CP versus diagrams

[Pathfinder]

2nd time trying to post this.

I recently found out that a few artists/creators are not doing diagrams but have made CPs. I'm not at all happy about this tragic turn of events as being a begginer I rely heavily on that diagram.

So I have a few questions.

If someone puts out a CP, can another person figure the CP out and then create his own book of diagrams, legally or place a diagram of it on the internet? Or just pass it along to friends or whatever?

How would I know if when buying a book I am getting diagrams or CP's? I'd hate to end up with $50 worth of CP's when I need diagrams.

[origami_8]

I´m not aware of an Origami book that only consists of CPs. In some advanced books CPs are given as special bonus, often accompanying diagrams. Also it´s very unusual that someone makes diagrams for someone elses CPs, mostly because its a lot of work to draw diagrams. In any case, it would be good manners to ask the author first if you´re allowed to publish such diagrams, either on the Internet or in a book.

CPs are a good way to give people the chance to fold designs that otherwise would never get published because drawing diagrams would be too time expensive and often isn´t possible in a good way (like most boxpleated CPs). Also folding after CPs expands your knowledge about the underlying structures of Origami models and helps getting further in Origami than would be possible without this knowledge.

[Joe the white]

Its not quite as bad as you think. Most models that are CP only are those that are complex/super complex. Its not that the designers are lazy or anything, but a CP is an efficient method of getting out their design which may otherwise remain unpublished, though only available to a limited number of folders that can recreate the design. Even with that mentioned, few origamists get to the complex level. They're mostly for extremists and new age designers.

As for copyright, there isn't a respectful or legal way to produce a diagram (or CP, etc.) for uses other than your own without permission from the author first. We have seen both sides of this before, and being disrespectful doesn't end pretty...

There are few books that feature CPs, even lightly, due to the nature of few people being able to fold them. One book that comes to mind is Origami Design Secrets, but its very relevant to its topic as well as containing a healthy dose of diagrams.

[Cupcake]

Also, some CPs don't even have a certain pattern. So if someone were to make diagrams for it, it might end up like "Step one: precrease Step two: collapse everything at once", which wouldn't be very handy.

[Fishgoth]

For the most part, crease patterns are complex or supercomplex models. So, if you are folding from a crease-pattern, then this model already is at the extreme end of technical abilities for most folders.

To fold a model using a crease pattern alone, you need to be a gifted folder.

So, I might even argue, if you can't figure out a model from the crease pattern, then even if you had diagrams, you would find the model too hard to fold anyway!

I'm not saying that folding crease patterns is easy - sometimes a komatsu CP will take even me* days to figure out. However, they are really only a tool for accomplished folders. If you can get through Lang's Origami Insects and their kin (the most easilly obtained super-complex book), they you can probably manage most crease patterns.

*I am dead brainy.