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Making SymmDice

You can make a set of SymmDice for the SymmDice Game. The SymmDice Rulebook describes the dice and the rules of the game.

The following sections have templates and instructions for making the dice with different materials and methods.

Standard SymmDice set
Photo of nine muticolored decorated cubical dice.
Set of nine multicolored SymmDice.
Photo of nine monochrome decorated cubical dice.
Set of nine monochrome SymmDice.

The standard set of SymmDice is fully defined in the rulebook. A standard set has nine dice: four A dice, four B dice, and one C die. The face motifs are arranged according to this folding pattern from the rulebook.

Folding patterns for A, B, and C dice.
Folding patterns for A, B, and C dice.

A standard set of SymmDice may be monochrome or multicolored, provided that each instance of a motif is the same color.

Stickered SymmDice
Nine decorated plastic dice.
SymmDice made with stickers on blank dice.

Instructions:

  1. Buy nine cubical blank dice, all the same size and color. We used 16-mm dice.
    • Blank dice are best, but dice with dots (pips) are acceptable because the stickers will cover the dots.
  2. Print the stickers template (below) onto a printable adhesive sheet.
    • The adhesive sheet may be paper or thin printable vinyl.
    • Print at 100% scale to make 14-mm square stickers for 16-mm dice. Rescale if your dice are a different size.
    • Print onto a full-page adhesive sheet, or a sheet of large pre-cut labels, rather than a sheet of small pre-cut labels, because the 54 stickers are arranged in one large rectangular block, intended to be cut out with scissors. (If you must print onto a pre-cut label sheet, you can edit the SVG template to reposition the stickers to fit your pre-cut label sheet.)
  3. Cut out the square stickers with scissors.
  4. Alternatively, you may use a digital craft cutter (such as Cricut) to cut out the detailed motif shapes, rather than the squares, from the adhesive sheet.
    • The adhesive sheet may be paper or thin vinyl, any color.
    • Import the stickers template (SVG) into your digital cutter app.
    • Cut at 100% scale to make ~12-mm motif stickers for 16-mm dice. Rescale if your dice are a different size.
  5. Apply the stickers onto the faces of the nine dice.
    • Arrange the face motifs as specified in the rulebook.
  6. Optionally, spray or brush on a clear coat, for durability.

Stickers templates:

Each template has 54 stickers to make nine dice. Each sticker is 14 mm, with ~12-mm motifs, designed for 16-mm dice. The rectangular block of 54 stickers is 84×126 mm (3.3×5 in).

Template formats: PDF for printing, SVG for editing (Inkscape SVG format).

Folded SymmDice
Nine decorated paper dice.
Folded cardstock SymmDice.

Instructions:

  1. Print the cut & fold template (below) onto cardstock or paper.
    • Print at 100% scale to make 16-mm dice. Rescale if you want a different size.
    • You may want to print the black & white patterns on colored cardstock or paper.
  2. Cut, fold, and glue to make nine dice.

Cut & fold templates:

Each template will make nine 16-mm dice.

Template formats: PDF for printing, SVG for editing (Inkscape SVG format).

3D-printed SymmDice
Nine 3D-printed dice with indented motifs.
3D-printed SymmDice, uncolored.
Nine 3D-printed dice with indented and painted motifs.
3D-printed SymmDice, painted.

If you have a 3D printer, you can print the dice yourself. Otherwise, you can send the STL files to a 3D-printing service.

Instructions:

  1. STL files are provided for 3D printing (below).
  2. Select any material, any color.
  3. You (or your printing service) will use a slicer app to prepare the model for printing.
    • Import the STL file into the slicer.
    • Each die is 16 mm. Rescale if you want a different size.
    • Select a dense infill. We selected 100% infill.
    • Each die should be oriented tilted up and standing on its corner.
    • Add three fin supports all along the three lower edges.
    • Add a few additional supports for islands or bridges found by the slicer.
  4. 3D-print nine dice: four A dice, four B dice, and one C die.
  5. Sand the dice smooth.
  6. Paint the indented motifs.
    • Model paint (oil-based enamel) is most durable, but acrylic paint (water-based) will also work because the indentation protects the paint.
  7. Sand again to remove any excess paint.

STL files for 3D-printing:

Each STL file makes a single 16-mm die.

Painted SymmDice
Nine decorated plastic dice.
SymmDice painted with model paint.

Instructions:

  1. Buy nine blank cubical dice, all the same size and color. We used 16-mm dice.
  2. Paint or draw on the dice faces.
    • Paint the face motifs with model paint (oil-based enamel).
    • Alternatively, draw the face motifs with permanent markers or permanent paint pens.
    • Arrange the face motifs as specified in the rulebook.
Wooden SymmDice
Nine decorated wooden dice.
Wooden SymmDice (crude prototype).

If you are a woodworker, you can make a fine set of wooden SymmDice.

Instructions:

  1. Select a fine-grain hardwood.
  2. Cut nine cubes of any size.
  3. Sand the cubes smooth.
  4. Stain the face motifs. Use techniques that prevent stain bleed.
    • Arrange the face motifs as specified in the rulebook.
  5. Apply top coat(s).
Box

Make a small cut & fold cardstock box for nine SymmDice.

Instructions:

  1. Print the cut & fold template.
    • Print at 100% scale for 16-mm dice.
  2. Cut, fold, and glue.

Templates:

Face motif design

You can redesign the face motifs for your dice.

We designed the face motifs in an SVG graphics editor (Inkscape SVG).

Face motif templates:

Square faces are 16 mm, motifs are 14 mm. You can rescale them as needed.

3D dice design

You can redesign the 3D model of the dice for 3D printing.

We designed the 3D dice in a simple 3D design app (Autodesk Tinkercad). We created 16-mm cubes with rounded corners (1-mm radius). We imported the 2D SVG motif outlines and rescaled them to 12×12 mm. We made the motif shapes be 2-mm thick (thicker than the intended indentation). We aligned each motif shape to be centered on a dice face, pushed it 1 mm into the cube face, and subtracted it from the cube. The result is a 16-mm cube with 1-mm-deep indented motifs.

3D design of one die with indented face motifs.
3D dice design.