The Chromatic Spire

The Chromatic Spire

An Arcane Puzzle Tower

The Chromatic Spire is a modular, arcane-inspired mechanical puzzle that challenges both logic and patience. Inspired by the classic pagoda tower puzzle, of which there are many variations, this design re-imagins the classic puzzle as a wizard’s tower. This design features coloured spheres distributed across multiple rotating tiers. Your objective: align the chaos into order by forming six vertical columns, each composed of a single colour.

At the heart of the Spire lies a crucial mechanic; a single-ball chamber in the base, visible through an arched doorway. This lone empty space is the key to movement, allowing careful manipulation of the spheres without any risk of pieces escaping. No balls can fall out of the puzzle; every move is contained within the tower’s walls.

Each tier features a rotating divider with only one transfer aperture, increasing the challenge (and occasional frustration). The tiers are indexed rather than free-spinning, snapping into 12 distinct positions; 6 fully aligned positions for deliberate transfer and 6 half-offset positions that prevent accidental drops.

The Chromatic Spire is fully modular. Print anywhere from 2 to 8 tiers for a manageable challenge, or use the included extenders to push the tower toward absurd, physics-defying heights. Difficulty scales with ambition.

Designed for practical printing, the model:

Supports both AMS and non-AMS workflows

Requires minimal support material

Is optimized for clean assembly and reliable movement

The A1 Mini can print upto a 5 tier tower, however, this can also be extended to constuct 6, 7 & 8 tiers and beyond.

Elegant, maddening, and impressive, The Chromatic Spire is both a display-worthy artefact and a deeply satisfying mechanical trial of order over chaos.

Assembly Guide

Assembling The Chromatic Spire is straightforward and modular by design.

Step 1: Print the Required Parts

• Select and print the base that matches your chosen number of tiers.
• Print one Spinner and one Splitter per tier.
• Print 6 sets of coloured balls.
  • Each set should contain the same number of balls as your total tiers.
  • Balls print in two halves and are joined using a short alignment pin.

The ball halves are designed to snap together without glue. However, filament tolerances can vary; some colours may fit tighter or looser than others. If needed, a small amount of glue can be used to secure them.

Step 2: Stack the Tower

Using your chosen base:

1. Slide on a Splitter.
2. Add a Spinner above it.
3. Load the Spinner with six randomly selected balls.
4. Repeat this process until all tiers are stacked.

Step 3: Install the Roof

• If printing without an AMS, glue the roof components together first.
• Carefully glue the completed roof to the central column of the base to seal the puzzle.

⚠️ Take care not to get glue on any rotating components.

Once the roof is on, the balls are fully contained and the Chromatic Spire is complete.

A Note On Tall Towers

With towers of 7 tiers and above, it becomes possible to drop an entire column of balls far enough to temporarily create an additional free space. This behaviour also exists in my original wooden pagoda-style puzzles that inspired The Chromatic Spire.

Whether this is a design quirk or an emergent strategic feature is open to debate, but after testing, I chose to embrace it.
At greater heights, the Spire begins to behave in slightly unexpected ways, adding another layer of complexity to the challenge.

Consider it not a flaw, but a consequence of pushing the tower beyond ordinary limits. After all, when you build higher, the rules start to bend.