[Help Thread] FTO Discussion and Help

[TipsterTrickster]

I haven't seen any FTO threads yet so I decided to start one.
In case you aren't aware face turning octahedron (aka FTO) is an extremely fun unofficial event that has been taking off recently. Hardware sucks, but the puzzle is a lot of fun to solve, and hopefully better hardware gets made in the near future. There has also been a #FTOforWCA push recently because it is very unique and would fit in very well as an event!


Some links:
cubicle buy link: https://www.thecubicle.com/products/lanlan-octahedron?_pos=1&_sid=86b83f87d&_ss=r
Tutorial:

Rankings: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Pr7vqSdNtTaGYwQzQMFEQ_NqujVAcZSn8E4ccpOGfJY/edit#gid=0
Weekly comp: http://bit.ly/ftoweekly

 

[TipsterTrickster]

If you are interested in seeing some solves Dan (wr1) and I (wr2) are going head to head tonight at 8pm eastern time US here:

 

[CyoobietheCuber]

How. Did. You. Do. That. BLD?!

 

[TipsterTrickster]

How. Did. You. Do. That. BLD?!

I haven’t done it blind yet, but I know Ben Streeter and Enoch Gray have, here is enochs video where he describes the method:

 

[Micah Morrison]

I'm pretty new to FTO (PB is 5:08.25) and I'm wondering if lubing a lanlan FTO with Vaseline would be a good idea, since that's often what people recommend for Rubik's brand 3x3s since it eats away at the plastic. I would think the same principle would apply to the lanlan FTO, but I wasn't too sure.

 

[zslane]

Just in case you haven't seen this video already:

 

[Micah Morrison]

Just in case you haven't seen this video already:

I've seen that, but not sure if I want to commit that much time and work to modding my FTO. I was wondering if lubing it with Vaseline would somewhat substitute for modding it.

 

[TipsterTrickster]

I personally wouldn't recommend lubing with Vaseline, I use weight 5 and it works fine.

 

[zslane]

I'd stay away from Vaseline:

 

[Micah Morrison]

I personally wouldn't recommend lubing with Vaseline, I use weight 5 and it works fine.

ok, good to know, I just thought vaseline might be better since it eats away at the plastic.

 

[zslane]

Heh. Vaseline as an alternative to sanding down the pieces? Interesting idea!

 

[PapaSmurf]

Just started to "speed" solve my (currently unmodified) FTO. I have a couple of questions: is there a random state scrambler/is the scrambler in CSTimer random state, do I scramble with green on F or red on F and is there a set of "algs" that are sledges/hedges for every L3T case?

 

[xyzzy]

is there a random state scrambler/is the scrambler in CSTimer random state

No(t yet) and no.

do I scramble with green on F or red on F

Same as the other WCA puzzles. White (or the lightest colour) on top, with one corner pointing at you; green (or the darkest possible colour) in front, with one corner pointing up. (Note that U and F are not adjacent faces with Ben's notation. In SEE's current notation, the top face has a corner pointing away and the front face has a corner pointing down, and the U and F faces are adjacent.)

(I've never done FTO so I can't answer your last question.)

 

[PapaSmurf]

Ok, thanks for that! I really should learn to code. I should this year at university, then (if someone hasn't beaten me to it) I could code one.
That's the way I've been scrambling too, so that's good.

 

[qwr]

Just in case you haven't seen this video already:

I didn't watch the full video but I just got a lanlan FTO today and while turning is ok for a non-WCA puzzle, I took it apart and it's abundantly obvious why the puzzle catches so much. None of the sharp corners inside are rounded at all and in particular the core center triangles catch even when no other pieces are in. I think I might mod my FTO later just by sanding down all sharp edges I see and that would probably get rid of a lot of the catching.

 

[Kit Clement]

I took it apart and it's abundantly obvious why the puzzle catches so much. None of the sharp corners inside are rounded at all and in particular the core center triangles catch even when no other pieces are in.

Welcome to pre-2011 cubing!

 

[qwr]

Welcome to pre-2011 cubing!

I was in a group chat with some cubing friends and I made the same comment ("remember when puzzle modding was a thing")
I wonder if there's a market for modded FTOs or 3D printed ones yet. Cube manufacturers like qiyi should honestly make a decent FTO just to get it popular and give credibility in the push for WCA.

 

[PapaSmurf]

I hope they do. It would be pretty cool to have a good one.

 

[qwr]

I hope they do. It would be pretty cool to have a good one.

I think the cubicle has 3d printers and probably has the resources to semi mass produce 3d printed designs like a FTO, although it would be noticeably more expensive (maybe selling for $30-40)

I've been thinking there may be a market for semi mass produced twisty puzzles in between the original designer printing at home and cube manufacturers with large scale injection molding. However many puzzles already have decent enough mass produced versions that it wouldn't be worth 3d printing, FTO being an exception.

 

[tx789]

I think the cubicle has 3d printers and probably has the resources to semi mass produce 3d printed designs like a FTO, although it would be noticeably more expensive (maybe selling for $30-40)

I've been thinking there may be a market for semi mass produced twisty puzzles in between the original designer printing at home and cube manufacturers with large scale injection molding. However many puzzles already have decent enough mass produced versions that it wouldn't be worth 3d printing, FTO being an exception.

You need a specific type of 3d printing. And fdm doesn't work for twisty puzzles.