

3x3x4 Cube

made by Cube4you

3x3x5 Cube

made by Cube4you

Tower Cube

2x2x4 Rubik's Tower

made by MegaHouse

Super 2x2x4

3x3x7 Cube

made by Cube4you

4 x 4 x 4 Cubes

4x4x4 Cube

Crazy 4x4x4 Cube

made by MF8

Crazy 4x4 II

made by MF8

Mask Cube

made by LanLan

4 x 4 x 4 Bandage

Fused Bandage cubes 4x4

made by Mefferts.com

higher Cubes

V-CUBE 6 / Olympic Cube No6a

Puzzle Design Competition 2005

designed by Panagiotis VERDES

V-CUBE 7

Puzzle Design Competition 2008

designed by Panagiotis VERDES

Trick Haus

Octahedral puzzles (8 axes)

Octahedral Puzzles are twisty puzzles with eight different rotation axes.

Neighbouring rotation axis have the same angle.

If you imagine a cube, then the rotation axes exit on the edges of the cube.

The puzzle can be moved three times around each rotation axis in order to reach the initial point.

This means that each axis can be turned by 120 degrees.

Dioctipoid

The surface of the puzzle is composed of 6 squares, 6 * 4 triangles and 12 rhombs.

The difficult version Dioctipoid 2.0 has 4 triangles, 2 rhombs and one square in the same colour.

The easy version Dioctipoid 1.0 has the 12 rhombs in white colour.

With each movement, three squares, 9 triangles, and three rhombs are rotated by 120 degrees.

Dioctipoid 1.0 (Pat. GB2448484)

Difficulty: medium

Puzzle Review

designed by Spencer-Purvis Gary

made by Moulding Innovations Ltd

Dioctipoid 2.0 (Pat. GB2448484)

Difficulty: difficult

Puzzle Review

designed by Spencer-Purvis Gary

made by Moulding Innovations Ltd

Rex Cube

Difficulty: difficult

designed by Andrew Cormier

made by Mefferts.com

Rainbow Cube

Diamond Skewb

Octahedron

oktFrom

Jackpot

designed by Yusuf Seyhan

BrainTwist (US patent: US 2005/0098947 A1)

designed by Charles Hoberman / Matthew Davis

Polymorphinx

made by Mefferts.com

3D Skewb-cube

made by Mefferts.com

Skewb

Square Octahedron

a little variation of the Skewb

Rhombic Dodecahedron

Holey Skewb

designed by Tony Fisher

made by Mefferts.com

Dodecahedral puzzles (12 axes)

Dogic

designed by Zsolt Vecsei and Robert Vecsei

made by Mefferts.com

Thomasball

designed by Zdenek Blazek and Miroslav Jandora

Intellect Ball / Thomasball

designed by Zdenek Blazek and Miroslav Jandora

Impossiball

designed by William O. Gustafson

BALL.B

BALL.B is a Megaminx, in the shape of a sphere.

Ball.B belongs to the group of Dodecahedral puzzles, i.e. it has 12 axes.

Neighbouring rotary axes have the same angle. The puzzle has on the surface 12 rotary discs,

whereby each rotary disc intersects with five others. The rotary disc can be moved five times

around in order to reach the initial point. This means that each axis can be turned by 72 degrees.

Each rotary disc has a different colour.

To summarize the aim of this puzzle in very easy words,

you turn its discs until you restore the initial state.

BALL.B kropki (Polish patent: 383002)

Difficulty: easy

Playing Time: 60 minutes

Puzzle Review

designed by Andrzej Burkiet

Ball.B flagi (Polish patent: 383002)

Playing Time: > 120 minutes

Puzzle Review

designed by Andrzej Burkiet

Alexander's Star

designed by Adam Alexander

GloBall

made by Povys

Flower

Logic Star

5R Ball

METAMORFIX

Gigaminx

designed by Andrew Cormier

Megaminx

designed by Ben Halpern / Kersten Meier

made by Mefferts.com

Holey Megaminx

designed by Lee Tutt

made by Mefferts.com

Ultimate Skewb

made by Mefferts.com

Pyraminx Crystal

designed by Aleh Hladzilin

made by Mefferts.com

FlowerMinx

designed by David Litwin

made by Mefferts.com

Bolygok

designed by Jozsef Bognar

made by politoys

Planets

designed by Oskar van Deventer

made by Recent Toys International

Roundy

three wings

designed by Fritz Gruber

Roundy

four wings

designed by Fritz Gruber

Enigma / Combinescion

designed by Roman Massimiliano

Magic Disc

Combo Puzzle

designed by David B. Ayers

Octo puzzle / DISCO PUZZLE

Rubik's Ufo

Puck

BRAINBOW

Ufo

designed by Wai K. Chan

Ufo (Varia-Disk)

KING RING

designed by Zoltan Pataki / Istvan Varadi / Attila Kovacs

Tricky Disky

with only three wings

Tricky Disky

Puzzles with gaps

SpongeBob puzzle

Calendar Puzzle

Barrel Puzzles

Blocked Barrel 15

designed by Douglas A. Engel

made by General Symmetrics, Inc.

Barrel Shuttle 11

designed by Douglas A. Engel

made by General Symmetrics, Inc.

Barrel Slide 121

designed by Douglas A. Engel

made by General Symmetrics, Inc.

eeeFrom

eeeFrom

Kugelturm mit Zwiebeldach

Ivory Tower

Entrapment

Nintendo Billion Star Barrel

Nintendo Ten Billion Barrel

Tower

LEESHO 4 Layers

LEESHO 3 Layers

Wisdom ball II

designed by Yang Ju-Hsun

Wisdom ball II

designed by Yang Ju-Hsun

Wisdom ball

designed by Yang Ju-Hsun

Capuzle

Varikon 7 Layer

Varikon 5 Layer

Varikon 4 Layer

Missing Link

designed by Steven P. Hanson and Jeffrey D. Breslow

Pakovalec

designed by Pavel Gebr

TURN 12

Square 1

designed by Dr. Vojtech Kopsky

Super SquareFrom

PyraDiamond

4D8

made by Mefferts.com

PyraStar

made by Mefferts.com

OktaederFrom

Morph Head

Pillow Cube / Cushion

Diamond Style Puzzler

NATURAL

made by CLEVER TOYS

Twister

Shell

made by CLEVER TOYS

TOUCHDOWN

made by www.KANDTTOYS.COM

TOUCHDOWN

made by www.KANDTTOYS.COM

Astrolabacus

Rubik's Shell

DOUBLE DISK

made by Hog Wild, LLC

Brainstring

made by Recent Toys International

Brainstring Advanced

made by Recent Toys International

Rubik's Rabbit / Rubik's Hat

Buvos Golyok (instant insanity)

The Brain

Lockout / Puzzle Lock

Wanderrings

Tower of Hanoi

Cmetrick Too Hard

designed by Dror Rom

made by elogiq

SMART ALEX

designed by Dumitru A. Pop

Dual Rings

designed by Oskar van Deventer and Brahm Cohen

Venus Dreamball

Basketball Dreamball

Masterball Duo

Circusmaster Masterball

Geomaster Masterball / Rainbow Masterball

Logi-Vip ball

Saturn

designed by MAGNIF

Brainball

made by BrainWay

Orb / Orb-It

designed by Christopher Wiggs and Christopher Taylor

Chromo Ball

23From

Hungarian Globe

SphereXyz

designed by Lori Powers and Adam Giermek

made by LA1 Products

D-Ball World Globe

3D Creative Puzzleball

Mozaika

designed by Rudolf Destics

25From

Kabalabda Ball

Morphegg

Rubik's 360

Beijing 2008

3x3x3 Rhombohedron Cube / Devil Blade Cube

designed by John Lin

Magic Shield Cube / Hexagon Prism

designed by Adam G. Cowan

4x4 Octahedron

made by LanLan

QJ Octahedron I

made by QJ

4-axis Dodecahedron / Skewb Kite

designed by Tony Fisher

made by LanLan

Christoph's Magic Jewel / Dayan Jewel

designed by Christoph Bandelow

made by DaYan

Helicopter Cube

designed by Adam G. Cowan

made by Mefferts.com

From

Think-A-Dot

designed by Joseph A. Weisbecker

made by E.S.R., Inc.

14 face Skewb Hex

designed by Tony Fisher

made by Mefferts.com

Minimal Twist

IPP 30 Exchange / Osaka + Hakone

designed by Oskar van Deventer

made by Oskar van Deventer

Master Skewb

made by LanLan

2 x 2 x 2 Penta

made by LanLan

Columbus EGG

The Columbus Egg consists of an upper and a lower half.

On the upper half is a little window and a slider.

The slider can take one of three positions.

In the window you can see the edge of 5 parallel discs.

Each of the five discs has a red edge

which is as wide as the window.

The lower half can be turned clockwise.

According to the position of the slider different discs get turned.

The task is to turn the discs in such a way

that only the red edges are visible in the window.

In case of success a small weight is shifted so

that the Columbus Egg stands upright.

designed by Morichika Hatakeyama and Koichi Minami

BISHOP CUBES

Puzzle Design Competition 2011

Puzzle Review

designed by Forrest Bishop

made by Shape Games LLC

Smaz Dino Cylinder

Puzzle Design Competition 2011

designed by Li Chung Ma

Curvy Copter

designed by Tom van der Zanden

made by Mefferts.com

Gear Shift

designed by Oskar van Deventer

made by Mefferts.com

Jugo Flower

Literature

Jerry Slocum, David Singmaster, Wei-Hwa The Cube: The Ultimate Guide to the World's Bestselling Puzzle - Secrets, Stories, Solutions

Anatoly Kalinin THE MATHEMATICAL PUZZLES. Around the Rubik's Cube

Shops

BISHOP CUBES http://bishopcubes.com/

BALL.B http://ballb.pl/

Fourier Idea Inc. http://fourieridea.com/

MARUSENKO sphere http://www.marusenko.com/

Dioctipoid http://mouldinginnovations.com/