Modeling and Unrolling Buckyball
A Buckyball, (or Fullerene), is a molecule of 60 carbon atoms with a structure resembling a soccer ball. It is a specific type of fullerene, often referred to as C60, where the carbon atoms form a series of pentagons and hexagons in a pattern that creates a spherical shape. This structure is similar to the arrangement found in a truncated icosahedron, with 12 pentagonal and 20 hexagonal faces. The buckyball is named after architect Buckminster Fuller, who popularized geodesic domes, which have a similar structural design. Buckyballs have unique properties and have been studied for their potential applications in nanotechnology, materials science, and medicine. Therefore, in this short tutorial video, I am modeling and unrolling a Buckyball. I studied the same topic here previously.
In this video series, I present a variety of in-class exercises from my first-year Architectural Geometry course. Using Rhinoceros software, we study Euclidean constructions, basic drawing, and transformation commands. In addition, I prepared several classes about introductory fractals, regular and semi-regular tessellations, patterns, modeling, and unrolling polyhedra. These concise drawing exercises are beneficial for junior architects, interior designers, industrial designers, and enthusiasts from other disciplines. I’ll be sharing exercises each week on my blog and other platforms. So, today’s exercise is about modeling and unrolling a Buckyball.
The software used in this course is Rhinoceros 3d (www.rhino3d.com). However, if you want to find out more and see the whole list of this video series, you can check my YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@designcodingnet. The music of this video is ‘I Walk With Ghosts’ by Scott Buckley (CC-BY 4.0). www.scottbuckley.com.au
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