Creating a sphere out of cubes

[DanielA90]

Hi there,

I'm having some trouble creating a model of a Sphere.

I need to create it completly out of cubes.

The Sphere needs to have a Diameter of 3150mm, and each cube needs to measure 350mm x 350mm x 350mm.

Is there a direction you may be able to point me in?

Having some real trouble on this one.

Cheers,

Dan.

[Jonathan Pickup]

i wont be a real sphere, but you can build it up on layer at a time...

i would start with the center group, draw the plan, then the next layer and so on.

[DanielA90]

Thanks for the reply,

I knew it would never be a perfect sphere. All the faces of the cubes need to face the outside. i.e. all flat surfaces on the outside of the sphere.

Sorry, I should have mentioned that earlier.

Cheers,

Dan.

[Horst M.]

Hi Dan,

I'm not shure if I understand you right.

Are you trying to get what's shown in the Files attached?

[DanielA90]

Yes! Horst, you're a legend!

That's exactly what I'm trying to create.

May I ask how you achieved it?

Dan.

[Horst M.]

Shure.

Actually it was mostly the Duplicate Array tool that I used.

First I created the Cube on the Workplane 0 point.

Move the Cube you created 175mm (half its hight) on the Z Axis down, to align the Center of the Cube to the 0 Point of the Workplane.

Then I offset it (in Plan View Y Direction) to get the diameter (therefore I used the 2 Circles in the Drawing).

Then I used the duplicate Array tool to create 20 Cubes on a Circle.

(Circluar Array, rotate Objets by angle; Angle set to 360?/20).

Delete the original Cube; it overlaps with a new one.

20 copies fill the 3150mm Circle without intersections.

I rotated this 20 Cubes 90? along the Y Axis.

Delete 270? of Cubes.

Now you have 6 Cubes forming a 90? Array with one Cube on the ?quator, one on the Southpole, and 4 on the Arc in between

Use the Duplicate Array tool on each of the Cubes to form the Rings.

You have to experiment with the Number of Cubes that fit on each Ring.

You could also Calculate it, but it was very fast to figure it out by try and error.

Use the mirror tool to get the upper half of your Sphere.

In my previous File, the Cubes on the upper and lower two Rings still have intersections.

May I ask what You are doing with this Object?

Reinventing the MIrrorball?

;-)

Edited August 9, 2010 by Horst M.