My fullerene simulator for designing toilet paper tube constructions is still one of my favorites.

[rreusser@mathstodon.xyz]

My fullerene simulator for designing toilet paper tube constructions is still one of my favorites. Try it in its new home as an @observablehq Notebook Kit notebook! 🧻🧻🧻 https://rreusser.github.io/notebooks/charmin-nanotubes-and-toiletpaperfullerenes/

[lisyarus@mastodon.gamedev.place]

@rreusser @observablehq Looks like a ton of fun. How does it work exactly? I'm guessing it minimises some energy trying to make all N-gons as flat as possible?

[rreusser@mathstodon.xyz]

@lisyarus Scroll down! There's a description of the axial forces, dihedral forces, and torsional forces that make it work. Gradient descent is a *very* inefficient method, but it's plenty good enough for interactive use. I was very pleased the torsional force derivation worked out.