Treemaker

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954
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Treemaker

Post by 954 »

I watched Mr. lang's Ted x talk, and I found out about treemaker. This gave me a question: can computer generated origami designs still be considered y #-o ours?
Baltorigamist
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Re: Treemaker

Post by Baltorigamist »

A thread on Facebook sums it up pretty nicely. To paraphrase: Programs like Treemaker only optimize the packing to give it the most efficient structure possible. It's akin to using a calculator to multiply large numbers for your math homework--is it still your work? I think so.
My point is that origami software is only a tool, although new programs like BP Studio (I think that's what it's called) are pushing that definition. As long as you're the one drawing the tree, there's little to be said for the program's role beyond computing things that would be next to impossible to do by hand.
In Dr. Lang's case, his designs are undeniably his since (as mentioned in the same Facebook thread) he's the one who wrote Treemaker in the first place.

Now, when computers start coming up with tree diagrams for us, that will be a different story. But I don't foresee that happening (at least in the origami world) for a while.
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origami_8
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Re: Treemaker

Post by origami_8 »

Just what Baltorigamist said, with the addition, that what you fold from a base is entirely up to you. Even if a base has just the right amount of flaps for lets say a tiger, you might as well fold a bear from it or a dog or a chair. A model doesn't consist of its base alone, what you make from the base is entirely up to you. There are whole books about what you can make from a simple birdbase. There can be hundreds of steps necessary to arrive at the model you imagine, with the shaping, you are breathing life in your creations. I guess no one would claim a computer generated base to be his own model, but what you make from it, is a completely different story.
NeverCeaseToCrease
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Re: Treemaker

Post by NeverCeaseToCrease »

The public opinion of treemaker seems to be that it is a genie bottle that can pump out designs in an instant. But the moment you actually try it out, you'll see that it's very much not the case. It's a fancy calculator that can input and output numbers, which is useful, but isn't origami in of itself.
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Re: Treemaker

Post by origami_8 »

Yes, it is not that easy to use and it also doesn't give you a folding sequence, let alone a pretty one. Lots of tweaking and adjusting is necessary if you want to achieve that goal. It is a good tool but it's not as if you would feed it a drawing and get out a beautiful set of diagrams for a perfect model.
Many years ago when I first discovered boxpleating, it felt like cheating to me, even more than programs like treemaker. It makes the design process so easy. With just a few diagonals on a grid, it is possible to fold almost anything, still, to accomplish that you need a vision of what to fold and how to achieve it. Origami is more than just a few algorithms. Like I said before, you can get a base with the fitting amount of flaps rather easily, but what you make from it is a completely different story.
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