# How can I create a sphere (or other shape) with cubes? (3D)
**URL:** https://discourse.processing.org/t/how-can-i-create-a-sphere-or-other-shape-with-cubes-3d/28047
**Category:** Coding Questions
**Tags:** homework
**Created:** [February 24, 2021, 11:20am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/how-can-i-create-a-sphere-or-other-shape-with-cubes-3d/28047 "2021-02-24T11:20:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@vassilakosaggelos](https://discourse.processing.org/u/vassilakosaggelos)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2021, 11:20am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/how-can-i-create-a-sphere-or-other-shape-with-cubes-3d/28047/1 "2021-02-24T11:20:08Z")
Hi everyone I am new generally in coding ( not only in Processing) so I need your help if you can. What I want to do is to design 10 types of cubes with different color shades ( from white to totally black) without having the same dimension and with those cubes to fill (create) a 3D shape for instance a sphere or a cone. I have seen some tutorials on Youtube and I found the below simple code in which I tried to change in order to do what I want, but guess what, I did nothing
size(400,300);
background(0);
strokeWeight(2);
stroke(255);
fill(127);
for (int y = 0; y \< height; y = y+20) {
for (int x = 0; x \< width; x = x+20){
fill(random(255));
rect(x, y, 20, 20);
}
}
---
### Author:  [@Chrisir](https://discourse.processing.org/u/Chrisir)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2021, 11:54am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/how-can-i-create-a-sphere-or-other-shape-with-cubes-3d/28047/2 "2021-02-24T11:54:45Z")
You need a 3D Sketch when I understand you correctly.
read [P3D \ Processing.org](https://www.processing.org/tutorials/p3d/)
I’ll be back in a second with an example.
Hey, and welcome to the forum!
Great to have you here!
Warm regards,
Chrisir
* * *
**Sketch**
Click mouse to enter a new cube. You can move the **last** cube in 3D with cursor keys and p and “l” (“L”). You need to add a size changer (e.g. + and - ) and add automatic color from white to black.
You could save the cube position on Hard Drive (hard to do) or make a screen shot (command `save()` associated with key ‘s’ for example).
- So you can make a sphere or a cone from cubes. I wouldn’t know how to do this automatically. Well, we could try.
```auto
// constants
final color BLACK = color(0);
final color WHITE = color(255);
final color RED = color(255, 0, 0);
final color GREEN = color(0, 255, 0);
final color BLUE = color(0, 0, 255);
final color YELLOW = (#FFF80A);
// the cubes
ArrayList cubes = new ArrayList();
// -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
void setup() {
size( 1200, 900, P3D ); // 3D Mode
//text
textMode(SHAPE);
// add one cube - delete this
Cube newCube = new Cube();
newCube.pos=new PVector(60, 310, -60);
newCube.colorForCube = color ( RED ) ;
cubes.add(newCube);
//
}//func
void draw() {
background(0);
// 3D part ---
lights();
for (Cube currentCube : cubes) {
currentCube.display();
}
// 2D part ---
showMessages();
}//func
// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
void showMessages() {
// 2D part ---
// prepare for 2D
hint(DISABLE_DEPTH_TEST);
camera();
noLights();
// 2D code
fill(255);
text("Place cubes with Mouse. Move last cube in Z with Cursor up and down (and left/right and p/l)", 17, 17);
if (cubes.size()>0) {
text("Last cube x,y,z: "
+cubes.get(cubes.size()-1).pos.x
+","
+cubes.get(cubes.size()-1).pos.y
+","
+cubes.get(cubes.size()-1).pos.z, 17, 35);
}
// reset for 3D again
hint(ENABLE_DEPTH_TEST);
}
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Inputs
void mousePressed() {
// add cube at mouse pos with z = 0.
addCube(new PVector(mouseX, mouseY, 0));
}
void keyPressed() {
if (key==CODED) {
// CODED
switch(keyCode) {
case UP:
cubes.get(cubes.size()-1).pos.z-=10;
break;
case DOWN:
cubes.get(cubes.size()-1).pos.z += 10;
break;
case LEFT:
cubes.get(cubes.size()-1).pos.x-=10;
break;
case RIGHT:
cubes.get(cubes.size()-1).pos.x += 10;
break;
}//switch 1
}
//-------
else {
// not CODED
switch(key) {
case 'p':
cubes.get(cubes.size()-1).pos.y-=10;
break;
case 'l':
cubes.get(cubes.size()-1).pos.y += 10;
break;
}//switch 2
} // else
}//func
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Tools
void addCube(PVector pos_) {
Cube newCube = new Cube();
newCube.pos=pos_.copy();
newCube.colorForCube = color ( RED ) ;
cubes.add(newCube);
//
} // func
// =======================================================================
class Cube {
// one cube
PVector pos;
color colorForCube;
void display() {
pushMatrix();
stroke(111);
fill(colorForCube);
translate(pos.x, pos.y, pos.z);
box(60);
popMatrix();
}
//
}//class
//
```
---
### Author:  [@JoseMY](https://discourse.processing.org/u/JoseMY)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2021, 6:17pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/how-can-i-create-a-sphere-or-other-shape-with-cubes-3d/28047/3 "2021-04-13T18:17:02Z")
You can use Pythagoras to test whether a 3d position is inside a 3d field. I think there is no definition for dist (x,y,z,x2,y2,z2) but you can apply pythagoras twice:
```auto
boolean insideSphere(
float cx, float cy, float cz, /*center*/
float radius, /*radius*/
float px, float py, float pz /*test point*/
)
{
float x=px-cx;
float y=py-cy;
float cz=pz-cz;
float R=radius*radius;
if (R<(x*x+y*y+z*z)){
return TRUE;
}
return FALSE;
}
```
Please note I left maths when I was 15 years old. So maybe there is an easier way.
---
### Author:  [@Chrisir](https://discourse.processing.org/u/Chrisir)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2021, 8:53pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/how-can-i-create-a-sphere-or-other-shape-with-cubes-3d/28047/4 "2021-04-13T20:53:29Z")
thanks!
A few minor typos, check this:
```auto
boolean insideSphere(
float cx, float cy, float cz, /*center*/
float radius, /*radius*/
float px, float py, float pz /*test point*/
)
{
float x=px-cx;
float y=py-cy;
float z=pz-cz;
float R=radius*radius;
if ((x*x+y*y+z*z) < R) {
return true;
}
return false;
}
```
can be shortened to
```auto
boolean insideSphere (
float cx, float cy, float cz, // center
float radius, // radius
float px, float py, float pz // test point
) {
PVector center = new PVector(cx, cy, cz);
PVector testPoint = new PVector(px, py, pz);
return center.dist(testPoint) < radius;
}
```
**Full code with peasy cam (and some PVector stuff):**
```auto
import peasy.*;
PeasyCam peasyCam;
PVector center; // center
PVector testPoint=new PVector(); // test point
// -------------------------------------------
void setup() {
size(1400, 940, P3D);
peasyCam = new PeasyCam(this, 1000);
center = new PVector(0, 0, 0);
}
void draw() {
background(255);
lights();
fill(255, 0, 0);
int radiusSphere=200;
for (int x=-radiusSphere; x
### Author:  [@JoseMY](https://discourse.processing.org/u/JoseMY)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2021, 2:08pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/how-can-i-create-a-sphere-or-other-shape-with-cubes-3d/28047/5 "2021-04-15T14:08:46Z")
Hi! I detected my typo but I was too lazy to make a last edit to my post.
Thank you for the example with peasycam. I find wery frustrating the control of the camera. PeasyCam makes it easier!
---
### Author:  [@Chrisir](https://discourse.processing.org/u/Chrisir)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2021, 2:27pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/how-can-i-create-a-sphere-or-other-shape-with-cubes-3d/28047/6 "2021-04-15T14:27:07Z")
But still, the cubes are all the same in my example (and far too many)
That’s not really the idea
> [@vassilakosaggelos](#):
>
> design 10 types of cubes with different color shades ( from white to totally black) without having the same dimension
When the initial cubes have a fixed and individual size (and color) we need an array (or ArrayList) and a class Cube and some kind of optimization algorithm to pack them in a good way (when you want to do it automatically by an algorithm) - hard !
---
### Author:  [@Chrisir](https://discourse.processing.org/u/Chrisir)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2021, 7:46pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/how-can-i-create-a-sphere-or-other-shape-with-cubes-3d/28047/7 "2021-04-15T19:46:07Z")
> [@vassilakosaggelos](#):
>
> 10 types of cubes with different color shades ( from white to totally black) without having the same dimension
It’s unclear whether you mean
- cubes (all six faces have the same size) of different sizes or
- also cuboids (six faces of 3 different sizes) of different sizes.
Do you want to arrange the cubes or cuboids with or without overlapping? Is it really in 3D? Do you want to make the arrangement
- automatically or
- by user input, with mouse or keyboard?
Chrisir
P.S.
here is a similar example
A cube of 3x3x3 has to be filled with pieces
