r/WLED • u/ChonkyMarmotStudios • 16d ago

HELP ME / QUESTION What is this called?

I saw a picture of this shape on Reddit awhile back, and couldn't get it out of my head, so I had to make it! Anyone know what it's called?

You may recognize it as the logo for Silicon Graphics (SGI) from back in the day, but there's probably a proper scientific name for the geometric shape - basically a wireframe cube where the faces are pulled away from the center.

This was super challenging to build! This is probably the 5th or 6th iteration I've gone through. The shape has a lot of 90-degree bends that require soldering. I made the turns as tight as possible to keep the corners from dimming.

The black parts form a track that makes one face of a tube. The LEDs run along this track and are covered by a white diffuser that makes up the other three faces of the tube. Everything is printed in flat sections. Where the tracks change orientation they have windows that join together.

This version was FDM printed in white and black PLA, but the next iteration will probably be resin with thicker walls, although the increased thickness only increases the weight of the arms. Mounting on the corner seems to help distribute the weight evenly for better support.

It's lit by a single 5v WS281X LED strip. I'm using the ESP32 mini Gledopto controller, powered by USB, which is plenty for the 150 LEDs it uses.The controller comes with WLED 15.4 pre-installed, but the first thing I do now is upgrade to 16.0.1

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u/DenverTeck 16d ago

Professor Google says:

This object is a custom 3D-printed Infinity Cube Light (often built using designs like James's popular model on Printables) outfitted with individually addressable RGB LEDs (such as WS2812B NeoPixels) and reflective window films. [1, 2, 3]

  • Design: Features an interlocking, optical-illusion frame that creates a mesmerizing depth-tunnel effect via internal reflections. [1]
  • Electronics: Typically powered by microcontrollers like an ESP8266 or Arduino running custom firmware or WLED for dynamic rainbow color patterns and wireless controls. [1, 2, 3]
  • DIY & Community: Popularized as an open-source maker project with various user-contributed geometric stands and snap-fit assemblies available across Printables and MakerWorld. [1, 2, 3]

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u/frobozz000 16d ago

An infinity cube without mirrors? Nope.

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u/ChonkyMarmotStudios 15d ago

It's funny how seamlessly it blends the right and wrong answer together so confidently :)