Designing my first model.

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FishHat
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Designing my first model.

Post by FishHat »

I've been doing origami for quite a long time, and I've always wanted to design a model. I've done a lot of research about box pleating and circle packing, and I read Lang's design secrets book. However, whenever I try to design anything, it never works. I can never get thin enough flaps, and I don't really know how to go from a base to a model. Help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. :D :D
Baltorigamist
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Re: Designing my first model.

Post by Baltorigamist »

What is it you're trying to design?
The first step is deciding on a technique (so you have some kind of plan as to how you're going to go about designing whatever it is). Personally, I'm not a fan of circle-packing. Box-pleating is generally good for most arthropods, while 22.5 is better for other animals. Then you need to decide on a structure (i.e. the legs go here, the tail goes there, etc.). Finally, working the structure into a crease pattern is the trickiest step IMO.

Shaping the base is a whole different beast. Folding a lot of diagrams will give you an idea of how the base can turn into the finished model, and, with experience, you can design features into the base that will allow you to shape it properly.

Thinning flaps is just a matter of sinking the edges. This can be more easily said than done at times (depending on how the layers are stacked), but you'll get the hang of it with experience.

I don't know how much of the above applies to you, but hopefully some of it helps.
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Brimstone
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Re: Designing my first model.

Post by Brimstone »

FishHat wrote:I've been doing origami for quite a long time, and I've always wanted to design a model. I've done a lot of research about box pleating and circle packing, and I read Lang's design secrets book. However, whenever I try to design anything, it never works. I can never get thin enough flaps, and I don't really know how to go from a base to a model. Help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. :D :D
You say you've been folding for a while yet you don't know how to go from a base to a model, I've seen this happen to people that have been folding longer that I have. It is because when they're folding from diagrams (or memory for that matter), they are not thinking and analizing what the process is doing, they just follow instructions.

My advice is take your favorite model and fold it again from scratch and get to understand what is done at every single step, not just knowing when and where it's valley or mountain, but deducting how the paper transforms into a finished model as you go.
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Re: Designing my first model.

Post by origami_8 »

Like Brimstone said, it is very important to get a feeling for the underlying structure of models if you want to design yourself. To get this feeling, you have to start analysing models. One way to do this is fold a model, colour all parts in different colours (e.g. one leg in green, the head in yellow,...) and then unfold the model again and look at the crease pattern. Note where every part of the model is located on the model. Now, refold the model again from the same paper, trying to understand how each individual part is formed in the process.
You can also go along take a finished model, cut one part off unfold it and look at its structure. This may seem brutal, but it can help you to understand the internal structure and how individual parts are folded.
When you mastered this, try to fold from Crease Patterns, or at least analyse them and try to figure out what will be what in the final model, also take a look at the transitions from one part of the model to the other.
Well and then practice, practice, practice. It is very unlikely that your first model will be perfect, you need to gain experience first.
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Re: Designing my first model.

Post by Brimstone »

origami_8 wrote:...One way to do this is fold a model, colour all parts in different colours (e.g. one leg in green, the head in yellow,...) and then unfold the model again and look at the crease pattern. Note where every part of the model is located on the model. Now, refold the model again from the same paper, trying to understand how each individual part is formed in the process...
This is great advice.
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FishHat
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Re: Designing my first model.

Post by FishHat »

Thank you all for the advice! I think I'll try some of the ideas you suggested. I've always wanted to design a cat, so maybe I'll try that. I might also try to research 22.5 because I am fairly unfamiliar with it. Thanks again! :D
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Re: Designing my first model.

Post by Tankoda »

In my opinion 22.5 degree is the hardest standard way to design, but the most rewarding - you get a great model for it. Box-pleating is a great way to learn the basics of designing though, you might start there. Helps you understand packing, paper-allocation, flap thickness, and even shaping....
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Re: Designing my first model.

Post by NeverCeaseToCrease »

I would agree with Tankoda. I think 22.5 degree is better for most animals than box pleating because cats are relatively structurally simple (just four legs head and tail) and 22.5 can get you nice organic shapes, so to speak. Box pleating is nice because it can get complex structures (like two people from the same sheet, or Obelisk's dragon rider, Lang's Snack Time, etc that would be near impossible from 22.5), but in exchange everything looks kinda blocky and imo not super great for cats and similar animals.
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