I have always been fascinated by making 3D models from flat paper... the moment when a handful of flat shapes becomes something that holds its own in space still feels a little like magic.
Years ago I made three beautiful models: a small stellated dodecahedron, a great dodecahedron and a great stellated dodecahedron and I posted about three versions of the dodecahedron. I had also made two additional models but I wanted to save them for a Christmas project. My thought was that I could simplify their assembly and turn them into Christmas ornaments.
Well... that did not happen. There are too many pieces to cut, fold, and join for a quick ornament. So here I am, sharing the models for everyone to enjoy, even though they are a little difficult to put together. It was fascinating to watch each one come together and change as it grew.
Where they begin
The convex regular dodecahedron, one of the five Platonic solids, yields three stellations. Each of these forms a regular star dodecahedron, specifically the small stellated dodecahedron, the great dodecahedron, and the great stellated dodecahedron. (Source: Wikipedia, [link])
I made all three in earlier posts:
Both of these models grow out of that family of stars.
The great icosidodecahedron has 12 pentagrams and 20 triangles, with 60 edges and 30 vertices. The pentagrams give the model its flower look.
The dodecadodecahedron has 12 pentagons and 12 pentagrams, with 60 edges and 30 vertices. At each vertex a pentagon and a pentagram alternate, twice around.
Both share their 30 vertices with the icosidodecahedron, so they are cousins built on the same skeleton.
Watching the transformation
The Wikipedia animation shows a small stellated dodecahedron being truncated, with its points cut away bit by bit. Along the way the shape passes through the dodecadodecahedron, and it keeps changing from there. It helped me see these models as stages of one continuous shape rather than separate objects.
(Animation:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_icosidodecahedron#/media/File:Great_stellated_dodecahedron_truncations.gif)
Make your own
These models take patience. They are a little difficult to put together, and allowing adequate drying time is crucial. I used Aleene’s Fast Grab Tacky Glue for this project.
I’ll share the files as usual, as both a Silhouette file and an SVG. In the file, the great Icosidodecahedron is on the left and the Dodecadodecahedron is on the right. Cut the indicated number of pieces for each model. Score the dashed lines, and glue the pieces together to make your model. Use the photos for reference on the placement of the pieces.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gPlhWdlbrS8Yk5PvH3J_QgA4DUGg3IDR/view?usp=sharing
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