A magnetic infinity loop pairing game for The Smart Local
An event game for The Smart Local: find the two halves of a 3D printed infinity loop in a bowl of grey decoys, and they lock together with hidden magnets.
- Client
- The Smart Local
- Service
- Industrial 3D Printing
- What it is
- A pairing game in a fish bowl, for an event
- The pair
- Two halves of an infinity loop that lock with hidden magnets
- Around it
- Grey decoy pieces in two sizes, sized to the client's bowl
- Across the finished infinity loop
- 20 cm
- Bowls, each with its own loop and decoys
- 2
- Smaller decoys mixed in, so the pieces can move in the bowl
- 50%
What we brought
What we can do
A shape thick enough for a strong magnet
The client's slim infinity loop could only hold a very small magnet, so we thickened it until it could house a bigger, stronger one inside.
How we look after you
Sized to the bowl it plays in
We printed one of each piece and tried them in the client's own fish bowl, then added smaller decoys so the pieces move and the loop can be reached.
What you get
Painted, labelled and ready for the event
Each loop was sprayed gold and blue, labelled on both halves, and handed over with its decoys for both bowls.
Gallery
The whole project at a glance. Drag or swipe to browse; tap a picture to enlarge it.
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The finished piece
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A bowl of decoys, ready to play.
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From a half-loop to a full infinity loop · First ideaRenderA half-infinity piece.
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RenderTrying a loop that crosses in the middle.
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From a half-loop to a full infinity loop · The infinity loopRenderThe loop, 20 cm across.
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RenderMade shorter, closer to the client's loop.
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RenderThe final loop.
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From a half-loop to a full infinity loop · The loop and the decoysRenderThe loop with a decoy.
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RenderThe pair and a decoy, at an angle.
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RenderTwo decoy shapes.
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RenderWavy decoys around the loop.
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RenderA decoy from three sides.
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From a half-loop to a full infinity loop · The greyChoosing the grey from swatches.
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Printing and fitting to the bowlThe first printed decoy.
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Print lines along the side.
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The size in the hand.
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A straight decoy.
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A wavy decoy, standing.
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Sized against the client's bowl.
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A full-size decoy and a half-size one.
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Large decoys off the printer.
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A batch of decoys.
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Gold, blue and the labelsThe loop among the decoys in the bowl.
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DrawingThe label layout, checked on film first.
The build
How we built it
5 steps, from the brief to the finished piece. Pick a step to jump to it.
The brief
Step 1 of 5
- Our scope
- Design of the pieces, 3D printing, embedded magnets, painting and labelling
- The pair
- Two halves of one loop, one gold and one blue
- The bowls
- Supplied by the client, and used to size every piece
At Additive Inn, our 3D printing studio in Singapore, we made a hands-on game for an event run by The Smart Local. Two fish bowls are filled with 3D printed pieces. Players reach in to find the two halves of an infinity loop, and only the right pair locks together, held by magnets hidden inside.
From a half-loop to a full infinity loop
Step 2 of 5
The first design was a set of interlocking half-infinity pieces. Together with the client we moved through a loop that crosses in the middle, then settled on a flat infinity loop. A slim loop could only take a very small, weak magnet, so we made it thicker and 20 cm across, with room for a bigger magnet inside. The decoys became smooth wavy pieces in grey.
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First idea
Interlocking half-infinity pieces, each one half of a pair.
Render +1 more
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The infinity loop
A flat infinity loop, thickened to take a stronger magnet and 20 cm across, then made shorter to match the shape of the client's loop.
Render +2 more
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The loop and the decoys
The grey decoy pieces drawn beside the loop, as smooth wavy shapes in a few lengths.
Render +4 more
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The grey
The client chose the grey for the decoys from our filament swatches.
Photo
Printing and fitting to the bowl
Step 3 of 5
We printed one of each piece and set it in the client's own fish bowl to check the size. The first decoys left no room to move, so we added a run of decoys at half the size and mixed big and small, with the bowl about half full, so the two halves of the loop stay within reach and can find each other. We also changed the print orientation of the wavy pieces for a smoother surface.
Gold, blue and the labels
Step 4 of 5
We sprayed one half of each loop gold and the other blue, with the magnets set inside. Each half was then labelled in white with the name of the ingredient it stands for. We printed the labels on film first so the client could check the placement, then printed them onto the loop.
The final build
Step 5 of 5
Both bowls went to the event with their decoys and a finished infinity loop: one half gold, one half blue, each labelled, and locking together with the magnets inside when the right pair is found.
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