I was almost through assembling this single-layer tensegrity sphere based on the 4ν octahedron when I found I had a dome. The top two photos are top and side views of the dome configuration. The bottom photo is the completed sphere. This model is built of dowels and wire. The wire is much easier to twist to length than the braided nylon I later started using, but the sharp ends inevitably pierce the skin and make the model somewhat unapproachable. Knotting the nylon actually proved more interesting once I got used to it. I still used wire to hold a difficult position temporarily while I tied in the nylon tendon.

I completed assembling this structure on July 4, 1983. I called it a "4ν Octa Aligned Diamond Tensegrity Sphere." The struts were somewhat aligned into lesser circles of six alternating yellow and blue struts, but not as aligned as I'd hoped. For this model, I started preassemling the struts in clusters of three and four before linking them together in the final structure. This simplified assembly a lot.