| Origami Heaven A paperfolding
paradise
The website of
writer and paperfolding designer David Mitchell
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| Modulars in Motion |
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| This
page presents a selection of modular designs where either
the whole design can be distorted or some of the parts
will move in relation to others once the modules are
fully assembled and without falling apart. |
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Name: Robert Neale's 2-part
Octahedron - a classic design that is a
true joy to fold and assemble. Will collapse flat
and pop back into shape. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: 2 modules from squares
using standard folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: Robert Neale, 1968.
Diagrams:
As Octohedron In The Origamian Vol 8 Issue 3 of
Winter 1968.
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Name: Magic
Star also known as the Pinwheel,
Pinwheel-Ring-Pinwheel,
Frisbee
or Ninja Star. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: 8 modules from squares
using standard folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: Robert Neale, 1970.
Diagrams:
First published in Flapping
Bird no 12, 1970.
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Name: Joyful
Units also known as the Rotunda
or Magic Circle - a delightful
flexible toy that changes from an octagonal wheel
(as pictured) into an 8-pointed star and back
again as the units are rotated through the centre
of symmetry of the design. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: 8 modules from squares
using standard folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: Hiroshi Kumasaka, 1980s.
Diagrams:
In Noabooks Kusudama ISBN 4-418-88504-8. It was
originally published in NOA magazine no 119, then
by Luisa Canovi in the Italian games magazine
"Contro Mossa" in 1986.
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Name: The Embroidered Ball aka
theSkillman Ball has the
interesting property that it can be squashed flat
in two directions, although this property does
not appear to have been known or appreciated at
the time of its first publication. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: 2 modules from squares
using standard folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: Jack J Skillman, c1969..
Diagrams:
In Flapping Bird magazine no 4, 1969. Also in
More Origami: The Art of Paperfolding No 2 in
1971 and Origami Christmas Tree Decorations, Paul
Jackson, BOS booklet 20, 1982.
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Name: 2-part Decoration Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: 2 modules from squares
using standard folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1989. Has also been
independently discovered by Tung Ken Lam who
realised it will squash flat in two directions,
thus turning a rather ordinary paperfold into a
charming toy. On seeing this I realised that the
Skillman Ball will also squash flat, something I
had previously not been aware of.
Diagrams:
Not yet available.
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Name: The Modular Flip Flop
is my reconstruction of a design by the Danish
paperfolder Thoki Yenn which has become lost
(probably because Thoki abandoned it in favour of
his one piece version of the same design). The
design is a version of a well known mathematical
toy with the strange property that it will squash
flat in two different directions. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: 2 modules folded from
double bronze rectangles using 60/30 degree
folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1989.
Diagrams:
Not yet available.
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Name: Snap
Hexahedra - made from Sonobe,
Corner-pocket Sonobe, Sonobe triangle or
Letterbox modules can be collapsed flat then
popped back into shape. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry:
Designer /
Date: Larry Hart published a single-sheet design
for a snap hexahedron in the late 1980s. It seems
obvious that the same principle could be applied
to a modular hexahedron but I am not aware of
knowing about this before I came across the idea
while playing with snap silveroctahedra in 2015.
Diagrams:
Not yet available.
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Name: Silveroctahedra
and Pop-up Silveroctahedra Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: 2 sets of 2
mirror-image modules from squares using standard
folding geometry. Can be made from many different
parallelogram and triangle modules.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1989 and 2016.
Diagrams:
On-line diagrams are available on the Devious Devices page of this site.
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Name: Twin
Deltahedral Dodecahedra - convertible
design. Modules / Paper shape / Folding
geometry: 6 modules from silver rectangles.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 2017.
Diagrams:
Not yet available.
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Name: (Modular) 2-Way Tube
- a modular version of Robert Neale's 2-Way Tube
(which can be made (in several ways) from a
single sheet of paper or light card). Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: 2 modules from any
rectangle using standard folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1997.
Diagrams:
On-line diagrams are available on the Devious Devices page of this site.
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Name: Colour-Change
Collapsible Cube - begins as a square
section tube which can be twisted and collapsed
to create an odd-looking cube. The cube will
squash flat sideways and can be manipulated in
the palm of the hand to cycle through all four
coloured faces in turn. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: 4 modules from silver
rectangles.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1993.
Diagrams:
On-line diagrams are available on the Modular Designs page of this site.
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Name: Jitterbug
- a modular origami version of the well known
flexible toy of the same name (made from metal
rods and rubber joints) which was designed by
Buckminster Fuller. By twisting the pierced
square faces of the form it is possible to
collapse the cuboctahedron into an octahedron. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: 12 modules from squares
using 60/30 degree folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: Tung Ken Lam, 1990s.
Diagrams:
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Name: Rotating
Ring of 8 Rhombic Tetrahedra Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: 4 modules from silver
rectangles.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1995.
Diagrams:
In Mathematical Origami - David Mitchell -
Tarquin 1997 - ISBN 189961818X.
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Name: Rotating Ring of Six
Tetrahedra Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: 6 modules from 2x1
rectangles using root 5 folding geometry.
Designer /
Date:
Diagrams:
Not yet available.
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Name: Elite
Flexicube Modules / Paper shape / Folding
geometry: 24 modules from silver rectangles.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1992.
Diagrams:
Not yet available.
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Name: Ad
Infinitum - an endlessly revolving toy Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: 4 modules from squares
using standard folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1995.
Diagrams:
On-line diagrams are available on the Modular Designs page of this site.
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Name: Back
to Front - a simple action toy in which
rotating the elements in relation to each other
brings each to the front in turn. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: 3 modules from squares
using standard folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 2004.
Diagrams:
Not yet available.
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Name: Squashy
Star is a star that is capable of being
squashed flat in all three directions. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: modules fron squares
using standard folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 2011.
Diagrams:
Not yet available.
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Name: The Tube
Cube is an odd cube made from six linked
tubes which will squash flat. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: 6 modules from squares
using standard folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 2014.
Diagrams:
Not yet available.
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Name: Mothership
- design made using Paulo Mulatinho's
UFO as a macro-module - from squares. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: Each UFO is made from 2
modules from squares using standard folding
geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 2001.
Diagrams:
In Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell -
Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
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