Lynn McGrath
CSC 101
Computing Concepts
Introduction
Origami is the art of paperfolding.The name origami comes from the Japanese word ori,
“to fold” and kami, “paper”. Paperfolding originated in China about the first or second
century A.D. and was recognized in Japan by the sixth century. The Japanese integrated
origami into all parts of their culture. It is common to see origami in Japanese homes and
religious establishments. The Japanese passed on their designs (folds) from generation to
generation orally. The oral tradition usually started with the mother of the household and
passed on to her daughter. In modern times, the art of paperfolding is enjoyed and
practiced by all walks of life. Origami is an art form that reaches across the world to both
men and women.
Classic Origami Folds
There are many different types and styles of origami folds. The classic origami fold is a
fold that is created from a single piece of paper. Classic origami folds can be as simple as
a box or as intircate as a dragon. Figure 1 illustrates paper boxes folded by Gretchen D.
Koltz. Figure 2 illustrates a teddy bear lapel folded by Joseph Wu. Figure 3 illustrates an
eastern (Chinese) dragon made from a one rectangular sheet of paper, the length of the
rectangle determines the length of the dragon’s body. The dragon and teddy bear
illustrated below are created from a single sheet of paper. The box top and bottom are
each created from a single sheet of paper.
Modular Origami
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Modular Origami is a type of origami in which the final forms (models) are created from
individual modules or units that have been folded. Modular origami requires more than one sheet
of paper to create a model. Modular origami takes time and patience, but after the units are
folded, the actual assemblage of the units is generally easy. Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 illustrate
examples of modular origami.
Figure 1
Figure 4
Figure 3
Figure 2
Figure 1 is a spiked icosahedron. The model is constrcucted from the Sonobe unit which
will be further discussed. Figure 2 is a compound of 5 tetrahedrons, folded by Jim Plank.
Figure 3 is called Flower Ball and is an original design by Valerie Vann. The Flower Ball
is created from 210 wireframe/strut unit. The Flower Ball is basically structurally sound,
but the hanging joint tends to fail if it is not glued. The units are folded 3x3 neon post-its.
Figure 4 is a lesser stellated dodecahedron folded by Jim Plank.
The Spiked Icosahedron
An Icosahedron is a 20 faced polyhedron. A polyhedron is a three-dimensional figure in
which all faces are polygons. A face is a part of a plane forming a side of a threedimensional figure. The faces of the Icosahedron are made up of Pentagons (a five sided
polygon).
A polygon is a special kind of geometric figure. The actual definition of a polygon goes
beyond the scope of this paper. The figures below show how polygons differ from figures
that are not polygons.
These figures are polygons:
These figures are not polygons:
Polygons are classified by the number of sides it has. In the table below you will find
some of the type of polygons.
A Spiked Icosahedron is an Icoscahedron on which each of it’s Pentagon faces a pyramid
sits. The spiked part of the label indicates that pyramids are sitting on each face of the
Icosahedron.
Constructing the Spiked Dodecahedron
The Spiked Icosahedron is made up of 30 Sonobe units.
The Simple Sonobe Unit
To create the model the folder makes 30 Simple Sonobé Units and interlocks the units.
There are hundreds of different modular units to try. A good book to start with is
Multidimensional Transformations Unit Origami, written by Tomoko Fuse. The book
takes you step by step through the folding of the unit and the actual assemblage of the
models. The models range from easy to difficult.
Popularity of Modular Origami
The following chart represents the percentage of folders in two origami styles. Modular
origami is not as popular as Classic origami, but the people interested in Modular origami
is present and growing.
Classic origami or Modular origami inspires and is part of many peoples lives.The
inspiration is reflected in the following quote:
“A limitless universe of possibilities is concealed in the small- usually about six inches to
a side-square of paper used in folding origami. The forms hidden, yet glimsable, there
range from those of vigorous animals to those of intellectually stimulating geometric
figures.”
Origamists are an enthusiastic group dedicated to journeying as far as they can into the
universe of possibilities inherent in the square.
Bibliography
Kunihiko Kasahara and Toshie Takahama.Origami For The Connoísseur. JAPAN
PUBLICATIONS, INC. Tokyo and New York. Copyright 1987.
Tomoko Fuse. Multidimensional Transformations Unit Origami. JAPAN
PUBLICATIONS, INC. Tokyo and New York. Copyright 1990.
1. http://admin.ogi.edu/~gren/origami.html= Figure 1, Page 2.
2. http://www.datt.co.jp/Origami/= Figure 2, Page 2.
3. http://www.datt.co.jp/Origami/= Figure 2, Page 2.
4. http://www.thewebwerks.com/origami.html= Figure 1, Page 3.
5. http://www.cs.utk.edu/~plank/plank/origami/origami.html= Figure 2, Page 3.
6. http://admin.ogi.edu/~gren/origami.html= Figure 3, Page 3.
7. http://www.cs.utk.edu/~plank/plank/origami/origami.html= Figure 4, Page 3.