Tools Hack Daily: June 2022

Thursday, June 30, 2022

Telescope: 106mm f/8.5 refractor #3DThursday #3DPrinting

This is a Crayford focuser with the same 78mmX1mm metric thread. I don’t know what the back focus would be with this design. It’s more expensive than the focuser I used. but it does come with a 2″ to 1.25″ adapter, which I had to buy separately.

download the files on: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5372601

Every Thursday is #3dthursday here at Adafruit! The DIY 3D printing community has passion and dedication for making solid objects from digital models. Recently, we have noticed electronics projects integrated with 3D printed enclosures, brackets, and sculptures, so each Thursday we celebrate and highlight these bold pioneers!

Have you considered building a 3D project around an Arduino or other microcontroller? How about printing a bracket to mount your Raspberry Pi to the back of your HD monitor? And don’t forget the countless LED projects that are possible when you are modeling your projects in 3D!

LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord

Adafruit on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adafruit

Shop for parts to build your own DIY projects http://adafru.it/3dprinting

3D Printing Projects Playlist:

3D Hangout Show Playlist:

Layer by Layer CAD Tutorials Playlist:

Timelapse Tuesday Playlist:

Connect with Noe and Pedro on Social Media:

Noe’s Twitter / Instagram: http://instagram.com/ecken

Pedro’s Twitter / Instagram: http://instagram.com/videopixil

Usb Cable relief Steam Deck #3DThursday #3DPrinting

Coffeemaster shares:

Usb Cable relief Steam Deck

download the files on: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5372628

LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord

Adafruit on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adafruit

Shop for parts to build your own DIY projects http://adafru.it/3dprinting

3D Printing Projects Playlist:

3D Hangout Show Playlist:

Layer by Layer CAD Tutorials Playlist:

Timelapse Tuesday Playlist:

Connect with Noe and Pedro on Social Media:

Noe’s Twitter / Instagram: http://instagram.com/ecken

Pedro’s Twitter / Instagram: http://instagram.com/videopixil

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Multimeter Microphone Arm Adapter #3DThursday #3DPrinting

john-tatum shares:

created a couple quick fitments for the mic stud, loaded up the wall mount into Sketchup, and in short order had my first test print. I was not sure if having the stud oriented up or down would work better, so I did a version for each direction (as it turns out, I prefer the stud oriented down).
These adapters worked beautifully. A 3/8 – 16 hex nut is required, but should be easy to find any hardware or home improvement store.
I have included both the .skp and .stl files for both adapters.

download the files on: https://www.youmagine.com/designs/klein-multimeter-microphone-arm-adapter

LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord

Adafruit on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adafruit

Shop for parts to build your own DIY projects http://adafru.it/3dprinting

3D Printing Projects Playlist:

3D Hangout Show Playlist:

Layer by Layer CAD Tutorials Playlist:

Timelapse Tuesday Playlist:

Connect with Noe and Pedro on Social Media:

Noe’s Twitter / Instagram: http://instagram.com/ecken

Pedro’s Twitter / Instagram: http://instagram.com/videopixil

BLE AI-driven Smartwatch Detecting Potential Sun Damage #WearableWednesday

BLE AI driven Smartwatch Detecting Potential Sun Damage Hackster io

This sizable wrist watch will help you stay safe in the sun. Get realtime UV and weather readings wherever you go, its almost a mobile weather station. From Kutluhan Aktar on Hackster.io:

Although many of us enjoy a sunny day in our leisure time, the glaring sun can affect our health detrimentally, especially for the elderly, children, and people with light skin. Excess sun exposure can cause minor health conditions such as sunburn, dehydration, hyponatremia, heatstroke, etc. In more severe cases, excess sun exposure can engender photoaging, DNA damage, skin cancer, immunosuppression, and eye damage, such as cataracts[1]. Therefore, it is crucial to detect sun damage risk levels so as to get prescient warnings regarding potential health risks to mitigate the brunt of inadvertent excess sun exposure.

No 3D Hangouts This Week @ecken @videopixil

Howdy folks, there will be no show this week but we will return next week on Wednesday, July 6 2022 at 11am ET. Until then, remember to make a great day! Also, you can catch up on last week’s stream if you missed it.

Last Week’s Livestream

3D Hangouts – Smart Mirror, Droids and UFO Fidget

https://youtu.be/WDDRdCIqqf8

This week @adafruit we’re making a mini smart mirror with PyPortal and CircuitPython. More updates on the LOLA droid prototype. Timelapse this week is a UFO fidget spinner, stellar!

YouTube Video
https://youtu.be/keHwYGDa2Tg

PyPortal
https://www.adafruit.com/product/4116

USB Cable
https://www.adafruit.com/product/4111

Timelapse Tuesday

UFO Fidget Spinner – nadarata Aha
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5378532
https://youtu.be/r7hoMcp4Dd8

Community Makes:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5413539 pygamer case
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5415395 darksaber remix
https://www.thingiverse.com/make:1040818 pi hq camera

Reading marked cards with Raspberry Pi #RaspberryPi @CoderMiddy @Raspberry_Pi

Is it magic if a specific card could be located in a deck? Maybe, or it could be a Raspberry Pi with a camera and software. Paul Nettle describes how it can be done with both visible and “invisible” ink barcodes on the card edges.

A Raspberry Pi Zero W is fitted with a NoIR camera and lens to read a marked deck.

Abra is an iOS client application running on an iPad. It shows what the server’s camera sees along with the decoded deck. The IR marks are quite visible to the camera (first picture).

You can read more about the project in a Twitter thread and see all the details and source code on GitHub.

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Embossing a Leather Book with a 3D Printed Die

In this Morley Kert video, Morley shows how he created an embossed leather cover as a gift book for his dad using 3D printed dies.

10 award-winning student design projects #ArtTuesday

de Zeen showcases some up and coming artists with their New Designers Spotlight. From textiles, lights, lamps, desks and more there are some very cool peices.

Dezeen School Shows: jewellery created to help with anxiety and Japanese-informed textiles are among the projects included as part of Dezeen’s latest school show by New Designers.

Also featured is a haircare range designed to empower women with all hair types and a “Wiggle Chair” influenced by the early modernist movement.

check them out!

Every Tuesday is Art Tuesday here at Adafruit! Today we celebrate artists and makers from around the world who are designing innovative and creative works using technology, science, electronics and more. You can start your own career as an artist today with Adafruit’s conductive paints, art-related electronics kits, LEDs, wearables, 3D printers and more! Make your most imaginative designs come to life with our helpful tutorials from the Adafruit Learning System. And don’t forget to check in every Art Tuesday for more artistic inspiration here on the Adafruit Blog!

J.R.R. Tolkien’s Artworks #ArtTuesday

The Tolkien Estate provides viewers a look into J.R.R. Tolkien’s paintings including The Hobbit, The lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, For Children, Real Life and Imagination. From Smithsonian Magazine, via Artnet:

According to an emailed statement, the site features 12 previously unpublished items, including Tolkien’s paintings of flowers and exotic birds, a draft manuscript of The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son (1953), and photographs of the author and his family.

The website debuted on February 26—a date that might ring a bell with die-hard Lord of the Rings fans: February 26, 3019, was the “date in the Third Age when the Fellowship of the Ring was broken at Amon Hen and Frodo and Sam set out on their lonely and terrifying journey to Mordor,” per the statement.

Wangechi Mutu’s Creatures Lurk at Storm King Art Center #ArtTuesday

The work of Wangechi Mutu returns to the Hudson Valley. Here’s more from Colossal:

Perpetually evoking nature and mythology to address historical issues of contemporary relevance, Mutu positions women as the most powerful, revering their physical form and highlighting their innate connection to ecology. The artist’s latest work, “In Two Canoe,” features a pair of figures with branch-like appendages momentarily straddling a skinny vessel, their faces wrapped in mangrove leaves. “This plant has moved everywhere, has made journeys like those who were kidnapped from Africa and taken to the Americas. The water seals this unified story we’ve created for ourselves. We are all connected on this sphere of Earth and the water is how we go and find each other,” Mutu says in an interview.

See more!

Vivid Sydney #ArtTuesday

Vivid Sydney brings light and technology to the Australian city in a grand celebration. Here’s more from Vivid Sydney:

Vivid Sydney is an annual celebration of creativity, innovation and technology, which transforms Sydney for 23 days and nights. In 2022, for its 12th year, Vivid Sydney fused art, innovation and technology in collaboration with some of the most boundary-pushing artists, thinkers and musicians of our time.

…

Vivid Light illuminates the city and its urban landscape in unexpected ways. In 2022, Vivid Sydney boasted the longest continuous light walk ever, running uninterrupted from Sydney Opera House to Central Station. Glowing light art and vibrant 3D projections transformed the city’s iconic architecture and lesser known-spaces including Sydney’s CBD, Circular Quay, The Rocks, Walsh Bay, Barangaroo, Darling Harbour, Darling Square, Darling Quarter, The Goods Line and Central Station.

See more!

A Lonely Desert Island from pi-slices #ArtTuesday

A nighttime island oasis, from pi-slices.

Monday, June 27, 2022

Giant Dandelion Sphere

Wowzer! That’s one giant dandelion (or dandelion-looking plant).

Check out this rad video from Peter Brown on YouTube, who came across this marvelous plant and decided to cast it in resin, which was a little tricker than anticipated.

Want To Make this Project?

TotalBoat Fathom Resin: https://amzn.to/3rba6St
Rubber Mat: http://amzn.to/2zqriW1
Rubber Gloves: http://amzn.to/2tYVIRn
Mixing Cups: http://amzn.to/2C0CGeh

…

SUN in the USA Presented by the Broadway Bound Theatre Festival

SUN IN THE USA NEW

SUN in the USA Presented by the Broadway Bound Theatre Festival – Building for the Arts … a bunch of Adafruit folks are part of this!

The dark and angry history of how white voices have been speaking for black people since the dawn of our nation and the damage silence causes a community. S.U.N. in the U.S.A. is a story that looks at history through the eyes of an African-American known only as BLACK, who is kindly reminded just how ‘good’ he has it in his time in the United States of America—from the beginning of African slavery to today’s culture.

Directed by Stephanie Cox-Connolly

Written by Michael Hagins
Starring Duane Ferguson

Featuring Alexandra Doering-Dorival, Gigi Principe, Kofi Mills, Michael Pichardo, Jeremy Goren, Tucker Dally Johnston, Michael Whitten, Tiffany Knight, Beth Griffith, Mary Sheridan and Alaina Hammond
Stage Managed by Adam Sherwin and Sara Minisquero

Costume Design by Ellie Raab

Publicity by Jay Michaels

Sunday, June 26, 2022

Adafruit Weekly Editorial Round-Up: Women in Engineering Day, Rubin Museum of Art, ESP32-S2 Feather, mini Smart Mirror with PyPortal and more!

NewImage 43 1 1 1 2

ADAFRUIT WEEKLY EDITORIAL ROUND-UP

We’ve got so much happening here at Adafruit that it’s not always easy to keep up! Don’t fret, we’ve got you covered. Each week we’ll be posting a handy round-up of what we’ve been up to, ranging from learn guides to blog articles, videos, and more.

BLOG

Rubin Museum of Art – Photos, videos, 3D scannin’

Photos and video(s) from our visit to the Rubin Museum of Art, we also “3D scanned” some art and will be printing some versions of them soon, a video is included here, in addition to the “gonging” we did

See more!

More BLOG:

LEARN

UPDATED GUIDES: Adafruit RGB Matrix FeatherWings and Adafruit Protomatter RGB Matrix Library.

A recent update to this Arduino library improves performance on ESP32-S3 (adding DMA support) and S2 (no DMA, but improved refresh rate nonetheless). Guides and examples have been updated with pinouts for these Feather boards. This incorporates lessons learned over the course of recent “ESP32uesday” posts!

Learn more: Adafruit RGB Matrix FeatherWings and Adafruit Protomatter RGB Matrix Library

More LEARN

Browse all that’s new in the Adafruit Learning System here!

Friday, June 24, 2022

Run your home on a Raspberry Pi #PiDay #RaspberryPi #HomeAutomation @Raspberry_Pi @changelog

The Changelog podcast Episode 489 meets with Mike Riley to talk about his book Portable Python Projects (Running your home on a Raspberry Pi).

We breakdown the details of the latest Raspberry Pi hardware, various automation ideas from the book, why Mike prefers Python for scripting on a Raspberry Pi, and of course why the Raspberry Pi makes sense for home labs concerned about data security.

Listen at the podcast page here.

Incredible camera projects #piday #raspberrypi @Raspberry_Pi

The Pi cameras have come a long way and with them come a plethora of awesome projects. MagPi has this fun roundup of pi powered pic projects. Including one from the Adafruit Learn System

Adafruit’s Philip Burgess offers some great project ideas including this super means of printing out the results of your Raspberry Pi photography on demand, making use of the sort of $45 thermal printer more commonly found at a grocery till. The thermal photo printer works with any standard size Raspberry Pi and the retro photo results are just as good whether taken on a standard Camera Module 2 or the High Quality Camera Module. You’ll need an SD card for the Python code and Raspberry Pi OS, a large push-button, and a means of connecting this and the printer to Raspberry Pi, plus four AA NiMH batteries. A case for the setup could be as simple as a cardboard box or something fancier you design yourself or 3D-print from Thingiverse.

Check them all out!

Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!

Pet-Controlled Water Fountain @Raspberry_Pi #PiDay #RaspberryPi

Every cat wants to do almost everything on by themselves anyway, so here’s a project that will allow your cat to set their own water in motion, from vladimirm via hackster.io

A quick way to control a water fountain for a cat only when the cat is nearby using BigClown and Home Assistant.

When PIR sensor detects movement it sends message to Radio Dongle plugged to the Raspberry Pi which sends the message to the MQTT server. On the other side MQTT message is processed by the Home Assistant which then using the automation triggers smart plug and starts configured countdown.

See project!

PiChuk is a Wireless Raspberry Pi Joystick Controller #piday #raspberrypi @Raspberry_Pi

We came across this promising PiChuk build on Tom’s Hardware. The original PiChuk on Thingiverse was built with a Pi Zero and a PowerBoost 1000 and there are plans to make an updated version using a Pi Zero 2

See more from Tom’s Hardware, Thingiverse and reddit

PiChuk is a Wireless Raspberry Pi Joystick Controller #piday #raspberrypi @Raspberry_Pi

See more from Tom’s Hardware, Thingiverse and reddit

Always-On, Low-Power Pi 0 W 2 PC @Raspberry_Pi #PiDay #RaspberryPi

Here’s a great project to have an extremely low-power always-on PC that runs on the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W. Here’s the project from dingo27 Mobile via hackster.io:

I build this few years ago with the Pi 3 A+, but that version was always power hungry (hungrier), needed good power supply, was terribly slow and ofter had SD card corrupted due to power outages…. Version two has parametres almost same to Pi3A+ – that is quad core CPU, 512MB of Ram, I think it consumes less power and has faster WiFi. With a little cooler it is also little bit overclockable.

Everything fits around small LCD touch screen with 800×480 resolution, on which is mounted a custom CNC machined plastic frame, that has mounting holes for any RPI (thank god these fit all, so swap from one Pi to another is harmless). Touch is decent for price, and you can control Pi with at least some precision. So with that – on back of plastic frame a Pi0W2 is resting, with small heatsink for little overclock, that was tried out of pure fun, not that it helps or feels faster, but seems this Pi reacts much better when desktop is running (instead of older Pi3a+, that felt like snail).

See more!

Thursday, June 23, 2022

Flowerpot | Planter With Trivet #3DThursday #3DPrinting

Extrutim shares:

I needed a flower pot for my basil, so I made this one.

I uploaded the pot with and without holes, depending on whether you need the coaster or not. There are also two versions of this one, with centering and without.
Be sure to print the coaster so that it is waterproof. For this you can also use the prepared 3mf files.

The inside dimensions of the pot are as follows:
Height: 110mm
Diameter top: 128mm
Diameter bottom: 90mm

You can of course scale xy and z in the slicer to your desired size using a percentage calculation.

In the 3mf files some useful print settings have already been made, e.g. the z-seam in inconspicuous places or enough wall lines for a waterproof bowl.

If you like check out my other designs too!

download the files on: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5359312

LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord

Adafruit on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adafruit

Shop for parts to build your own DIY projects http://adafru.it/3dprinting

3D Printing Projects Playlist:

3D Hangout Show Playlist:

Layer by Layer CAD Tutorials Playlist:

Timelapse Tuesday Playlist:

Connect with Noe and Pedro on Social Media:

Noe’s Twitter / Instagram: http://instagram.com/ecken

Pedro’s Twitter / Instagram: http://instagram.com/videopixil

Customizable Spray Watering Nozzle for Watering Cans #3DThursday #3DPrinting

LukasBoersma shares:

This is a simple spray watering nozzle for watering cans. Very useful to water delicate young plants that would get washed away with by a big watering can.

You can fit it to your own watering can by measuring the diameter for the connector and applying it in the customizer. I added 0.5mm spacing to what I measured and it fits very tightly.

Easily printable without supports.

download the files on: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5359150

LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord

Adafruit on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adafruit

Shop for parts to build your own DIY projects http://adafru.it/3dprinting

3D Printing Projects Playlist:

3D Hangout Show Playlist:

Layer by Layer CAD Tutorials Playlist:

Timelapse Tuesday Playlist:

Connect with Noe and Pedro on Social Media:

Noe’s Twitter / Instagram: http://instagram.com/ecken

Pedro’s Twitter / Instagram: http://instagram.com/videopixil

Borg Keycap (for Razer Chroma Keyboard) #3DThursday #3DPrinting

micahfk shares:

A Borg keycap for when you want to highlight green from your keyboard (Razer Chroma fit).

download the file on: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5347556

LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord

Adafruit on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adafruit

Shop for parts to build your own DIY projects http://adafru.it/3dprinting

3D Printing Projects Playlist:

3D Hangout Show Playlist:

Layer by Layer CAD Tutorials Playlist:

Timelapse Tuesday Playlist:

Connect with Noe and Pedro on Social Media:

Noe’s Twitter / Instagram: http://instagram.com/ecken

Pedro’s Twitter / Instagram: http://instagram.com/videopixil

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Apex Legends Octane Stim prop #3DThursday #3DPrinting

captainserious shares:

I was asked to print an Octane Stim. There are already a few models here on Thingiverse but they either require color changes or severe supports.

I designed this Octane Stim to be easy to print, so it’s not an exact perfect replica. The intent was to be able to print with no supports and no color changes.

The files will create a 25 mm (1-inch) diameter and 130 mm (5.2 inch) long prop. I think this might be too small. So, please consider scaling the size in your slicer.

I glued the parts together after printing. You can see the cross section in one of the images to help with orienting the parts during assembly.

download the files on: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5348187

LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord

Adafruit on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adafruit

Shop for parts to build your own DIY projects http://adafru.it/3dprinting

3D Printing Projects Playlist:

3D Hangout Show Playlist:

Layer by Layer CAD Tutorials Playlist:

Timelapse Tuesday Playlist:

Connect with Noe and Pedro on Social Media:

Noe’s Twitter / Instagram: http://instagram.com/ecken

Pedro’s Twitter / Instagram: http://instagram.com/videopixil

Octave: a 12-key macropad using an RP2040 and CircuitPython #CircuitPython #RaspberryPi @Raspberry_Pi

The Octave is a 12-key macropad. It is primarily designed to be a compact keyboard with support for 12 function keys. It’s based on a custom board with a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller.

Specifications

USB-C (USB2.0, HID)
Hot-swap sockets for MX compatible switches
Incremental encoder with push momentary switch
Stick controller with push momentary switch
Programmable firmware (CircuitPython)

It’s licensed under an Apache 2.0 license.

You can see all the code and information on GitHub.

The 1.2 Petabyte Raspberry Pi disk array now works! #RaspberryPi @geerlingguy @Raspberry_Pi

Just three weeks ago, we posted about the Petabyte storage array for a Raspberry Pi. It was cool but not working 100%.

In an update, Jeff Geerling posts:

60 hard drives, 1 Raspberry Pi — And now it actually works! It’s not the fastest storage server in town, but it’s good for about 70 MB/sec write speeds and sucks down about 500 Watts of power.

With a number of fixes, such as upgrading firmware on the drive controllers, Jeff was able to get the array stable and measure the power usage in various modes.

Check out the details in the YouTube video below. Well done Jeff!

3D Hangouts Today with @ecken @videopixil

Hey folks, we’re doing this today. Hope to see ya’ll in the Discord chat!

Livestream starts at 11am today, Wednesday June 22 2022

3D Hangouts – Smart Mirror, Droids and UFO Fidget

This week @adafruit we’re making a mini smart mirror with PyPortal and CircuitPython. More updates on the LOLA droid prototype. Timelapse this week is a UFO fidget spinner, stellar!

Learn Guide –
https://learn.adafruit.com/smart-mirror-with-pyportal

YouTube Video –
https://youtu.be/WDDRdCIqqf8

Timelapse Tuesday

UFO Fidget Spinner – nadarata Aha
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5378532
https://youtu.be/r7hoMcp4Dd8

Community Makes:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5413539 pygamer case
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5415395 darksaber remix
https://www.thingiverse.com/make:1040818 pi hq camera

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

New gallery exhibition explores postpartum with AI and synthetic breast milk #ArtTuesday

Ani Liu has already proven her ability to harness science for art. In her newest exhibit she focuses her talents on the postpartum experience. Via Gothamist:

Liu became a parent shortly before the pandemic, and she channeled that experience into a new show called “Ecologies of Care,” to process her postpartum period and the communities in her life that helped her through that time.

“I hope that this can allow new parents to bond and maybe feel less lonely,” she said. “In making it, I was questioning how do we create better communities of care? I made all of this work before the formula shortage, before our reproductive rights were even more under threat. When I look at this, I’m hoping that you see this particular slice of love and labor.”

See more!

“Ecologies of Care” is on view at the Cuchifritos Gallery + Project Space in New York City until July 30, 2022.

The Desert Art of California #ArtTuesday

From the high desert and Joshua Trees of 29 Palms to the arid desert of Coachella valley, to the off the grid art of Slab City, to the surprisingly weird constructions in Palm Springs, there is a lot to see in the wild lands two and a half hours east of Los Angeles. Here’s more from JUXTAPOZ:

My last stop is the best. Nestled in a community of mid-century modern mansions in the Movie Colony section of Palm Springs. Robolights is the outdoor art antithesis to the polished, hyper-curated Desert X. The brainchild of a primarily self-taught artist named Kenny Irwin Jr., Robolights is a sprawling compound of fantastical creations the artist began building in 1986 on the four-acre plot surrounding his childhood home.

The living installation, which Irwin Jr. works on between 8-10 hours a day, consists of a dense maze of interlocking pathways bordered by artworks made from found or donated objects that he has transformed into a psychedelic Wonkaland set to a soundtrack of campy classical music. There are 50-foot-tall robots, hot pink giraffe bots, a Christmas sleigh overtaken by a deranged Easter Bunny, post-apocalyptic “nuclear elves” prancing across a tennis court, and a village made entirely from microwaves.

See more!

The Art of Level Design in The Legend of Zelda #ArtTuesday

Looking at The Legend of Zelda in the 2021 might seem like a waste of time. But looking at something that seems, at first, very simple, can help us understand the fundamentals of game design. Here’s more from Gamasutra:

As it turns out, the dungeon layouts are very carefully planned and the flow is very cleverly executed…. The critical path is the shortest path through a level without using secrets, shortcuts, or cheats. Basically, it’s the path the designer intends the player to take through the level unless she gets really clever.

…

For each of the dungeons, the critical path is almost always linear. There are very few instances where the player is required to re-traverse ground she’s already seen. The only exception to the linearity rule tends to be two or three rooms at the beginning of the dungeons that allow you to choose between a small subset of rooms.

See more!