Tinkercad Skyscraper Puzzle Template

Intro: Tinkercad Skyscraper Puzzle Template

This instructable demonstrates how to modify a Tinkercad template to create and solve custom Skyscraper Puzzles in a CAD environment.

I recently learned about Skyscraper Puzzles from Mark Chubb's Mathematics Blog. He uses them to teach spatial reasoning and problem solving and attributes the original idea to Brain Bashers. Both sites can be referenced for a variety of pre-made numerical puzzles to use with this template.

STEP 1: Understand Skyscraper Puzzles

Skyscraper Puzzles require spatial reasoning.

• To play the game, you need bricks stacked 1, 2, 3, 4 high up. In this Tinkercad version, 1-story skyscrapers are red, 2-story are blue, 3-story are yellow, and 4-story building are green.
• The numbers on the outside of the grid identify the number of skyscrapers you can see from that vantage point. Row and columns can only have each size building once. For example, there cannot be two 1-story buildings in a single row or column.
• You can never see a shorter skyscraper behind a taller one.
• Continue to place skyscrapers in the puzzle until all of the squares are complete and accurate.

The attached images demonstrate how to play the game with physical objects like Legos. Brain Bashers has an excellent visualization of the rules.

STEP 2: Modify a Puzzle in Tinkercad

1. Open the Skyscraper Puzzle Template in Tinkercad. Click Copy and Tinker.
2. Create or find a puzzle to replicate. Mark Comb's Blog Post and Brain Bashers Online Game have strong puzzle templates.
3. To change the numbers in Tinkercad, double-click on the number. A text properties window will appear. If needed, click the down arrow to see all options. Change the text in this window. Repeat for all numbers that need to be changed.

STEP 3: Save and Share Puzzle

1. Give your puzzle a new name.
2. Click on the Tinkercad Icon to go to the Dashboard.
3. Hover over the file to make the setting gear appear in the upper right corner of your design.
4. Click Properties
5. Change to Public to that others can find your puzzle in Tinkercad. Or, you can generate a share link.

STEP 4: Add Complexity

Skyscraper Puzzles, like Sudoku can get harder by limiting information in each game. To add complexity, choose from the Hard Puzzles on the Brain Bashers website.

Comments

[StumpChunkman]

Very cool! It looks like an advanced version of a Nonogram.

[kendra_waddell]

Thanks! Nonograms are new to me - thanks for sharing. I'll spend some time wandering down that rabbit hole!

[PandACT]

Wow! I love seeing interactive puzzles on TinkerCAD, and skyscraper puzzles are one of my favorites... Maybe I'll join your movement on Instructables until TinkerCAD becomes a site for games 😈! If you get deep enough down the rabbit hole, you might enjoy my experimental nonogram from earlier this year: https://www.tinkercad.com/things/3nke6XbfkTE

[StumpChunkman]

That's a really cool model! I would love to see an instructable of how you made it. It looks like you already have a lot of the process shots done and shared in the project.

As a side note. Your projects makes me want to figure out if there's a way to make a physically printed puzzle box version of your Spacial Nonogram Puzzle, where the sides could be pushed and pulled to solve everything.

[eransolid]

great game and great project.

[emilyboda]

Love the project! I wanted to say that this type of puzzle has actually been around in Japanese puzzle books for a long time (since the 70s?) and is similar in origin to other puzzles like monograms and slitherlink.