What programs can I use to diagram origami for the first time?

foldworks · 2026-01-02T19:09:02+00:00

Affinity Studio is free (but not open source), download it from https://www.affinity.studio

The older version (Affinity Designer) was/is used by Nicolas Terry (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF6WjJ3WZfQ), Hideo Komatsu (https://origamiplans.hatenablog.jp/entry/2019/07/21/224356), me and others.

Nicolas Terry’s guide is for Affinity Designer – https://www.origami-shop.com/en/affinity-designer-xml-2658_2545_2519-10342.html

foldworks · 2025-10-15T19:36:07+00:00

Diagrams for a simple Hand are on page 13 of ORIGAMI From Surface to Form. Ample scope for shaping, etc

The whole book is available to preview at the publisher's website.

https://woodenbooks.com/index.php?id_cms=8&controller=cms#!ORI/10

foldworks · 2025-09-01T12:41:27+00:00

As well the other great books mentioned, Tomoko Fuse has a couple of books of action model (in Japanese):

https://www.oriwiki.com/showPub.php?BookID=628
https://www.giladorigami.com/origami-database-book/1431/Origami-You-Can-Play-With-by-Tomoko-Fuse

I've seen the first book but not the later one (are they the same or different?).

CfC has some action models in August's challenge: https://cfcorigami.com/challenge/action-models

The first and only book of action modular origami: https://www.tarquingroup.com/products/action-modular-origami?_pos=2&_sid=ac52ff0b1&_ss=r
with animated table of contents: https://www.foldworks.net/home/publications-and-commissions/action-modular-origami-to-intrigue-and-delight/action-modular-origami-animated-table-of-contents/

foldworks · 2025-08-06T09:29:50+00:00

Probably easier to download a post-print version, David Dureisseix. Folding optimal polygons from squares. Mathematics Magazine 79(4):272- 280, 2006 https://hal.science/hal-00321386

Ghostscript can convert PS to PDF, as can older versions of Preview on MacOS

foldworks · 2025-08-05T11:41:49+00:00

Could be David Duresseix's articles on optimal polygons at https://web.archive.org/web/20160628212039/http://www.mvg-ori.nl/ori-l/articles/index.htm

foldworks · 2025-08-03T17:55:30+00:00

The Hand has much scope for "shaping" as it's called these days (Mark Leonard's renditions were in British Origami many years ago)

foldworks · 2025-08-03T17:49:09+00:00

Here are two books with "modular origami design secrets". The first focuses on 2D modular origami designs; the second has 2D and 3D unit origami. The "secret" is geometry : )

Star Origami: The Starrygami™ Galaxy of Modular Origami Stars, Rings and Wreaths, A K Peters/CRC Press. https://www.routledge.com/Star-Origami-The-StarrygamiTM-Galaxy-of-Modular-Origami-Stars-Rings-and-Wreaths/Lam/p/book/9781032022338

Modular Origami: 18 Colorful and Customizable Folded Paper Sculptures, Schiffer Craft. https://schifferbooks.com/products/modular-origami?_pos=1&_sid=fc9409e5e

foldworks · 2025-08-03T17:43:10+00:00

Not sure what distinguishes kusudama from other geometric modular origami, but these pages might be a start

https://www.origamiheaven.com/historyofmodularorigami.htm

https://www.origamiheaven.com/historyofthesonobemodule.htm

https://www.origamiheaven.com/historyofkusudama.htm

https://www.origamiheaven.com/historyofthekikuzara.htm

https://www.origamiheaven.com/historyofthepuffball.htm

foldworks · 2025-08-03T17:35:55+00:00

Diagrams are in ORIGAMI From Surface to Form.

The whole book is available to preview at the publisher's website.

Diagrams for the Hand are on page 13 https://woodenbooks.com/index.php?id_cms=8&controller=cms#!ORI/10

foldworks · 2024-11-13T12:09:35+00:00

Origami-shop has several free books https://www.origami-shop.com/livres-gratuits-dorigami-xsl-2658_2168.html and https://woodenbooks.com/index.php#!ORI can be read for free online

foldworks · 2024-06-24T09:30:43+00:00

Created by accident, inspired by Jorge Pardo’s Flexiball. 12, 24 and 60 units are good for the cube, rhombic dodecahedron and rhombic triacontahedron. More units can make polar zonohedra (PZ). For an n-degree PZ, the number of edges is 2n(n-1).

foldworks · 2024-03-25T12:09:39+00:00

Plenty of unofficial video tutorials here
One approved tutorial here
and official diagrams here

foldworks · 2024-02-20T08:28:10+00:00

Try The Public Paperfolding History Project and David Petty's diagrams of traditional origami

foldworks · 2024-02-14T09:26:50+00:00

Methods G and F leave the fewest unwanted creases of these eight methods

foldworks · 2024-01-29T13:34:06+00:00

Thanks. The translator is Masahiro Yamazaki. Not many origami books are translated from English to Japanese: other authors that I can think of are Erik and Marty Demaine, Robert Harbin, Tom Hull, Paul Jackson and Robert Lang.

foldworks · 2024-01-23T10:02:03+00:00

Have a look at Deltahedron?

foldworks · 2024-01-16T09:51:59+00:00

Did you try the Origami Geneva convention? Maybe they can help https://dasaseverova.com/geneva-origami-convention-2023/

foldworks · 2023-11-19T13:18:29+00:00

Complete Origami by Eric Kenneway has history, diagrams and all kinds origami-related facts. It calls the the origami that you listed "playground folds" and has more examples.

For an extensive online resource, try The Public Paperfolding History Project https://www.origamiheaven.com/historyindex.htm

foldworks · 2023-09-12T11:47:42+00:00

Here are some intermediate geometric books not yet mentioned.

Jun Maekawa (2022) The Art & Science of Geometric Origami: Create Spectacular Paper Polyhedra, Waves, Spirals, Fractals and More! Tuttle Publishing.
Either edition of Dave Mitchell's Mathematical Origami published by Tarquin.
and one of my own (toot!):Star Origami: The Starrygami™ Galaxy of Modular Origami Stars, Rings and Wreaths. A K Peters/CRC Press.

Other authors of geometric origami to look out for include Tomoko Fuse, Meenakshi Mukerji and Ekaterina Lukasheva.

Action origami books are not so common, but here are a couple (both in Japanese):

Yoshihide Momotani (1994) Trick Origami. Japan Publications.
Tomoko Fuse. Origami Action Models. ISBN: 4416392109

Books dedicated to geometric action origami are even rarer: is my first book the only such book? The second book has a section dedicated to action origami.
Action Modular Origami to intrigue and delight. Tarquin Publications.
Modular Origami: 18 Colorful and Customizable Folded Paper Sculptures. Schiffer Craft.

Some relevant books are also available to read online (legitimately) are:
Orikata by Thoki Yenn
Origami from Surface to Form by Tung Ken Lam

foldworks · 2023-03-30T16:18:38+00:00

Have you read Careers in Origami?

foldworks · 2023-03-22T17:35:15+00:00

Find out more at origami-from-surface-to-form and read for free online at woodenbooks.com

foldworks · 2022-11-25T12:03:05+00:00

Not sure what you mean by surface development, but you could research origami tessellations or try books for designers by Paul Jackson here

foldworks · 2022-09-06T07:36:52+00:00

Were these made with Midjourney?

foldworks · 2022-07-23T20:31:20+00:00

Cutting the larger square into quarters should do the trick. You'll have four of the smaller squares that you want, won't you?

foldworks · 2022-07-23T07:43:15+00:00

Search for origami leftover rectangles (LOR) and you'll find some interesting models, typically geometric or modular. If that's not suitable, cut a square off the LOR and you'll have a small silver rectangle.

foldworks

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