Hi everyone,

This is my latest puzzle. It is basically a 3x3x3 mod with a unique way of bandaging, similar to my Compass Cube. With the Compass Cube, only the corners intersect. On this puzzle, corners intersect with edges, making the solution much harder.

3d printed at Shapeways. Stickers by Oliver Nagy.

I need help finding a name for this puzzle. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: 'Mayan Cube' seems to be the popular choice, so that is what I have named it. Thank you for all the suggestions.

WOW!

Beautiful! The pattern reminds be a bit of both Mayan temples, patterns, and writing.

I suggest "Mayan 3x3x3". I think it's because of the interlocking geometric shapes that viewed straight on a corner surround the central piece.

I second this.

Your puzzles are always so aesthetically pleasing. Just when you think original 3x3 mod ideas are running out, something like this comes along.

Very clever mod, the 3x3x3 surprises us again It reminds me of those Inca walls with the interlocking stones:


So I suggest IncaWall 3x3x3

Awesome, you have really refreshed 3x3 modding!

It reminds me of a circuit board,


so I would suggest Circuit Cube or 3x3 Circuit

Another great concept!

How about "Ziggurat Cube" for the name? Here's a link to images of ziggurats.

I'm for that name me to !

Tetris Cube!
Or Myan Cube as said above.

Wow, that is very clever!
Mayan cube seems good.
Where/when can I get one?

What's the approximate average number of available turns in any given state?

-d

Thanks for all the positive feedback. I have decided to call it 'Mayan Cube' because it seems to be the most popular name. Thank you for all the suggestions.



I will open a Shapeways shop as soon as possible.



All of the edges with an L shape block a large corner on one side. Half of the edges are L shapes. From the solved state, a face can only make one twist in either direction before the large corner is blocked by the L shaped edge on the opposite side. If this edge were flipped or replaced by the other kind of edge, then the face could twist all the way around. It all depends on the positions of the edges and corners. I can't really give a more mathematical answer than that. I have already scrambled it and tried to solve it. The key is to get all the pieces back into their relative positions. That is, to get the two large corners on opposites sides and three L shaped edges surrounding a large corner, as in the first picture. Then you have to find algorithms that are allowed in this basic position. I have managed to solve the two large corners and all of the edges, and I found a nasty edge parity which I don't know how to approach. All of the algorithms I found are very long and tedious. I think I know how to approach solving the rest of the corners, but it is going to take a lot of thinking.

Edit: I just solved it. It is definitely the hardest puzzle I have solved, although I haven't tried most of the puzzles on the hardest to solve list. I'm going to get a latch cube and see which one is harder. And I'm going to invent latch cube 3.

Really wonderful design!

Dave