#buckminster-fuller

The truncated octahedron is an Archimedean solid, characterized by a mix of hexagonal and square faces, and it has a very symmetrical and regular structure. Buckminster Fuller called this solid “Mecon”. The truncation process includes the cutting the edges of a polyhedron. We do this by dividing every edge of the polyhedron into 1/3s. Then, we carefully re-connect these division points to generate new, planar polygons. In the case of a truncated octahedron, we transform the 8 regular triangular faces…

Buckminster Fuller used the term “dymaxion” for a variety of his designs, and one of these was the dymaxion map. It was based on the geometry of a polyhedron. While the dymaxion map is more directly related to the icosahedron, Fuller’s work often involved using other polyhedral shapes. One of them is the cuboctahedron. He used this term for various conceptual and practical designs, particularly in the context of his ideas on efficiency and structure. The cuboctahedron itself is notable…

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,…

Geodesic refers to the shortest path between two points on a curved surface. It is based on the principles of geodesy, which is the science of measuring the Earth’s shape. On the other hand, in architecture and design, a geodesic dome is a spherical or hemispherical structure consisting of a network of geodesic lines (great-circle arcs) forming triangles. Therefore, the dome’s framework provides strength and stability, distributing stress throughout its structure. Buckminster Fuller popularized and developed the concept of the…

The Truncated Icosahedron (5,6,6) is an Archimedean Solid we often recognize as the iconic soccer ball. This geometric structure, also affectionately known as the “Buckyball” in honor of the visionary architect Buckminster Fuller, has gained significant popularity and recognition both within the realms of mathematics and everyday life. It is composed of twelve regular pentagons and twenty regular hexagons. This symmetrical nature makes it an interesting object of study in geometry and various fields. This is a short Rhinoceros tutorial…

Not all of them, but when you get the idea, you’ll see there are lots of different alternatives for creating Fuller’s famous Geodesic Domes (Although in fact, he is not the inventor of it). I was playing with Platonic Solids in Rhino and realized that the “Pull” command is very useful in subdividing objects. I modeled this in Rhino 4. First, take a regular Icosahedron and divide it. Because, this is the simplest way for modeling a Geodesic sphere, by…