VERSO - Parametric Folding Cube

VERSO — Parametric Folding Cubes Infinity cubes, folding puzzles and long snakes that close into a perfect cube. 2×2, 3×3 or 4×4, printed flat in one piece with every hinge already captive. Nothing to assemble. 🧊 What it is VERSO generates articulated cube mechanisms. Each cube is joined to its neighbours by a small captive link with two conical pivots, one in each cube. Every joint turns 90° on one pivot, then 90° on the other, so two cubes can fold a full 180° face to face. The links are printed in place, inside their pockets. The whole mechanism comes off the plate in one piece: no pins, no glue, no snap-fits, no separate parts. You pick two things independently: how big the final cube is, and how the cubes are chained together. 🔁 Six mechanisms ModelModeCubesLinksPrints asFootprintClosed cube2×2Standard88 (closed loop)4 × 281.2 × 40.440.43×3Standard27269 × 3 strip183.2 × 60.860.84×4Standard64638 × 8 sheet162.8 × 162.881.22×2Snake874 × 281.2 × 40.440.43×3Snake27266 × 5 block122.0 × 101.660.84×4Snake64638 × 8 sheet162.8 × 162.881.2mm, with the default 20 mm cubes and 0.4 mm gaps. Standard 2×2 is the classic Infinity cube: a closed loop that folds into a cube, opens along the other axis and keeps going forever. Standard 3×3 and 4×4 print as panels that stack into the cube: a fold-it-yourself puzzle rather than an endless loop. Snake turns any size into one long open chain. It prints as a compact block, opens into a straight row one cube wide (550 mm for the 3×3, over 1.3 m for the 4×4), and closes back into the cube. 🎨 Eight styles PresetCubeSurfaceSensory (default)20 mmSix sculpted motifs mixed across the cubesOrganic20 mmRounded three-lobed pores on every cubeClassic20 mmSmooth, the fastest to generatePocket16 mmSmooth and smallWave20 mmWavy groovesTactile24 mmDotsLetters20 mmOne character per cubeCustomyour sizeYour bevel and textureThe Sensory motifs (Flow, Organic, Hex_cells, Rings, Tiles, Weave) are blind recesses: every cube keeps a solid core and nothing sticks out. You control layout, faces, depth, cell size and wall thickness. Around each hinge the surface stays smooth, so the mechanism is never weakened by the decoration. Any size works with any style, and the sculpted surfaces can be added to any preset. ✍️ Text, two ways Per cube: one letter or number on each cube, as printed. Great for numbering a Snake so the folding order is easy to follow. Closed faces: write on the six faces of the finished cube. Each face is an N × N grid of letters (type ABC|DEF|GHI on a 3×3 face). Each letter is engraved on the right cube, on the right face and the right way up for the closed cube. On the flat print they look scattered and sideways; fold it and the words appear. Four fonts, adjustable depth and size, and three fit modes that keep every letter clear of the hinges. 📐 Size and plate, handled for you Three ways to size it: use the style's size, set an exact cube size (16–32 mm), or type the finished cube you want (for example, a 120 mm 4×4). Plate fit: enter your usable bed and margin, and VERSO rotates the layout (0°, 45° or 90°) and only trims the cubes if nothing else fits. A Standard 3×3 on a 180 mm plate goes on the diagonal at 19.70 mm cubes. The same model on a 256 mm plate stays at 20 mm. Corner clearance: Auto mode raises the bevel just enough for the corners to swing past each other. You never get a model that cannot fold. Clearances in millimetres: the gap, radial, axial and pivot clearances do not shrink or grow with the cubes. 🔧 Hinge test coupons Every printer is a little different. Switch on the hinge test and VERSO replaces the model with small coupons: three pairs of blocks joined by the exact same link, each with a slightly different clearance. You can test with the link on the plate side, on top, on its side, or all three. Each coupon is engraved with its real clearance values. Pick the tightest pair that turns freely, copy the numbers, switch the test off, and print the real thing. 🌈 Multicolour Cubes are split into two colour groups (Checkerboard, Rows, Columns or Sections) plus a third group for the links. A contrasting link colour really shows off the mechanism. The groups are aligned parts of one object. Keep them together in the slicer and assign a filament to each; never arrange them separately. 🖨️ Printing SettingRecommendationLayer height0.20 mmSupportsNone, never inside the jointsFirst layerWell calibrated, elephant-foot compensation onBrimAvoid; if needed, include it in the plate marginWalls / infill2–3 walls, 15 %MaterialPLA to startArrangementKeep as generated; do not auto-arrange or splitAfter printing, let the plate cool, lift the whole piece off, and loosen each joint gently before the first fold. Each joint folds one way, around the side where its link sits. 🚀 Five places to start First print: 2×2 · Standard · Classic, everything else default. Eight joints, 81 × 40 mm on the plate. It tells you in one go whether the default clearances suit your printer. Desk fidget: 2×2 · Standard · Sensory (the default). Six different textures under your fingers, a 40.4 mm cube that never stops folding. Message cube: 3×3 · Standard · Sensory · Text_layout Closed_faces, with a nine-letter word on Text_front and another on Text_back. Front and back both take full-size letters on this model. The long snake: 4×4 · Snake · Classic · Text_mode Numbers · Colour_layout Sections. 64 numbered cubes in alternating colour runs of four, which makes the straightening and closing order easy to follow. Straight, it is 1.3 m long. Big desk cube: 4×4 · Standard · Organic · Size_mode Closed_cube = 120 · Sensory_faces Top_bottom · Sensory_detail Fast. 29.7 mm cubes, a 120 mm finished cube, and a 240 × 240 mm print that fits a 256 mm plate. 📘 Full guide included A 25-page PDF guide is attached to this model. It covers: every parameter, with its range and default; illustrated folding sequences for every mechanism; the Snake straightening and closing order, joint by joint; the real cube size you will get on 180, 256 and 350 × 320 mm plates; how big your letters can be on each face of each model; the bevel and chamfer tables; the hinge test workflow; a troubleshooting table for every case where the model will not generate. Everything is done in the Customizer, in your browser. 🧊 Print the 2×2 first. It is the one that never leaves your desk. 📷 A photo in the comments helps others choose between the styles, which look very different in hand. 💬 Questions, prints, remixes: all welcome. Xeyos Design   Boost MeIf you like my work, please give it a boost