Star Circle Maze

This is the first of my new computer-drawn mazes. I have been figuring out how to use Inkscape, a free vector-drawing program, to create Bezier curves and transform them in various ways. I have always wanted to learn these skills, and perhaps one day make interactive Flash mazes.

Many people have suggested I get my mazes published, and I do plan to try publishing some 2-dimensional mazes, but I want them to look really clean and professional like this. This is just my first effort. As a maze it's pretty simple, and I don't think it has the same artistic touch as some of the hand-drawn mazes. Lately I have been thinking about decagons and stars. See how many stars you can find in this picture!

I decided to forgo the little lines for underpasses, relying on the flow of the lines and colors to show you where to go. Please let me know how you like it, and how it works as a maze!

Fun with Spirodoodle

These are doodles I made with the Spirodoodle app on my iPod touch. It's a lot of fun. I guess these are ideas for mazes, but I don't know if or when I'll use them.

Spiral Stairs Maze

Made up entirely of concentric spiral stairways, this is an idea that's been rattling around in my brain for a while. Each staircase is made of 12 steps, and the circles have 2, 3, 4, and 6 staircases going out from the center. Where the tops of each staircase meet and there is a doorway, you can pass between the circles. There is also an option to make the walls invisible so you can see the whole maze from outside.

To solve, download the Sketchup model and click "Walkthrough", which will set the optimal eye height and field of view for walking through the maze. Use the Walk tool and push the arrow keys to walk, and the Look Around tool to see more from one place. Start at one of the doorways at the bottom of the tower, and try to get to the top. If you find that too hard, click "Skeleton view" to make the walls invisible. Some tips for solving: explode all the components and mark your way with paint, or use scenes as you walk through. You will need Google Sketchup.

Braided Maze

I found this maze in some old papers, finished it up, and colored it. I had fun making this, so I hope it will be fun to solve!

Rhombicosidodecahedron Maze

What, you ask, is a rhombicosidodecahedron? It's a complex polyhedron that combines perfect triangles, squares, and pentagons, and has several interesting mathematical properties. This is actually a "small rhombicosidodecahedron", and I've decided it's my favorite polyhedron. It shares properties with the dodecahedron, the icosahedron, and the rhombic triacontahedron, among others. Here is the maze: 3D Warehouse model


To solve, use Google Sketchup to rotate the maze. Start at the top and try to get to the bottom. I'll upload the solution after someone attempts it. This is similar to my Cube Maze because you have to orbit it to follow the pathways, but doesn't have any tunnels or holes, so it should be more doable. All of the triangles, squares, and pentagons are made from the same three components, which keeps the file size small. These components can be moved or rotated, which changes the maze. This is actually the third version, and the only one to connect all the pathways with a challenging solution. A helpful tip for solving is to explode all the components (right click -> explode), and then use the paint bucket tool to mark the pathways as you go.