Laser Cut Snub Cube

The Snub Cube

The reading, Structural Packaging: Design Your Own Boxes and 3D Forms by Paul Jackson had a clear influence on the way I approached designing my laser-cut paper form, the Snub Cube. One of the main takeaways was the discussion of tabs: “The tab that will join to the T edge must be the same shape as the face beyond the corresponding X edge.” While this guidance was helpful, I chose to adapt it by making my tabs slightly smaller. I realized that if the tabs matched the full size of the X edge in Fusion, they would become too thin and interfere with the lines of the figure. By adjusting their size, I achieved a tabs that were not super thin which helped close the form better. I also drew inspiration from the forms on pages 102 and 110, which combined triangles and squares. I liked that these shapes created outcomes more complex than a simple cube or pyramid. My Snub Cube ultimately resembled a sphere, which I believe made it have more of a dynamic quality.

1. Paper
2. Pencil
3. Laptop
4. Fusion
5. Adobe Illustrator
6. Laser Cutter
7. Ruler
8. X-acto Knife
9. Double-sided tape

I selected the Snub Cube because its overall form looked more like a sphere. I found a reference photo and drew a 2D layout that became my guide in Fusion.

Once I began modeling in Fusion, I ran into my first challenge. The form looked uneven—points didn’t line up, and the sides came out different sizes. That’s when I realized I needed to use parameters to control both side lengths and angles. Because I was already far into the design and corrections seemed messy, I decided to start over.

In my second attempt, I set parameters at 25.4 for the sides and 60 degrees for the angles, which gave the model consistency. I also used Fusion’s collinear and coincident constraints, which greatly improved accuracy. During office hours, I received help with a few minor issues, which gave me more confidence in navigating the software.

The reading notes, “The tab that will join to the T edge must be the same shape as the face beyond the corresponding X edge.” I adapted this by making tabs slightly smaller to avoid thin, interfering connections and to fit my final scale.

I exported the layout from Fusion and prepared it in Adobe Illustrator so the laser cutter could read the file correctly.

I laser cut the form out of paper and carefully extracted the pieces.

Afterward, I used a blade and ruler to hand-score the fold lines, which made the paper easier to bend without tearing.

The final step was assembly. I used double-sided tape on the tabs and slowly pieced the form together. Although I encountered some issues like a misplaced triangle in the Fusion file that forced me to cut it out and use regular tape, and a few missing tabs that I patched the same way. I especially liked the color I chose and how the finished form leaned toward a spherical look, which is what first drew me to the Snub Cube. Even though there were imperfections, I was proud of my first experience using the laser cutter and how much I learned throughout the process.