I’ve learned how to print 2D shapes with ” * ” symbols by using for loops, thanks to a project I’ve been working on but I wanted to level up a bit. I want to create 3D shapes by using and combining 2D shapes.

For example, its easy to print a 2D square but I want to print a 3D cube. Same with rectangular prisms. I can print rectangles but can’t print rectangular prisms.

I know its not quite possible to print 3D things on a 2D terminal but it can at least look like its 3D by just adding some other shapes to a 2D shape.

I couldn’t find any solutions or ideas on how to print these things. It looks like it can be solved by some basic for loops but no matter what I tried, it didn’t work.

My idea is here:

Printing a square on the screen, then putting 2 different parallelograms on the side and the top so that it looks like its a 3D cube.

Same idea goes for rectangular prisms. First print a rectangle, then print 2 different parallelograms on the side and the top of it so it looks like its 3D.

First I tried the rectangular prism. I can’t print another parallelogram on the side that has the same lenght as the parallelogram on the top and the same height as the rectangle.

If I can learn how to print this one, I’ll try printing other 3D shapes that I can think of.

I could only make it this far and I can’t go further. What I’ve tried is here:

import java.util.Scanner;

public class Empty {

public static void rectangle() {
         int a = 5;
     int b = 8;
      for (int i = 0; i < a; i++) {
         if (i == 0) continue;
          for (int j = 0; j < b; j++) {
             if (j == 0 || j == (b - 1) || i == (a - 1)) {
                 System.out.print(" * ");
             } else {
                 System.out.print("   ");
             }
         }
         System.out.println();
     }
 }
  public static void parallelogram() {
     int i, j, k;
     int height = 5;
     int width = 8;
      for (i = 0; i < height; i++) {
         for (j = 0; j < height - i - 1; j++) {
             System.out.print("   ");
         }
         for (k = 0; k < width; k++) {
             if (i == 0 || i == height - 1 || k == 0 || k == width - 1) {
                 System.out.print(" * ");
             } else {
                 System.out.print("   ");
             }
         }
         System.out.println();
     }
 }
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    parallelogram();
     rectangle();
 }


}

This code block provides a shape that contains a parallelogram and a rectangle under it. What Im trying to make is connect right-top corner of the paralellogram and the right-bottom corner of the rectangle by using ” * ” symbols.
Its simply adding another parallelogram. Here’s the output:

             *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 
          *                    * 
       *                    * 
    *                    * 
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 
 *                    * 
 *                    * 
 *                    * 
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

What I want is here: