A lot of variation is possible on the same rectangular construction plate with a straight back wall on the first layer. Below are examples of alternative muqarnas. Half of a standard intermediate unit is required on the first and third layers. In the second and fourth floors, half of a unit with a back wall is required.

Alternatives are the result of permutations of combinations of full and intermediate units. Below, a series of alternatives for the square unit are presented. Each of these combinations has a square footage, the square itself, the orange jug or diamond and the orange biped, the red half squares, two yellow half rhombus and a large biped, the pink small biped, but not the purple almond. The pink one is a kind of inversion of the purple one. The purple almond is a full unit and the corresponding small biped is the intermediate unit, but in pink, the small biped is the full unit. For the pink one, an intermediate unit complementing to the square does exist, but there is not such an intermediate unit which complements the purple almond.