This is a continuation of 6 and 12 piece sliding plane interlocking structures
This is a study of 30 piece siding plane interlocking structures. As with analogous 6 and 12 piece models, there is a set of planes which bisect the dihedral angles between planes of, in this case, a Rhombic Triacontahedron. The first scene shows one of these planes. Note that this plane is orange. The second scene shows a stick that employs these orange planes in such a way that 30 of these sticks surround the triacontahedron, and interlock, but can move in concert, siding apart. This is coordinate motion, but as with the 12-piece models, the pieces cannot be pulled apart with just two hands. We refer to this as a six-axis construction, as the sticks align in 6 sets of 5 in parallel. Scenes show the assembly expanding.
A 3D design created in vZome. Use your mouse or touch to interact.
As a puzzle, this is challenging. This image shows a complete 5 colored model, with a “cradle” to assist assembly.
Another 30 piece construction that can be made in an analogous way is this. The sliding planes are derived from planes of an Enneacontahedron, as a bisection of dihedral angle between adjacent planes. This is not so simple as with Triacontahedron and Rhombic Dodecahedron, as the planes involved are dissimilar. Though it is in principle feasible, it is also pretty impractical as a puzzle, as the interlocking is necessarily small relative to the stick size.
This design was originally developed for wood pieces, magnetically connected, as shown on this Page
Here is a 30 piece 10-axis assembly