Mind Blowing Modular Origami The Art of Polyhedral Paper Folding Byriah Loper

LOPER
Create incredible geometric shapes with simple folded paper

C
Modul ar or iga mi
MIND-BLOWING consists of multiple pieces of folded
paper that are woven together into
a single model. These composite
Event
Horizon
MODULAR forms range from starkly geometric
MIND-BLOWING MODUL AR ORIGA MI

16 TRIANGLES GALAXY BOREALIS THE ALPHABET models that are little more than paper
representations of polyhedra, to bristling
buckyballs reminiscent of sea urchins,
ORIGAMI
Discover the beautifully complex to ornately embellished floral spheres.
world of polyhedral modular origami! Each unit is held to the others strictly
by the tension of the folded forms—a
The easy-to-follow diagrams and wonderful testimony to the remarkable
the art of p o l y h e d r a l PA P E R F O L D I N G hidden strength of paper.
Byr iah Loper is a young step-by-step instructions in this book SATURN
COSMOS
DARK MATTER
origami artist best known for his CUBE
show you how to fold and assemble Modular origami models called “wire
stunning modular works and pleated
frames” comprise some of the most
tessellations. His interest in origami a variety of polyhedral and “wire frame” complex and exciting forms in origami
art began several years ago with the
models. Assembling each model is an today. Mind-Blowing Modular Origami
discovery of a paper airplane calendar,
is the first book devoted primarily to
which inspired him to try more exciting challenge, which results in an the explanation of these intersecting,
complicated folding projects. Loper
EXCELSIOR interlocking and interwoven creations.
soon discovered modular origami incredible paper sculpture that is
K5
Assembling these pieces is always
and has since folded and designed ATMOSPHERE
hundreds of original works. He was
well worth the effort. exciting and challenging, and the
finished work is a visually stimulating
a featured artist in the 2014 Surface
piece that is well worth the effort.
to Structure exhibition at the Cooper
Union school in New York and has
been a guest instructor at the annual
OrigamiUSA convention. Loper’s nebula
signature models are his “wire frames”
composed of complex interlocking VORTEX AURORA
INTERSTELLAR CURLED SPHERE DARK ENERGY MODULE
polyhedral structures, featured in
detail in this book.
ISBN 978-4-8053-1309-1
9<HTPILF=dbdajb>:q;W;r;u;v
excalibur
T UT T L E
US $16.95
www.tuttlepublishing.com
BYRIAH LOPER
tuttlepublishing.com Printed in Singapore
TRIAKIS T UT T L E tuttlepublishing.com
Mind-Blowing Modular Origami_cover.indd 1 Spine 8mm 1st Proof Title:Mind-Blowing Modular Origami: Berkeley 1/6/16 1:34 pm
Job No: D0215-9 / Alice
LOPER
Create incredible geometric shapes with simple folded paper
C
Modul ar or iga mi
MIND-BLOWING consists of multiple pieces of folded
paper that are woven together into
a single model. These composite
Event
Horizon
MODULAR forms range from starkly geometric
MIND-BLOWING MODUL AR ORIGA MI

16 TRIANGLES GALAXY BOREALIS THE ALPHABET models that are little more than paper
representations of polyhedra, to bristling
buckyballs reminiscent of sea urchins,
ORIGAMI
Discover the beautifully complex to ornately embellished floral spheres.
world of polyhedral modular origami! Each unit is held to the others strictly
by the tension of the folded forms—a
The easy-to-follow diagrams and wonderful testimony to the remarkable
the art of p o l y h e d r a l PA P E R F O L D I N G hidden strength of paper.
Byr iah Loper is a young step-by-step instructions in this book SATURN
COSMOS
DARK MATTER
origami artist best known for his CUBE
show you how to fold and assemble Modular origami models called “wire
stunning modular works and pleated
frames” comprise some of the most
tessellations. His interest in origami a variety of polyhedral and “wire frame” complex and exciting forms in origami
art began several years ago with the
models. Assembling each model is an today. Mind-Blowing Modular Origami
discovery of a paper airplane calendar,
is the first book devoted primarily to
which inspired him to try more exciting challenge, which results in an the explanation of these intersecting,
complicated folding projects. Loper
EXCELSIOR interlocking and interwoven creations.
soon discovered modular origami incredible paper sculpture that is
K5
Assembling these pieces is always
and has since folded and designed ATMOSPHERE
hundreds of original works. He was
well worth the effort. exciting and challenging, and the
finished work is a visually stimulating
a featured artist in the 2014 Surface
piece that is well worth the effort.
to Structure exhibition at the Cooper
Union school in New York and has
been a guest instructor at the annual
OrigamiUSA convention. Loper’s nebula
signature models are his “wire frames”
composed of complex interlocking VORTEX AURORA
INTERSTELLAR CURLED SPHERE DARK ENERGY MODULE
polyhedral structures, featured in
detail in this book.
ISBN 978-4-8053-1309-1
9<HTPILF=dbdajb>:q;W;r;u;v
excalibur
T UT T L E
US $16.95
www.tuttlepublishing.com
BYRIAH LOPER
tuttlepublishing.com Printed in Singapore
TRIAKIS T UT T L E tuttlepublishing.com
Mind-Blowing Modular Origami_cover.indd 1 Spine 8mm 1st Proof Title:Mind-Blowing Modular Origami: Berkeley 1/6/16 1:34 pm
Job No: D0215-9 / Alice
MIND-BLOWING
MODULAR
ORIGAMI
the art of p o ly h e d r a l PA P E R F O L D I N G
BYRIAH LOPER
T UT T L E Publishing
Tokyo Rutland, Vermont Singapore
Mind-Blowing_INT.indd 1 30/5/16 7:31 pm

CON T E N T S
4 PREFACE
6 MATERIALS
7 TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
11 ORIGAMI SYMBOLS
14 PLATONIC SOLIDS
15 INTRODUCTION TO DECORATIVE MODULARS
34 INTRODUCTION TO WIRE FRAMES
96 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
TRIAKIS VORTEX Excalibur Excelsior

MODULE MODULE Kusudama Kusudama
16 18 20 22

Borealis CURLED Saturn 16
Kusudama SPHERE Cube TRIANGLES
24 27 30 36
COSMOS NEBULA ATMOSPHERE K5

41 46 51 56
GALAXY Interstellar Dark Dark

59 63 Matter ENERGY
68 74
Aurora Event The AlphabeT

79 Horizon 89
84

P R E FA C E
Kwan and many others designed
Origami, the Asian art of paper folding, increasingly sophisticated construc-
tions; the complexity, innovation and
has long been seen as an expressive, artistry of modular forms has contin-
ued to grow. There are thousands of
representative art focused on modeling real- models in existence now, with new
designs appearing regularly.
life objects in paper.
Modular origami isn’t limited to polyhe-
From simple airplanes and frogs is often regarded as being flimsy. As dra—flat stars, coasters, tessellated
to highly detailed, lifelike insects if by magic, hundreds of pieces of quilts and even representative models
and dragons, origami has expanded this seemingly weak material can be have been made with more than one
greatly in the past half-century. transformed through folding in such a piece of paper—but it was the poly-
New techniques have led to greater way as to create magnificent three- hedral modulars that first caught my
complexity, detail, and technical dimensional structures without the the attention
attenntion when I began folding seven
design. During that time, the boundaries use of any adhesives or cutting. TheThe years
year starkly
rs ago. From stark kly geometric
of origami have expanded into new resulting forms can be surprising gly
surprisingly models that are
re
concepts, including modular origami. strong, lasting for years. hardly
hard
ha r d ly
MODULAR ORIGAMI has most of the Like traditional representative

attiv
ive designs,
e de
desi
sign
gns,
ns
same rules as traditional origami, modular origami began veryvery simply.
sim
im
mply.
plly
but comprises the folding of mul- In the 1970s, Mitsunobu u Sonobe’s
Sono
So nobe
be’s
’ss
tiple pieces of paper into individual development of the Sonobe noobe
ob unit
e un
u it
units or modules, which are then as- expanded origami to new ew ho ho-
sembled together to make a single rizons. This simple universal
versall
ver
model, generally without the use of unit, capable of being assem-
s
sem-
any adhesives. Each unit is held to bled into a number of ba basic
asic
the others strictly by the tension of geometric polyhedra, pavedavved
the paper, and the resulting models the way for numerous varia-
arria-
cannot be replicated with just a single tions and new designs ov over
ver
piece of paper. Modular origami is a the next decades. Tomoko mokko
wonderful testimony to the remark- Fuse, Tom Hull, Robert Neale,
ealee,
able hidden strength of paper, which Miyuki Kawamura, Daniel nieel

5
more than paper representations it as an occasion help

n to heelp share
of polyhedra to embellished floral and explain theseese geomet-
g
spheres so ornate that they seem to ric origami constructions
ructio
ons in a
have no mathematical basis what- way that could be mos
mostt easily
soever, the symmetry and form that understood.
they held attracted me. The repetition
of folding the individual units may be While a basic understanding
and ding of
tedious, but I have always held that geometry is helpful, ver
veryry lit-
the satisfaction found in the assembly tle knowledge is necessary
esssary
process makes the labor worthwhile. to begin. With knowledge g of
ge
I might never have pursued modular the different types of poly-
o
oly-
origami beyond a minor hobby, how- hedra and polygons, alongloong
ever, had I not discovered the larger with a little experience, you
yo
origami community online, and with should be able to create allll the
it, a particular type of modular gen- models in this book, and nd perhaps
perhap ps
erally referred to as a Wire Frame. even some variations of your y own. I
This category, which includes the selected seven simpler, more
r, mo embel-
ore emmbel-
most complex and exciting models in lished modular creations ns to serve
o servve as
modular origami, gave me a renewed a basis for the twelve more e compli-
commpli-
interest in this art that has remained cated Wire Frames thatt follow
follow.
w. If you I have folded and
with me ever since, and as such, is the aren’t familiar with modular origami,
odular orig
o gami, designed all kinds of
focus of this book. I suggest starting with the more re basic origami,
g but have always
alw y re-
ways
models and getting practice
ctice with them turned to modular origami, as it is myy
Though I will define it in greater de- until you have gained enough confi confi- style. I hope
favorite style e that this bookk
tail later in the book, the term “Wire dence to try the more complicated gives you a greater appreciation for
Frame” describes any intersecting, constructions. the stark geometric beauty and dyna-
interlocking or interwoven origami mism of modular origami.
compound, orr any model based on I enjoy designing Wire Frames, and
tthe
th
he “edge
e basic “edg ge unit” which is nearly consider them to be the pinnacle of
always
a
al ways used tto
lw
w o form the edges of a technical modular evolution. With ex-
polyhedron.
lyyhedron. With
poly
po W these models, the tremely simple units, some remarkably
folding
fo
olding of the in individual units is invari- difficult and complicated structures
ably
ab lyy much easier
eass than the assembly can be made with only paper and the
process.
p
pr occess. Onc Once
ce I discovered Wire use of your hands. The weaving process
Frames,
Frrammes, I foldedde all that I could find
fold is always exciting and challenging. The
and
an d then
t started
startte designing my own. finished work is a visually stimulating
Since
Sincce then, I have designed a great piece that requires more than a pass-
number
nu mber of these
th models, and have ing glance to appreciate. Wire Frame
often
oftten been n asked to explain how models are akin to geometric puzzles
they
th were
hey wer re made. While several that you must create and then solve
others
ot
thers ha have diagrammed Wire using only folded pieces of paper. Like
Frames
Frrames b before, there is no vol- the more complicated representative
ume devoted
u de
ev primarily to the models, Wire Frames may take more
explanation
explana
e a of these mod- time to assemble than some regular
els. So when the opportunity
e decorative modulars, but the extra ef-
arose to write a book, I took
a fort is apparent in the result.

M AT E R I A L S
you should keep a variety of materials A pencil and ruler will
be needed to measure and lightly
handy for making the models in this book. mark the specifically proportioned
rectangles of paper to be cut for
Paper is, obviously, the most STARDREAM is a higher-quality paper most Wire Frame modular units.
necessary item to procure. Nearly that is excellent for Wire Frames. It
any paper can be used for origami. I can work for decorative modulars, but Frame-holders can be used
have used many different types, but its thickness makes it less suitable for to hold the Wire Frame elements,
some are better suited for modular some of them. which can be a challenge to keep
origami than others. The following in place during construction. While
are several of my favorites. ELEPHANT HIDE is a very high-quality not required, frame-holders will
Paper thickness is generally weighed paper that generally comes in muted give your model added stability
in grams per square meter (gsm). colors. It is tremendously strong and until it is complete, at which point
Generally, modulars are best folded thick, but creases superbly. It’s excel- they should be removed. Metal wire
with a middle- or heavier-weight lent for all Wire Frames, and good for (22-gauge floral wire) is my frame-
paper between 70 and 130 gsm. most decorative modulars as well. holder of choice, but it's not the only
possibility. Feel free to experiment.
COPY PAPER is cheap, colorful, very A bone folder is a piece of bone,
easy to find, and excellent for Wire plastic or wood used to fold creases A protractor is not required, but
Frame modulars. Go for a 24-lb weight. strongly. While not necessary, it is useful for checking the angles of
can help make sharp creases on the the unit’s pockets and other angular
KAMI, the standard origami paper, is center vertices of Wire Frame struts. details.
excellent for all of the decorative mod-
ulars in this book. While a bit flimsy, Scissors or a paper cutter will be A calculator is useful for
it can be used for most Wire Frames. needed to cut the rectangular paper converting the paper proportions for
used for Wire Frame struts. the Wire Frames quickly and easily.
MEMO PAPER only comes in ~3.5"
squares, so it is not generally useful
for Wire Frames. However, it is cheap,
colorful, and (without a sticky strip), it
works very well for decorative models.
TANT is a higher-quality paper that

works well for most of the decorative
modulars and Wire Frames.
SKYTONE is a higher-quality parch-

ment paper that bears a visual
resemblance to Elephant Hide paper,
but comes in a greater variety of col-
ors. It is much thinner than Elephant
Hide, and isn’t as strong.

TI P S A N D
TECH N I Q U E S
While many modular origami projects proportions are listed as 1.25:5, and
you want the width of each unit to be
can indeed be challenging, keeping a few decreased to .875 in order to make a
smaller model, you first convert the
important things in mind ahead of time will 1.25:5 back to a 1:X ratio. To do this,
divide both numbers by the width.
make everything go easier. 1.25/1.25=1, and 5/1.25=4, so the pro-
portions have been converted to 1:4.
Before you begin, it is important to be small, which would then make it quite You must now multiply both numbers
prepared. You should have all the pa- difficult to fold. Scale the paper pro- by the new width to get the final pro-
per that you will need for the project, portions up or down to determine an portion: 1x.875=.875, and 4x.875=3.5.
as well as any tools you might need. appropriate size. Therefore, your final proportions are
Be careful to choose an appropriate .875:3.5. These rectangles will have
size for the starting papers, as they Paper proportions are the length- the same height-to-width ratio as the
will determine the size of your final to-width ratio of the paper for Wire proportions listed in the directions,
model. This is especially true for the Frames. In some cases, you may only scaled down. The same procedure
Wire Frames—it is very natural for want to change the dimensions list- can be used to increase the propor-
beginners to want to expand the size ed. Fortunately, this is easy. You just tions; simply reverse the process to
of the units, but if you aren’t careful, have to convert them to their origi- increase the proportions.
you can easily end up with a model nal 1:X ratio (if necessary), and then
several feet in diameter. Conversely, multiply both numbers by the desired Once all of the preparations are
you might decide to make a model very width. Here’s an example: if the paper made, cutting and folding the units is
A batch of units for

The Alphabet (page
89), just begun. The complete collection of units for The Alphabet.

8
generally very straightforward, espe- units interact with each other: if it is difficult to assemble—especially the
cially for the Wire Frames. However, near 180 degrees, the unit will be close solid, ball-like models that offer no
if you have difficulty with a step, look to flat; if it is near 0 degrees, the unit way to manipulate the paper into place
ahead to the next step to see the re- will be narrow, and the two halves will from underneath once they are near
sult of the fold. The folding of the units be pressed against each other. Unless completion. Be patient and deliberate
can be tedious, but you can fold small a special effect is desired, the optimal as you slowly ease the units into place.
“batches” of them and then assemble angle is around 90 degrees. (It is pos-
them later. And the more effort you put sible for edge units to have a dihedral For Wire Frames, it is important to
into the units, the more rewarding the angle greater than 180 degrees, but know where to place any frame-
finished model will be. that is a subject for another volume.) holding pieces to ease assembly. The
areas of each unit that press against
The Wire Frame units themselves The assembly of the units is usu- other units in the assembled model,
are surprisingly simple, as they have ally the most difficult—and the most and which hold the model together,
a standard design pattern. The nature exciting—part of making modular ori- are referred to as the limiting factors.
of their design is somewhat redun- gami. Various types of locks may be
dant, to the point that after having used the hold the units together, but
folded several different models, you the standard method involves sliding
will probably be able to infer an ap- a tab of paper into a pocket. Different
proximate folding sequence even paper types each have their own pros
before reading the diagrams. This will and cons in assembly. Thinner paper
make variations and new concepts has the advantage of being more flex-
easier for you to explore on your own. ible, and will have fewer gaps where
Probably the most important thing to the units come together. It is useful
keep in mind when folding the units, in assembly where mobility is limited.
aside from the proportions and pocket Thicker paper is stronger, and is less Limiting factors
angles, is the dihedral angle of each likely to crumple, bend or rip during
unit. This is the interior angle between the assembly. It can make the com- These determine the proportions of
the two halves of a completed edge pleted model more rigid as well. The the starting paper. If frame holders
unit. This angle will determine how the last units in a modular will be the most are used during assembly, it is impor-
tant to put them in a place where they
will maintain the model’s stability, but
not interfere with the construction
process. The limiting factors are usu-
ally the best areas to place any wire,
string, etc. that you are planning to use
as frame holders.
In addition, the weaving pattern has

to be taken into account when assem-
bling the units of the Wire Frames.
Getting all of the units woven around
each other in the proper pattern so
that the model is symmetrical on all
sides is a fun puzzle to figure out. To
start, having an understanding of ba-
sic geometry, especially polyhedra,
is absolutely critical to understand
the weaving of a Wire Frame. This
is because the weaving pattern for
any given model will almost always
"Neighborhoods" of weaving patterns
follow the symmetry of a regular

9
polyhedron, most likely one of the Once the concepts of axes and axial are not interlocked. See the top right
Platonic or Archimedean solids (the weaving are understood, they can be illustration on the following page.
last model in the book represents expanded to represent entire “neigh-
the exception to this). For the first borhoods” of the models’ weaving When folding Wire Frames, your initial
two models, I have specified a cor- pattern. The most common “neighbor- impulse may be to use the pictures of
responding polyhedron, but I’ve left hoods” in an icosahedral/dodecahedral the assembly in the text to exactly
this information to be inferred in lat- model, for instance, are the five-fold, follow the pattern. This will work
er projects. Once you identify what three-fold, and two-fold axis views. to a limited degree, but in complex
polyhedron symmetry any given Each axis, and the surrounding units constructions, your view will be
model is based on, you can deter- in its vicinity, represent a “neighbor- obstructed by other parts of the model.
mine which of several methods to hood” on the surface of the compound; In these cases you will have to instead
use to carry out the weaving and adjacent “neighborhoods” will inte- focus on understanding the pattern of
completing the assembly. grate seamlessly into each other. See each axial area so as to intuit obscured
the bottom left illustration on the op- areas based on geometrical patterns,
The fi rst important key to under- posite page. rather than visual images.
standing how Wire Frames are
assembled is through their axes. Note that axial weaving alone is not Knowing how to weave a complex
These will be referred to in every sufficient for more complicated mod- model is only useful if you are able
Wire-Frame assembly diagram in els. These sometimes have double to physically assemble the units. I
this book. Strictly speaking, an axis overlapping sections, which can result have used three different assembly
is basically a line around which a in illusory axes—areas that have a cir- methods; the most practical one will
figure can be rotated. The axes here cuitous whorl in similar frames, but depend on the model you are attempt-
will manifest as woven polygo- do not exactly represent any polygonal ing. The most commonly used method,
nal shapes that form on the model faces of polyhedra. which was, up until the last few years,
where each frame goes underneath the only practiced method, is frame-
or over another in a rotating manner. Another important factor in figur- at-a-time weaving. Essentially, any
This repeats with several others in a ing out the weaving of a complex Wire Frame compound is composed
circuitous fashion, and the resulting Wire Frame is identifying if there of a certain number of identical in-
axes align with certain parts of the are any clear relationships between terlocking polygons, or polyhedra,
basic polyhedron on which the model individual frames. One of the most which are not actually connected to
is based. For example, the three-fold commonly referenced relationships each other, but which interlock around
axes of a compound might align with is in-and-out weaving. This is an each other in a symmetrical pattern
the facial viewpoints of an icosahe- interlocking pattern in which one to hold together. In the frame-at-a-
dron, which would equate to aligning frame weaves outside of a second time method, you simply assemble
with the vertices of a dodecahedron. frame on one side of the model. one complete frame around another,
They are often used to represent On the other side, the frame that then add another to the first two, and
diff erent viewpoints in completed was outside now weaves inside the another, and so on, until the model is
models. They are referred to as an frame that was the inside frame on completed. This method dates back to
n-fold axis, n being the number of the other side. Basically, opposite the first Wire Frames, including Tom
sides on the axis. sides of the model are mirror images Hull’s FIT.
of one another. See the bottom left
illustration on the following page. The second method, tailored for the
assembly of complex models where
Another commonly referenced pat- most of the units are near the out-
tern is envelope weaving, where one side surface of the completed piece,
complete frame is entirely inside of is referred to as bottom-up weav-
another frame, but entirely outside of a ing. Pieces consisting of perhaps five
third frame. One example of this is the or ten units of all frames are added
famous Borromean weaving pattern, simultaneously, so that all frames
where three links are held together are assembled with the same prog-
A five-fold axis
through weaving, but any two frames ress. The model thus becomes fully

10
completed on the bottom, and more Of the various assembly techniques

pieces are added to all the frames in a listed here, frame-at-a-time weaving
sequentially upward fashion until the will likely be used the most, followed
compound is complete. One of the ad- by bottom-up weaving. Scaffolding
vantages of this assembly method is weaving will be used the least. The
that it makes it easier to weave a Wire photos of the assemblies in this book
Frame in the correct pattern, and it is show the method I would use for each
helpful in understanding the weaving. specific model. In the end, however,
It is also a particularly useful method the methods you use are up to you.
if you are experimenting with a new
compound idea. The first known use of Another subject that often comes up is
this method was by Daniel Kwan, with coloring guidelines. These aren’t spe- A Borromean weaving pattern
the construction of his compound of cifically mentioned in the instructions
Six Irregular Dodecahedra. themselves. The decorative models If you don’t succeed at your first at-
can have a variety of coloring patterns tempt, simply keep trying. Remember
The third method, referred to as scaf- depending on the type of assembly. that, like puzzles, these models are
folding, is a hybrid of the previous two; The number of colors should be supposed to be difficult to figure out.
it is generally only used for the most divisible by the total number of units; Experience and practice will increase
complicated models. It is best used i.e., a five-color pattern for a thirty- your confidence, and eventually even
for models that are too complex to be unit model would require six units per exceedingly difficult models will seem
woven with just the frame-at-a-time color. I will leave it as an exercise to more reasonable. Follow the path of ev-
method, but whose units reach too the reader to figure out the assembly ery frame, and carefully observe how
deeply into the center of the model for order of the colors. Generally, Wire it interacts with every other frame.
stable bottom-up weaving. With this Frame coloring is basic, especially When the assembly looks impossibly
method, as many complete frames since all of the Wire Frames in this complex, break it down into more man-
as possible are assembled, and then book are woven compounds. Every ageable parts. Understanding complex
the remaining frames are “bottom-up” frame should get its own color for models is a matter of accumulating ex-
woven over the existing “scaffolding,” best results. Alternately, all frames perience. In the end, keep in mind that
which makes the half-assembled can be colored the same for a special this book is meant to be an introduction
model more stable. I had not seen effect, but that will make the sepa- to modular origami, not a complete ex-
anyone specifically using this method ration and interaction between the trapolation. Wire Frames, and modular
before I tried it. frames less visible. origami in general, are too complex to
explain fully here.
When you do complete a model, check

to make sure everything is assembled,
and, if it is a Wire Frame, that the
weaving is correct. Be careful during
this step—it is very easy to miss a
small mistake in the weaving process.
When you are sure that it is correct, sit
back and take a minute to appreciate
your work! I think you will find that it
is much easier to fold and appreciate
these pieces than it is to find a place
for them, especially as you begin to
make more.
An example of "in-and-out" weaving
Mind-Blowing_INT.indd 10 1/6/16 9:26 am

O R I G A M I
SY M B O L S
VALLEY FOLD This is the standard MOUNTAIN FOLD AND UNFOLD A
fold that creates a “valley” at the base mountain fold that is then unfolded to ENLARGE/REDUCE CIRCLES These
of the fold. It will therefore generally leave a crease. encircle an area that will be expanded
be referred to in diagrams simply as to show small folds with better detail.
a “fold.” When the small folds are completed,
the diagram will return to its original
size, with no circles.
FOLD AND UNFOLD This appears to

be the same as the valley fold and un-
MOUNTAIN FOLD The opposite of a fold, but the arrow is different. This
valley fold, where the fold makes a arrow signifies that the fold can be
“mountain” at its apex. initiated from either side of the paper;
the result is the same.
BOOK-AND-CUPBOARD FOLD AND

UNFOLD This is a commonly used
reference to describe folding a piece of
VALLEY FOLD AND UNFOLD A val- INSIDE-REVERSE FOLD Pressure is paper in half and unfolding (book), then
ley fold that is then unfolded to leave applied to the paper along the ridge of folding both outer edges in to the cen-
a crease. the crease, pushing it inside and thus ter crease, and unfolding (cupboard).
reversing the crease center orienta- This fold is a prerequisite step in all of
tion of the paper. the Wire Frames in this book.

12
WATERBOMB BASE OPEN-SINK FOLD CLOSED-SINK FOLD SQUASH FOLD
This base isn’t used in this

book, but is useful for illus-
trating the techniques that
follow. Ab Start with a Ab Start with a Water- Ab Start with a Water-
Waterbomb Base. Fold bomb Base. Fold the bomb Base. Fold the
the top point to the top point to the bottom top layers into the
bottom and unfold. and unfold. center vertical line and
unfold.
Ab Fold diagonals and

unfold.
Ac Keeping the front and Ac Separate the points’

Ac Open out the top of
back layers together, layers on the bottom,
the Waterbomb Base,
push the point inside, and make both sides of
making mountain
and begin to invert the the crease mountain
creases around all
paper. folds.
Ac Mountain fold halves sides of the fold made
and unfold. in the previous step.
Ad Apply pressure to the

Ad In progress. Open ridge on the crease,
Ad Pushing in the center Ad Invert the point, the edges slightly if allowing the layers to
point, collapse the pressing on the area needed. separate.
paper, bringing the indicated by the arrow,
two edges of the and begin to bring the
horizontal mountain pairs of edges back
fold together. together.
Ae In progress.
Ae In progress.
Ae In progress.
Af In progress. Begin to
Ae Stages of the collapse Af The completed Open- close the edges back Af The completed Squash
in progress. Sink fold. together. fold.
Af The completed Ag The completed Closed-

Waterbomb Base. Sink fold.

13
SWIVEL FOLD
Ab Start with a Waterbomb

Base. Fold the top point to ENLARGE/REDUCE These arrows indicate the
ANGLE BISECTOR indicates a
the bottom and unfold. next step will be shown larger or smaller.
fold that equally divides an angle
in two.
Ac Fold the top flap on the left

into the center as shown,
PLEAT SYMBOLS indicate a back-and-forth
and unfold.
mountain/valley fold.
REPEAT SYMBOLS indicate

that a step or move should be
180
repeated elsewhere.
Ad Make a new valley crease
between the circled areas
through the top layer only. ROTATE This symbol signifies that the paper
(The paper will not lie flat.) should be rotated the number of degrees indicated
in the direction of the arrows.
PINCH FOLDS don’t extend

across the entire paper. They
Ae Using the mountain fold
are generally used for reference
from step 2 as a guide,
creases.
swing the edge over to
create a new valley crease. FLIP OVER This symbol means that the paper
should be flipped so that the underside is facing
up. 3 4
5
Af In progress. AXIAL SYMBOLS are used to

represent axes on Wire Frame
modulars. Above are the sym-
bols for three-, four- and
five-fold axes, respectively.
Ag The completed Swivel fold. TUCK UNDER This symbol indicates that part of
the paper is to be tucked under another layer.
CIRCLES indicate areas of the

CURL These arrows indicate BLINTZ FOLD A simple base where all four cor- paper that the fold is meant to
that the paper should be curled ners of a square are folded into the center of the join, or areas between which a
where indicated. paper. fold should be made.

P L AT O N I C S O L I D S
There are many different polyhedra in geometry, but for the pur-
poses of this book, I have only included images of the Platonic Solids.
The Platonic Solids are the five basic Applying polyhedra complicated Wire Frames. Once you
regular convex polyhedra comprising in the assembly process understand the dodecahedron on the
a single type of regular polygon faces.
es. left in Figure 2 (below), the model on
the right will be easier to understand.
3
3 In the first few Wire Frame models
in this book, potential underlying
5 polyhedra will be given, but later in the
5 book I will leave it to you to interpret
Figure 1
Tetrahedron—six edges, four faces,
es, the models’ symmetry, and will focus
four vertices. more on axial weaving and overarching
Eachh origami
i i unit
i will
ill represent an assembly techniques. Note also that
edge, face, or vertex of a polyhedron; some models have a more direct
usually an edge. For instance, in Figure resemblance to an Archimedean Solid.
1, above, each unit represents one edge Archimedean Solids have all the same
of an icosahedron, as marked by the conditions as Platonic Solids, except
Hexahedron/cube—twelve edges, six red lines. Five units will meet at each that they allow for the polyhedron to
faces, eight vertices. vertex, three at each face. Identifying have more than one kind of regular
what part of a polyhedron the unit rep- convex polygon. (Because of their
resents, as well as what polyhedron is symmetry, however, they exclude
being represented, will make the as- models with dihedral group symmetry,
sembly simpler. While the illustration such as prisms.)
above is from a Kusudama, this same
Octahedron—twelve edges, eight process applies to Wire Frame modu- All the models in this book can still
faces, six vertices. lars, although the interwoven units be linked back to a Platonic Solid,
makes the pattern less obvious. so I won’t include images of the
Archimedean Solids group. (If you
The connection between are interested, these can be found in
polyhedra a variety of mathematical textbooks
Figure 2 and online sources.) There are other
Dodecahedron—thirty edges, twelve sets of polyhedra as well, each bound
faces, twenty vertices. by various parameters, such as the
Catalan, Kepler-Poinsot, and Johnson
Solids. For this volume, however, a
basic understanding of the Platonic
The Kusudamas are not just a Solids and how they can be applied in
warm-up for the folding process; assembling polyhedral modular ori-
Icosahedron—thirty edges, twenty they are to familiarize you with the gami will be sufficient.
faces, twelve vertices. basic polyhedra behind the more

R S
TO
A
INTRODUCTION
DECORATIVE M O D U L
While this book is indeed mostly devoted to the serious,

mathematically complex, and often difficult Wire Frame modulars, it
actually begins with a series of seven simpler decorative modulars.
I like designing and folding these require less time and patience to mas- and a different number of units are re-
simpler models, because I have al- ter. Generally, the ideal Kusudama quired for each. This is not the case
ways designed modulars from more is attractive, easy to assemble, and with Wire Frames, where the underly-
of an artistic perspective. After all, sturdy when completed. I hope you ing symmetry of a model can only be
although mathematics makes appear- will find the ones I have chosen for made to align with a single polyhedron,
ances in origami everywhere, it is still this book to match that description. for instance, a dodecahedron. A Wire
an art form first and foremost, and in In addition to having similar units, Frame with dodecahedral symmetry
modulars, that can be most obviously another thing that sets Wire Frames cannot be assembled in an octahedral
seen in the decorative modulars, also apart from most other modulars is fashion. It is often quite likely there
known as Kusudamas. It is commonly that they have a fixed number of units. is an octahedral version, but it would
misunderstood that Kusudamas are Kusudamas and regular geometric require different paper proportions,
not actually origami, but rather are modulars can usually be assembled possibly different angles, and may not
paper craft creations that require the in several fashions, for instance, tet- weave together in the same fashion.
use of string or glue to hold together; rahedral, octahedral, and icosahedral,
compromises that purist origami art-
ists would never allow. While it is true
that Kusudamas were first realized
in this manner, their definition has
evolved over time to include embel-
lished/decorative modular origami
where artistic decoration is given
a greater emphasis than geometric
form. These models are an excellent
place to begin if you are just getting
started with modular origami as a
whole, as they will introduce you into
a number of techniques that will be
used in the Wire Frame models, but

TRIAKIS
M O D U L E
THIS MODEL IS very simple
in design, but it is one of my favorites. It
uses a “wrap-around” lock, rather than
the standard tab-and-pocket type. I
used to think it looked like a dual poly-
hedron known as a triakis icosahedron.
I have since realized that there actu-
ally isn't a close resemblance, but
the name stuck. I also realized that
the model isn't even mathematically
perfect—the angles are a few de-
grees off, demonstrating that there
is more to origami than geometry.
This model can be assembled so
that the triangles are convex, or,
as shown here, concave.
3.5" squares make a ~6" icosahedral as-

sembly. Start colored side up.
—»
Ab Fold the paper in half Ac Fold opposite angle Ad Make pinches through the
diagonally, and unfold. bisectors as shown. top layers only, and then unfold.

17
Ae Working with the top Af Working with the top layer Ag Fold in the outer edges to the
layer only, fold in the outside only, fold the crease made in the pinch made in Step 3. Unfold.
edges to the pinches made in previous step to the outside edge.
the previous step. Unfold.
~55
Ah Fold in the outer edges Ai Inside-reverse fold Aj Mountain fold the

to the fold made in the along the creases made unit in half. Unfold.
previous step. Unfold. in the previous step.
tab
pocket
Ba The completed unit. x 30
—» ASSEMBLY pocket
tab
Ab Slide the tab over the top of Ac Mountain fold along the line Ad The result. Lock the other
the adjacent unit, while sliding made in Step 4 (above), and units in the same fashion.
the blunt edge of the adjacent tuck into the pocket below.
unit between the top and
bottom layers of the first unit.

VORTEX
MODULE The Vortex module is one of
the simplest and most straightforward in
this book. Its locks create a beautiful
swirling effect. Its strength and ver-
satility make it well suited for larger
assemblies and variations. It can
be folded concave or convex, with
points composed of three to six
units, allowing for the formation
of Platonic, Archimedean, and
even Johnson solids. As a special
note, these units make a lovely
snub disphenoid.
3" squares make a ~4.5"-tall dodeca-

hedral assembly. Start white side up.
—»
Ab Fold in half in both Ac Cupboard fold Ad Pivoting along Ae Fold in the edges
directions and unfold. and unfold. the center crease, along the circled
fold as shown, intersections.
and then unfold.

19
Af Refold along the Ag Inside-reverse fold Ah Fold through the Ai Recrease these
creases made in along existing creases. top layer only; unfold. folds as mountain
Step 3; unfold. folds; unfold.
pocket
tab
x 30
tab
pocket
Aj Fold and unfold Ba Mountain fold Bb Mountain fold the Bc The completed unit.
the tabs. the locks; unfold. unit in half and allow
to unfold partially.
—» ASSEMBLY
Ac Refold the
mountain folds
from Step 8
through both
layers, and tuck
underneath to
lock the units.
Ab Slide the tab into the pocket, aligning the

creases made in Steps 8 and 10, above.
Ad Two units
connected. Join
the others in the
same fashion.

exc a l i b u r
kus u d a m a
This is an example of an embel-
lished star ball. There are hundreds of
wonderful variations on this type of model
by dozens of different designers. This
one was a result of experimentation
with more unusual angles, as I think
the folding process is as important
as the finished result. The locks
are very strong and slightly difficult
to assemble; getting the last unit in
may be something of challenge. The
sword-like embellishments that in-
spired the name lend themselves well
to variation, so feel free to experiment
with ideas of your own.
6" paper makes a 5.5"-tall model. Begin white

side up.
45
Ab Fold diagonals Ac Fold opposite corners Ad Mountain fold in half. Ae The result. Rotate
and then unfold. into the center. 45 degrees.

21
Af Fold up as shown. Ag Fold down to align Ah Swivel the paper up Ai The result. Flip over
with the layer behind. to align with the layer and repeat Steps 5–7.
behind; squash flat.
Aj The result. Ba Tuck opposite edges Bb Fold in half and Bc Fold and unfold as
underneath the top layer. unfold. shown.
Bd Inside-reverse fold Be Mountain fold Bf Fold the top layer of Bg Unfold Step 14.
along the creases made opposite tabs. the tabs down along the Refold the center
in the previous step. edge of the unit, crease lightly.
and then unfold.
pocket
The exterior embellishments can tab x 30

be curled or modified as desired
to create different effects. Bh The completed unit.
pocket tab
ASSEMBLY
Ab To assemble Ac The result.

the units, slide the Assemble the
bottom layer of one other units in the
tab into the pocket same fashion.
of a second unit.

exc E l S I O r
kus u d a m a
This model is one that
I designed very quickly, but refined
very slowly. I originally imagined it
as a perfectly angled flat dodeca-
hedron, but the locks tended to
pull out. Changing the angles
to have slightly concave faces
fixed the problem sufficiently,
and eased the complexity of
the resulting units considerably.
A paper that holds creases well
is a good choice for this model.
This model was one that ended up
being much more popular than I
expected. The name, which means
“ever upward,” was inspired by an
especially productive period of ori-
gami design for me.
3" paper makes a 4.5"-tall model. Begin

colored side up.
Ab Fold in half Ac Cupboard fold Ad Fold the edges

and unfold. and unfold. in as shown.

23
Ae The result. Flip over. Af Fold the top and Ag The result. Flip over. Ah Fold and unfold
bottom into the center. the edges.
Ai Refold the corners Aj The result. Flip over. Ba Fold outward as

back in while folding out shown and squash flat. Bb Mountain fold all
the sides; squash flat. four sides; unfold.
Bc The result. Flip over. Bd Closed-sink fold the Be In progress. Push in Bf The result. Mountain
bottom right corner in the point where shown. fold and unfold as
along existing creases. shown. (This will result
in a small extra fold
tab
at the top as well.)
Bg Repeat Steps pocket
13–15 on the
x 30
upper left corner. Bh The completed unit.
pocket
tab
ASSEMBLY
Ab Slide the
tab into the
pocket.
Ac Mountain fold
inside firmly along
the line made in Ad The result. Join
Step 14. Again, the the other units in
tip will be flattened the same fashion.
inside in order to fit.

b o r e a l i s
kus u d a m a
While this
Whil design,
named for its icy-looking exterior
flaps, appears to be a variant of
tthe fa famous Sonobe unit, it does
no
notot loc
lock by friction as the Sonobe
doe es. Rather,
does. R the decorations lock
th model together, similar to
the
th
the Curled Sphere (page 27).
I sometimes use this unit for
cco
constructions of more than
tthirty
hi units, like the sixty-unit
sttel
stellated rhombic triaconta-
heedr assembly shown here.
hedron
alw
I always take pleasure in cre-
a
ating and folding designs with
ffunct
functional embellishments.
pa
3.5" paper makes a 3.5" model.
w
Begin white side up.
Ab Book fold in both Ac Cupboard fold in both Ad Fold diagonals in both

directions and unfold. directions and unfold. directions and unfold.

25
Ae Fold as shown, using the Af Fold up the bottom quarter. Ag Inside-reverse fold along the
circled areas as reference points. existing crease.
Ah Fold the top layer over. Ai Make a swivel fold along Aj Fold the top flap over to
existing creases. the left.
Ba The result. Bb Repeat Steps 5–10 on this side Bc The result. Pull out some
of the paper. paper from inside and flatten
the resulting points.
Bd Swing the bottom flap down. Be Fold in opposite corners Bf Trisect the top points and
towards the center. partially unfold.

26
Bg Mountain fold and unfold as Bh Unfold the creases made Bi The result. Mountain fold
shown. in Step 14. Then swing the the tabs and unfold partially.
points over and flatten. Don’t fold the top layer.
pocket
tab
x 30
pocket
tab
Bj Fold the unit in half and Ca The completed unit.

unfold partially.
ASSEMBLY
Ad Refold the angle

trisections through
Ab There are three both layers to
steps in the assembly lock the units.
process of any two
units. First, slide the tab
into the pocket, aligning Ac Mountain fold along
the circled areas. the crease made in
Step 14, which should Ae The result. Join
align with the crease the other units in
made in Step 16 on the same fashion.
the other unit.

CURLED
SPHERE This module is an unusual
one, both in its folding pattern and
in its result. I have made a variety
of models with the curved lock used
here, but this one is undoubtedly the
most bizarre. The units’ svelte
look may lead you to think that
long rectangles were used, but
surprisingly, like all the other
Kusudama models in this
book, each unit uses a square.
Although each piece takes several
minutes to fold, the unique result
is well worth the effort. The curls
not only add a fun embellishment
but also function as the key to the
locking mechanism.
6" paper makes a ~6"-tall octahe-

dral assembly. Start white side up.
Ac Fold opposite corners

into the center.
Ab Fold diagonals and

unfold. Then flip over.

28
Ad Fold the top layer out to the Ae The result. Flip over. Af Fold the edges into the
edges as shown. center once more.
Ag Make two mountain folds Ah Make valley folds where Ai Make several swivel folds
where shown, through all layers, shown on both sides; unfold. through the top layer only.
and unfold.
Aj In progress. Ba The result. Repeat Steps 8–9 Bb The result. Pull out some
on the other three sides of paper from the edges.
the model.
Bc Squash the resulting Bd Fold the top layer out on Be The result. Flip over.
points flat. both sides.
Bf Fold in all layers except Bg Closed-sink fold both sides in

for the center points to along the creases made in the
the center and unfold. previous step. Again, this should
not include the center points.
Bh The result. Flip over.

29
Bi Pull out some paper from Bj Squash fold the resulting points.
inside; squash flat.
Ca Mountain fold the top layers. Cb Mountain fold all four points
through all layers. Flip over.
Cc Curl up all four points tightly. Don’t Cd Curl the entire unit up lightly. You
curl the outer points on the left and will not be able to curl the center.
right edges. Also, partially fold out the
top layers on the left and right points. tab
pocket x 12
Ce The result. This is tab

the completed unit.
pocket
ASSEMBLY
Ab Slide the small triangular

tab into the pocket on the Ac The curls made
underside of the curled point through the whole
in the middle of the unit. Then unit should re-form
re-curl the point down tighter during the assembly.
through all layers to lock.

s at u r n c u b e
most origami
cubes are composed
of either six units—one
per each face of a cube;
or twelve units—one per
each edge of a cube. This
model has only four units,
each one representing one
face and a quarter of the two
remaining faces. The units
form a ring around the center
cube (hence the name). The units
are fairly complex, so relatively large
paper is recommended. While larger cubic
assemblies can be made with this unit, there
are thirty steps per unit, so four units might be
enough for you!
10" paper makes a ~3"-tall model. Begin color side up.
Ab Book fold in Ac Cupboard

both directions; fold in both
unfold. directions;
unfold.

31
Ad Fold eighths and unfold. Ae Fold diagonals and unfold. Af Blintz fold.
Ah Open-sink fold to line up with Ai Open-sink fold the point in.

the center.
Ag Open-sink fold along the
first line above the center.
Aj The result. Repeat Steps 6–9 Ba The result. Open-sink Bb Fold the top layer over,
on the bottom of the paper. fold the side points in. squashing some paper flat inside
where the arrow is pointing.
Bc In progress. Bd The result. Repeat on Be Swivel fold as shown.

the other three sides.
Bf In progress. Bg The result. Repeat on the Bh Fold out the top two layers
other three sides. on the top and bottom.

32
Bi Collapse along the creases as Bj In progress. Ca The result. Fold and

shown, through the top layer only, unfold the top layer down as
and collapse the sides back into shown on all four sides.
the center.
Cb Squash fold along angle Cc The result. Flip over. Cd Pinch fold as shown.
bisectors.
Ce Pinch fold along an angle Cf Fold down and unfold the Cg The result. Repeat Steps 23–25
bisector. edge, using the crease made in on the bottom right. Then flip over.
the previous step as a guide.
Ch Fold the center rectangular Ci Fold and unfold the top point Cj Inside-reverse fold along the
tab down flat. only along angle bisectors. creases made in the previous step.

33
Da Return the center point to its Db Mountain fold and unfold Dc Mountain fold and unfold all
vertical orientation. opposite tabs. four tabs.
tab tab
pocket
tab
pocket
pocket
pocket
tab x4
tab tab
Dd Mountain fold the right
and left sides along existing De The completed unit.
hinges, and unfold partially.
ASSEMBLY
Ab Slide two opposite tabs

underneath the other tabs
and into the pocket areas.
Ac Mountain fold
the triangles from
the two remaining
tabs into the Ad Mountain fold the top and
pockets behind. bottom tabs made in Steps 23–26
into the pockets made in Step
21. At this point the model will
be 3D. Assemble the remaining
two units in the same fashion.

TO
INTRODUCTION
WIRE F R A M E S
Pfitzenmier, and others, have contrib-
Wire Frames by themselves are a topic uted new designs over this period as
well. The addition of hyperbolic distor-
upon which volumes could be written. tion and the introduction of dihedral
polar symmetry to Wire Frames have
As stated earlier, Wire Frames rep- correct is essential—too narrow and demonstrated that even more possi-
resent a distinct category of modular the frames will not be able to support bilities exist than previously thought.
origami, with a number of differences each other well, allowing the model to The complexity and technical diffi-
significant enough to merit be- sag; but too tight, and the edge units culty of Wire Frames have increased
ing placed in a special subgroup. In will be forced to bend and wrinkle. dramatically since FIT, but the basic
theory, any work of modular origami idea has remained the same.
composed of non-embellished “edge Wire Frames have a rather short his-
units” that represent the edges of a tory, and only a handful of people have When people contemplate actually
polyhedron could be considered a contributed to them. In 1993, Tom Hull folding these models, they typically
Wire Frame. As you scan through the got the idea of using a simple unit say they are impossibly complex. I
Wire Frames in this book, you might designed by Francis Ow to create a started out thinking the same thing,
be surprised at how similar the units modular based on the five-tetrahe- but with the right techniques, even
are in design, even when the models dron compound, and the first Wire the most difficult models become
are so distinctly different. The typical Frame was created: Five Intersecting manageable. As you look through this
edge unit has lengthwise book-and- Tetrahedra, or FIT for short. A few section of the book, the directions may
cupboard folds and an angled pocket years later, Robert Lang proved that seem somewhat sparse, even vague,
on either side. This is part of what many more polygon and polyhedron at points. This is because the goal of
makes Wire Frame models unique, and compounds could be realized. He this book is not simply to have people
in the end is the key determinant as to created a set of fifty-four uniform follow instructions, but to create cir-
whether or not a modular qualifies as compounds (which he referred to as cumstances in which readers can work
a Wire Frame. For the purpose of this polypolyhedra, because there were with only crease patterns for the units,
book, a Wire Frame is defined as any “many” polyhedra in each construc- and no instructions whatsoever for
geometric modular origami composed tion), and folded five of them. These the assembly. This is quite possible;
of “edge units” that involve a num- were bound by a distinct set of rules, in fact, it is the key to understand-
ber of identical individual polygons and thus were limited. Around 2000 ing Wire Frames. Once the underlying
or polyhedra interlocked around one or so, Daniel Kwan demonstrated that symmetry of the model is determined,
another to form a symmetrical com- if the rules of the polypolyhedra set the weaving pattern can be intuited
pound. Each polygon or polyhedron in were abandoned, many new possi- with a little practice. The pictures of
the compound, which is referred to in- bilities arose. Over the course of the the assembly are given more to help
dividually as a “frame,” is a separate past decade, he has contributed doz- show the method of physically build-
object that is woven around others, ens of new Wire Frames, including ing each model than to actually show
but isn’t connected to them. The the first irregular polyhedron com- the weaving process exactly.
width-to-length ratio of the edge units pounds. Other people, including Dirk
determines the pressure each frame Eisner, Leong Cheng Chit, Francesco Additionally, while all of the units in
exerts on the others. Getting this ratio Mancini, Hideaki Kawashima, Aaron this book have exact reference points

35
EMBER
THINGS TO REM » As a general tip, it is prefer- crease or decrease the
able to assemble as many dihedral angles, etc.
» All paper proportions have latter is quicker, and allows units as possible outside of
been set up to work with an you to customize the size of the model. Units will always » Sometimes axial symbols
inch ruler. A metric ruler can the final model as well, but be easier to assemble outside will be shown for axes that
be used as well, but the pro- often wastes more paper. If of the model, and it is far aren’t yet completed in the
portions should be enlarged you decide to rip the paper easier the bend sections of assembly pictures. These in-
as described in the Tips and from squares, however, keep the frames into the desired dicate where future axes will
Techniques section (page 7). in mind that the units must position than to assemble form on the model.
all be of the same width, so them in that position.
» The proportions can be if they are proportioned, say, » All Wire Frame units start
modified very slightly, if nec- 1:2 and 1:5, the same-sized » Sometimes the angles may with the paper white side
essary. Usually 1/16 (.0625) square can’t be used for both not seem to be mathemati- up, if the finished model is
inch is an acceptable amount unless horizontal divisions are cally perfect, but there are to be colored.
of modification, and shouldn’t added as well. other factors to be accounted
affect the model greatly. for. Some angles have to be
» The handedness of the units wider or narrower than they
» For best effect, sturdy paper is interchangeable. In other would be in strict geom-
should be used when fold- words, the units can be folded etry—to make the locks
ing Wire Frames with narrow in mirror image so that the stronger, for example; or to in-
paper proportions. pockets are on the side where
the tabs currently are, and the
» If you intend to transport tabs are on the side where the
these models over long dis- pockets currently are. As you
tances, it is best to fold them become more comfortable
slightly tighter than recom- with Wire Frames, you can
mended. For reasons not yet switch the handedness to
fully understood, the models whichever orientation you
tend to loosen during travel. I prefer.
will leave it as an exercise to
the reader to estimate how » You may also note that
much the proportions should very few of the edge
be reduced for such purposes. units in this volume have
extra folds on the tabs—
» Paper proportions will a common feature in many
always be rectangles, and Wire Frame diagrams. This
can thus be approximated is because I have always
and ripped from squares with found such folds to be super-
folded guidelines, or mea- fluous, and they weaken the
sured out with a ruler, marked paper.
with a pencil, and cut out. The
for the pockets and crimps, in many apart from most other modulars is a single polyhedron—for instance,
cases the folding process can be that they have a definitive number a dodecahedron. A Wire Frame with
expedited by omitting the given ref- of units. Kusudamas and regular dodecahedral symmetry cannot be
erence steps and approximating the geometric modulars can usually be assembled in an octahedral fashion.
final folds. Again, the goal is to get assembled in several fashions—tet- There is quite likely an octahedral ver-
aspiring folders to fully understand rahedral, octahedral, and icosahedral, sion, but that would require different
these models from a more autono- for example—and a different number paper proportions and possibly differ-
mous perspective. of units would be required for each. ent angles, and might not be woven
This is not the case with Wire Frames, together in the same fashion.
In addition to having similar units, where the underlying symmetry of a
another thing that sets Wire Frames model can only be made to align with

16 tr i a n g l e s
I chose
c this model to be
the first in the Wire Frame section
because iit is relatively easy, though
it appears com m
complicated. When I first de-
signed it, I set out
ou
u to make an eight-triangle
compoun
co
compound nd by combining two dif-
fe
e
ferent compounds of four
ttriangles that each had
ttetrahedral symmetry.
W
When I finished, I realized
mor
morere triangles could be added,
and thus in n
increased the model from
e
ei ght to sixte
eight e
sixteen triangles. This model
has the ffewest units of any Wire
ha
Fr
Frame in this book. It is also
the only octahedral sym-
metry model in the book.
The paper proportions are 1:4.

Ripping tthe paper from 6" squares
R
makes a ~7" model.
Ab Book-and- Ac Pivoting Ad Swivel- Ae The result.

cupboard-fold along the squash-fold Repeat on the
and unfold. center crease, along the top right side.
join the circled left cupboard
areas, folding fold line.
where shown.

37
tab
pocket
x 48
Af Tuck the Ag Fold and Ah Mountain- Ai The

pockets under unfold the tabs fold along the completed unit.
the top layer. on both sides. center line, and
unfold partially. tab pocket
ASSEMBLY
Ab To assemble the units,

slide the tab of one unit into
the pocket of a second unit
until the line made in Step 6 Ac Fold the opposite tab Ad Making sure that
aligns with the edge of the down and slide it into the both tabs stay in place,
pocket. Carefully flatten the other pocket. Be sure that carefully apply pressure
central ridges of both units. the center crease of the top where shown, recreasing
unit is flat where circled. the central ridges.
Ae Once the two units are

firmly locked, add another
in the same fashion to
complete the triangle.
Af One completed triangle.

Make 15 more.

38
WEAVING INSTRUCTIONS
2
2
The first four frames will be the basic structure left. There will be four of those as well, follow-
on which additional frames can be added. This ing the vertices of a tetrahedron. The two-fold
set of four frames has tetrahedral symmetry. axes, three of which are annotated on the right,
The upper right photo shows the two-fold sym- will appear six times, aligning with the edges of a
metry, while the upper left shows the three-fold tetrahedron. By determining the symmetry of the
symmetry. Each triangle represents one face of shape, and its axes, you can begin to “intuit” the
a tetrahedron. It will be unstable at this point, so weaving in less visible areas, which will prove
frame holders can be used as shown. Note where essential in many of the more complicated mod-
a three-fold axis appears in the picture on the els presented later on in this volume.
3
4
3 4 3 3 4
3
4
Shown above are eight frames. Four have been axes, as shown above left, and eight three-fold
added, changing the symmetry from tetrahedral axes, as shown above right. Note that each
to octahedral. Each triangle now represents one triangle has the same in-and-out weaving re-
face of an octahedron. There are six four-fold lationship with every other triangle except its

39
opposite on the three-fold axis. An example of except each other. As the symmetry of the shape
one such pair is the yellow and dark blue, as becomes apparent, you should be able to guess
circled in the lower right picture on the opposite where the three- and four-fold axes are on the
page. These two have the relationship shown in other side of the model, using the octahedra
the below left diagram with every other triangle below for guidance.
4 4
Adding the next set of four triangles, as from the exact opposite three-fold. Although
shown in the images, requires a slightly great- this can be a confusing step at first, the model
er understanding to weave correctly. At this should now be relatively sturdy if assembled
point, the model has octahedral plus tetrahe- correctly, and should be easier to work with.
dral symmetry. Again, the set of four triangles
is tetrahedral, and has four three-fold axes,
which represent the vertices of a tetrahedron.
New three-fold
axes should appear 3
inside of four of
the eight existing
three-fold axes.
The circled frames
are the new ones,
the right picture
showing one of
the new three-fold 3
axes, and the left
showing the view

40
3 3
Assembling the last four triangles is probably the in-and-out weaving relationship—except for be-
easiest part of the weaving process. The previous tween any four parallel frames, as shown above.
four triangles represented a tetrahedron poking When in doubt about the weaving, you can use
through four faces of an octahedron; the remain- this rule to check. When finished, confirm that
ing four represent another tetrahedron which will everything is correct. If you see bending or other
fill the remaining four three-fold axes, as shown distortion, there is probably an error somewhere.
on the bottom left. There are four sets of four The schematic as shown below shouldn’t really
parallel triangles, as circled on the right. The be necessary; it is included simply to illustrate
weaving process for every frame should follow an the underlying geometrical connection.

ING NONAGONS
TEN INTERLOCK
C O S M O S
This model is one of two in this
book that belong to a near-infinite series
of regular polygons wrapping around
a sphere (the other is “The Alphabet,”
the last model in this book). This
one roughly follows the symmetry
of a truncated icosahedron, and as
such, is one of the most spherical
Wire Frames. Because of the wide
interior angle of nonagons (140
degrees), standard units would
be relatively weak, so upgraded
ones are used here. They consume
more paper, but have a larger tab and
lock, and are stronger. This model is a
nice, relatively simple introduction to
icosahedral/dodecahedral symmetry.
This model requires paper proportioned 1:3.25.

Starting with 3.5" squares makes a ~8.5" model.
MAKING THE TEMPLATE
Ac Fold the Ad Fold and unfold

Ab Fold in half, top layer out
left to right. the top layer along
as shown. angle bisectors.
Af Fold up
along the top
of the crease
Ae The result. made in the
Unfold everything. previous step. Ag The completed template.

42
USING THE TEMPLATE
Ac Fold the second square Ad Fold up to

down along the outer layer, and align with the
remove it from the template. layer behind.
Ab Slide another
square into the
template.
Ag Tear along the

90 three horizontal
creases. Discard
the thin strip.
Ae Fold down once Af The result. Set two of the
more to align with Unfold everything. rectangles aside.
the layers behind. Work on one.
UNIT PREPARATION
Ad Fold up
the bottom
edge to align
Ab Book Ac Fold up with the top Ae Pinch
and the bottom of the fold the left
cupboard right corner made in the edge to
fold; as shown; previous the left
unfold. unfold. step. quarter.
Af Pivoting
off of
Ai Make
the right
Ag The a swivel-
corner, join
result. Fold Ah Swivel- squash
the circled
up along squash fold on the
areas, and
the existing fold along other side
unfold
crease as existing to make the
everything.
shown. creases. tab larger.

43
Aj The Ba Repeat Bb Refold

result. Steps 2–9 both Bc The result.
Unfold on the sides Tuck the locks
every- top of the simulta- under the top layer.
thing. paper. neously. Then flip over.
tab
pocket
Be
Mountain
and valley x 90
Bd fold the
Mountain tabs to Bf Partially
fold the align with unfold the
right half the layer center
tab
Bg The
of the unit behind and mountain
pocket completed
behind. in front. crease.
unit.
ASSEMBLY
Ab Slide the tab into the pocket to join

the circled areas. Be sure that the tab
is inserted completely—a common
mistake for beginners is to only insert
the outer triangles of the tabs.
Ac Carefully bend the other tab

and insert it into the other pocket.
Remember, you can always temporarily
flatten the central mountain
crease to ease the assembly.
Ad Two finished units.

Seven more will
complete one nonagon.
The side view.

44
3 3
5
3 3
This model has an in-and-out weaving relationship five-fold axis will be five three-fold axes. Other
between every frame, as shown in the diagram. than the five and three-fold axes on either side,
Because the relationship between every frame is there should be no interaction between the first
quite simple, the model is shown half completed five frames. You can add frame holders where
in the pictures above. The five frames shown shown. The picture on the upper right shows the
form two complete five-fold axes of the twelve side view. Around the three-fold axes will be five
that will be on the final model—one on either six-fold axes, which will be completed next.
side as a polar opposite of the other. Around each
Be sure not to overtighten any frame holders, or the

marks will show on the final model!

45
3 3
3 3
In the left-hand picture above, six frames are ship with the first five. The sixth frame forms a new
shown; in the center, seven; and on the right, eight. three-fold axis on each side of the model, and what-
Adding the sixth frame to the model is probably the ever relationship it has with the axis stays uniform
most difficult part of the assembly, mainly because until it reaches the other three-fold axis it formed.
the nonagons don’t support themselves very well In other words, each new frame will be inside every
until the model is completed. Keep in mind that the other one of the previous five frames assembled,
model can be neatened up later, but if any units or outside of every other one, depending on which
come apart completely, they should be fixed right side of the model you look at. Upon the completion
away. of seven frames, the first two six-fold axes will be
The last five frames all have the same relation- completed, as shown in the central photo, above.
The last few frames are the easiest to weave (this five-fold axes and twenty hexagonal six-fold axes,
is the case with most Wire Frames). Keep a trun- however, there is definitely a similarity, and the
cated icosahedron in mind when assembling the triangles can easily be thought of as representing
last few frames, as the shape will really begin to the vertices of the shape. The completed model
become visible at this point. Of course, the shape is shown above in the center and on the right.
isn’t exactly a truncated icosahedron Remove the frame holders, if any were used, upon
—there are no triangles in a truncated icosahedron completion.
as there are in this model. With twelve pentagonal

ING
SIX INTERLOCK
NEBULA
CATE D
P O L A R LY T R U N
P E N TA G O N A L LY
OLES
DISTORTED DIP
This model is the first in the

book that is genuinely complicated to
assemble. You will note that the
geometric descriptions of the
models are becoming longer and
more unusual. I find the small
pentagons that frame the five-
fold axes to be the focal point of
the model, although their origi-
nal intention was simply to make
the model stronger.
This model is also the first in the

book for which a template is not
really practical. While one could be
made, it is easier to measure out and cut
the required rectangles, which are pro-
portioned 1.0625:7.5 and 1.0625:2.125.
THE LONGER UNITS, 1.0625:7.5, “A”
Ab Book and
cupboard fold
and unfold.
Ac Pivoting along Ad Swivel-squash Ae Fold and unfold

the right edge, join fold along existing the left quarter.
the circled areas, creases, folding
folding where shown. the left quarter in.

47
90
180
Ag Pivoting along Ai The result.

the right quarter, join
the circled areas,
Af The result. Unfold Ah Swivel-squash
folding where shown.
everything, and fold along existing
rotate 180 degrees. creases, folding
the left quarter in.
Aj Refold the right half of the Ba Fold the unit in

unit along existing creases. half, botom to top.
Bb Fold the right tab down along

Bc Partially unfold
the edge of the pocket; unfold.
the center crease.
tab pocket
x 60
pocket tab
Bd The completed unit.
THE SHORTER UNITS, 1.0625:2.125, “B”
180
Ab Book and Ac Pivoting along Ad Swivel-squash Ae Unfold

cupboard fold the right quarter, fold along existing everything Af Repeat
and unfold. join the circled creases, folding and rotate Steps 2–3.
areas, folding the left quarter in. 180 degrees.
where shown.

48
tab
pocket
x 60
Aj The
Ai Partially completed
mountain unit.
Ag Refold Ah Result. fold in half.
Steps 2-3. Flip over. pocket
tab
You may observe that the way these units are folded tends to
be representative of Wire Frame folding in general. This is the A
Ab Any two longer
qualifying characteristic of Wire Frame models. That most Wire
A units will be joined
Frames are woven compounds is not actually their determining feature.
together with the
120-degree lock
formed in Steps
ASSEMBLY 2–4. Flatten the
central ridges of
B the units down
completely in
order to assemble
B
the units. Slide
Ac To assemble the rest of the units, the tabs into the
simply slide the tabs into the pockets. pockets at the
The shorter units have 108-degree same time. Then
angles on both sides, which is the recrease the
measure of the interior angles of a central ridges of
pentagon. Two short units will be the units to lock.
A
assembled into one longer unit. Make
sure that the longer units’ 108-degree
angle is the one that is being assembled
B into the smaller units, which have
B 108-degree angles on both sides. Always be sure to
B pinch the center ridges
over the area where
B
B the tab is in the pocket.
One assembled pentagon face,

composed of five shorter units.
Ad This is one completed

frame—a polarly-truncated
pentagonally distorted dipole.
Each small pentagon forms
the opposing poles, while the
longer units join them together.

49
WEAVING
INSTRUCTIONS
3
3
5
3
3
Despite this model’s apparent complexity, if broken spots are where frame holders can be best used.
down into individual steps, it is easier than it ap- Each long unit contributes one edge to a three-fold
pears. This model is an excellent candidate for the and a five-fold axis. As you might have expected by
“bottom-up” weaving method, so it will be dia- now, there will be twelve five-fold axes and twenty
grammed here in that fashion. In the above pictures, three-fold axes, aligning with the faces and vertices
thirty-five units have been assembled: ten orange of a dodecahedron. The short units do not weave,
units and five each of the remaining five colors. A and should always be on the exterior of the model.
five-fold axis composed of five different frames will In the upper left photo, you can see the beginnings
form under each small pentagon in the model, such of the next five-fold axes. The light-green frame in
as the orange one in the pictures above. Around the forefront is above parts of the red and orange
this will form five three-fold axes. The circles in the frames, which will form the first two sides of the
upper right photo show the limiting factors; these five-fold axis below.
As the model progresses further, it should

become physically easier to work with. Instead 5
of looking at the weaving pattern of the whole
model at once, which can be overwhelming,
5
focus on a single small area of the model, and
identify its relationship with everything else. 5 5
When in doubt about the weaving, determine
what that part of the model should look like.
Once you are confident that a particular area 5
of the model is woven correctly, you can reapply that pattern to other 5
areas. In the photos to the right, sixty units are now assembled. The
five half-completed pentagons from the first stage are complete; two
additional long units have been added to the five frames from the first
five-fold axis formed; and a single short unit has been added to those
five frames as well, to begin the second pentagons for those five frames.
Each of the surrounding five-fold axes (as shown to the right) should
have four sides completed now. As you continue the model, you can flip it
over, as shown on the following page, where eighty-five units have been
assembled. By this point, the model should be relatively sturdy, so you
can remove any frame holders that may be inhibiting your movement.
5

50
As the model nears completion, as in all other

Wire Frames, the weaving pattern should be fairly
self-evident. The lower six five-fold axes are now
complete; the five above should be almost com-
plete, with only one edge missing in each. Only
the top five-fold axis remains—the one that will
be under the orange frame, as in the beginning of
the model. A common place for errors in all Wire
Frames is in the weaving of the two-fold axes, one
of which is circled in the above right picture, which
roughly represent the areas between the three and
five-fold axes. Note the white frame pokes out from
underneath the adjacent five-fold axes, but is un-
derneath the black, and blue-green frame, on either
side of the point. It is an easy mistake to have these

points, such as the white one, above the frames
on either side, so be sure to check those carefully
around the model. On the left is the completed
model, as seen from the two-fold axis. Be sure to
double check the weaving before pronouncing it
complete!

FRUSTA
E R L O C K I N G P E NTAGONAL BI
SIX INT
AT M O S P H E R E
TThis model is similar to “Nebula,”
w
which p
precedes it. If you enlarged the small
pe
entag
pentagons that formed the exterior and low-
er
red them
ered t toward the center of the model,
an
and added five more units to the equator of
e
each frame, you would have this model.
The name came from Daniel Kwan, who
s
said the original design would have “more
at
atmosphere” if thirty units were added.
Th
The three different units are proportioned
as follows: A) 1:7.875; B) 1:6.8125; and C)
1:
1:2.6875. In inches, these proportions make
a ~13"-diameter model. Start with the lon-
ge
gest unit.
THE LONGEST UNITS, 1:7.875, “A”
Ab Book and
cupboard fold
and unfold.
Ac Pinch the left Ad Pinch the right
edge into the left edge into the pinch
quarter; unfold. just made; unfold.

52
Ai Refold the top of the unit.
Ae Pivoting along Aj Join the circled edges on

the pinch made in Af Swivel-squash both sides, and then unfold.
the previous step, fold along existing
join the left corner creases, folding the
to the right quarter. left quarter in.
180
90 Ba Partially fold the unit
in half, then flip over.
tab
pocket
Ah Repeat Steps
Ag The result. 2–4 on the other
x 30
Unfold everything side of the paper. pocket tab
and rotate 180 Bb The completed unit.
degrees.
THE MEDIUM-LENGTH UNITS, 1:6.8125, “B”
180
Ac Repeat Steps 2–5 Ad Pivoting along Ae Swivel-squash-

from the longest unit. the right quarter, fold along existing
Rotate 180 degrees. join the bottom of creases, folding
the left quarter to the left quarter in.
90 the center crease.
Ag Refold the left of the unit.

Ab Book and cupboard
fold and unfold.
Af The result. This is Ah Join the circled edges on
the 120-degree lock. the left of the unit; unfold.

53
tab pocket
x 60
Ai Partially fold the unit in half, then flip over. pocket

Aj The completed unit. tab
THE SHORTEST UNITS, 1:2.6875, “C”
180
Ac Repeat Steps Ad Pivoting

2–5 from the along the right
Ab Book and longest unit. Unfold quarter, join the
cupboard fold; everything, and then left corner to the
unfold. rotate 180 degrees. center crease.
Ae Pivoting along tab

pocket
the right quarter,
Af The x 60
join the left corner Ag Partially
result. This
to the center fold the Ah The
is a 108-
crease. Swivel- unit in completed
degree
squash fold along half, then unit.
lock. Refold
existing creases, flip over.
Step 2. pocket
folding the left tab
quarter in.
ASSEMBLY Ab This model is assembled much like the previous one. As before,
simply slide the tabs into the pockets to lock. Five short units will
join to form opposite pentagonal poles on each frame. Be very careful
C with the short units—the interior angles of a pentagon are 108
degrees, and it is critical that the 108-degree angles, as formed in
Steps 3–5, are facing toward the interior of the pentagons. If any of
the units start to bend or wrinkle when the last unit of the pentagon
C is added, one of them is probably facing the wrong direction.
Ad One complete
pentagonal
C
bifrustum. A
A
frustum is any
C pyramid whose tip
B
has been truncated
along a line parallel
to its base. In a
bifrustum, opposite
poles are truncated
Ac The medium-length units will connect to parallel to the
the small pentagons through the 120-degree shared equatorial
locks, and the longest units will attach to polygon (in this
the other side of the medium-length units. case, a pentagon).

54
5 2
This model is assembled much like the previous one, bifrustum. The below left image shows the beginning
“Nebula.” Since the bottom-up weaving method was of a three-fold axis. Completed polyhedra don't have as
shown for that model, this one will be illustrated with great a degree of freedom to move around as polygons,
the frame-at-a-time method. Beginning assembly can so frame holders aren't as necessary here.
be overwhelming, so it is important to locate the axes as The third and fourth frames should proceed similarly
soon as possible. The two-fold view, as shown in the up- to the first two. When adding new frames, each four-
per right picture, is the best position from which to start, point vertex (each frame has five) will be on the outside
because the two frames are symmetrical. Note the ar- of a two-fold axis. As with all models with dodecahe-
eas where the black circles are—on the left, the purple dral symmetry, each two-fold axis will represent an
vertex is outside of the orange edge, while on the right, edge of a dodecahedron. Below right and above left on
the orange vertex is outside of the purple edge. Although the facing page, three frames are shown assembled;
the opposite side of the model is difficult to discern, the four are shown on the upper right and center of the
weaving will be same, only in mirror image. The above facing page. Note how in each three-fold axis, three
left image shows the beginning of a five-fold axis. Each frames form a lower axis, while the three remaining
middle-length unit contributes on edge to one five-fold frames form a second three-fold axis out of the longest
axis. As in the previous model, there will be a five-fold units that compose each equatorial vertex. Both layers
axis to correspond with both pentagonal faces of each of each three-fold axis have the same chirality.

55
5 5
The internal vertices can be quite difficult to

assemble, because they are not easily ac-
cessible. Take apart the outer vertices as
needed to facilitate assembly. With five frames
completed, the first two five-fold axes will be
finished. In the bottom center picture, the two-
fold view is shown. The relationship between
any two frames in the model is best seen from
the two-fold axis. The equatorial edges and
vertices of each frame have a variation of the
3
in-and-out weaving pattern. The bottom right
photo shows the model with all six frames
completed. The poles of each bifrustum frame
the five-fold axes. While the symmetry of
this polyhedron can be broadly defined as
dodecahedral, it could also be related to an
icosidodecahedron, or even a stellated rhom-
bic triacontahedron. If the symmetry you see
doesn't match the polyhedron given, feel free
to find one that makes sense to you.

k5
TWENTY
INTERLOCKING
TETRAHEDRA
This model
Thi mod is a supremely attractive example of
he five-tetrahedron
what the ve-tetra compound can become. It is similar
to seve
everal ot
several other Wire Frame models, including Tom Hull’s
T and
FIT a Robert Lang’s K2. While each compound of
te
four tetrahedra features the same weaving rela-
tionshi
hi as in Francisco Mancini’s four-tetrahedron
tionship
compou u
compound, their compilation is wholly original. The
nickname e comes from Dr. Lang’s K2: I made another
compoun of twenty triangles and named it K3. The
compound
se
et expanded to include a number of other
set
t
twenty-compounds of triangles/tetrahedra
with dodecahedral symmetry.
This model requires paper proportioned

1:100. T
1:10. Translating the given dimensions into inches
makes
es a mmodel roughly 12" in diameter.
Ab Book-and-cupboard Ac Pivoting along the Ad Swivel-squash

fold and unfold. center crease, join fold along existing
the circled areas, creases, folding
folding where shown. the left quarter in.
90
180
Ae The result. Af Repeat Steps Ag Fold the tab in, joining

Rotate 180 degrees. 2–4 on the other the circled areas, and
side of the paper. unfold. Repeat on the
other side of the paper.

57
Ah Partially fold in
half, then flip over.
tab pocket
Ai The
x 120
completed unit.
pocket tab
ASSEMBLY
Ab Slide the tabs into the pockets and

re-crease the central ridge of each
unit to lock. Six units will assemble
together—three at each vertex—to make
one tetrahedron, as shown at right.
Two frames Three frames Four frames

assembled assembled assembled
Ac Four individual tetrahedra will

assemble together to make one
“macro tetrahedron.” Three of the
four will form a three-fold axis, while Ad You will probably want Ae This is one complete
the fourth will form a point over them. to use some kind of frame “macro tetrahedron.” Be sure
A different frame will have a point holder around at least one that the chirality of each
over each vertex of the tetrahedron. edge, as shown here. three-fold axis is consistent.
Assembling this model requires

the simultaneous coordination
of two different weaving pat-
terns: each four-tetrahedron
compound, and five “macro-
tetrahedra.” Adding each new
macro-tetrahedron requires each
quad-beam edge to be thought of
and assembled as a single edge.
Wrap each quad-beam edge with
a frame holder and assemble
them as one unit. Weaving the five macro-tetrahedra two macro-tetrahedra have the relationship shown
in relation to each other is relatively simple, espe- above. Eight tetrahedra are assembled, and opposite
cially in comparison to other models in this book. Any vertices poke through opposite faces as circled.

58
The two photos above show twelve tetrahedra (three macro-tetrahedra) from five- and three-fold views.
5
5
5
5 5
Assembling the remaining eight tetrahedra (the fourth completed model with all twenty tetrahedra is shown.
and fifth macro-tetrahedra) is relatively straightfor- The macro-tetrahedra shift without frame holders, so
ward. Envision a dodecahedron when assembling the don’t remove them until the model is finished.
five-fold axes. When adding frames, first
weave the macro-tetrahedra together,
and then carefully rework the frame so
that each tetrahedron has the correct
relationship with the others. If you have
completed Tom Hull’s FIT model, as-
sembly of the macro-tetrahedra should
be simple. Each edge contributes to two
five-fold axes and two three-fold axes. In
the above two photos, sixteen tetrahe-
dra are shown assembled; at right, the

GA L A X Y
T W E LV E
INTERLOCKING
PE NTAGO NAL
PRISMS
This model is best described in a

word: “commanding.” It is the second-largest
model in this book by unit count, and it commands
both great perseverance and, when completed,
great attention. Each prism represents a face of
a dodecahedron. It was designed during a study
that several folders, including myself, were do-
ing on polyhedron compounds with exterior faces
that directly relate to the faces of a polyhedron.
This particular model was the largest designed in
that study.
This model has two different paper proportions: A)

1:3.375; and B) 1:4.8125. Translating the given dimensions
into inches makes a ~10" model.
THE SHORTER UNITS: 1:3.375, “A”
180
Ab Book and Ac Pivoting along the Ad Swivel-squash Ae The result. Unfold Af Pivoting along the
cupboard fold right quarter, join the fold along the everything and right quarter, join
and unfold. circled areas, folding left quarter line. rotate 180 degrees. the circled areas,
where shown. folding where shown.

60
tab
pocket
x 120
pocket
tab
Ag Swivel-squash Ah The result. Ai Fold in half Aj The completed unit.

fold along the left Refold Steps 3–4. partially and
quarter line. flip over.
THE LONGER UNITS: 1:4.8125, “B”

tab
pocket
x 60
tab pocket
Ab Repeat Steps Ac Repeat Steps Ad Refold Ae Fold down the Af Fold in Ag The
1–4 as in the 2–3 as in the the top of tabs along the half partially completed unit.
shorter units. shorter units. the unit. top edge of the and flip over.
pocket, and unfold.
ASSEMBLY For reference,
The longer units have 90-degree angles on both sides, one complete
while the shorter units have one 90-degree angle and frame, a
A
one 108-degree angle. The 108-degree angles are pentagonal
used to make pentagonal faces, while the 90-degree prism, should
angles are used to make square/rectangular faces. look like the
image to the left.
A
Ease the difficulty of assembly by only assembling the

shorter units into pentagons, setting the longer units aside
for the moment. The model’s base can be interpreted as six
pairs of two pentagons each. Any two pentagons that are not
a pair will have the in-and-out weaving relationship shown
at right. Paired pentagons will not weave, but rather will be
B
parallel. Thus, every pentagon will weave with ten others.

61
WEAVING
INSTRUCTIONS
5
This model will be
assembled as twelve
“base” pentagons, fol-
lowed by the addition 5
of the longer edges
and exterior penta-
gons. Two parts of
the assembly process
can be challenging:
assembling the pen-
tagons that form the
base and assembling the longer units into the base which there will be twelve. Frame holders will be
pentagons—both of which are physical obstacles. needed. One inner and one outer five-fold axis
At the top, five frames are shown assembled, with will form with the first five frames, and the sixth
a sixth added in the two photos directly below. frame will “surround” the five-fold axes formed.
The unassembled side of the locks must be fac- Beginning the assembly will be physically diffi-
ing away from the center of the five-fold axes, of cult, so be prepared for an initial struggle.
You need not be 5

limited to assembling 3
a Wire Frame in either
the bottom-up or 5
the frame-at-a-time 5
styles. In the bottom
two photos, I started
with six complete
frames, and then
added three units
each of five additional
frames. I then proceed 5
(see the following
page) to add the next 3
3
two sides for the five
3
frames, and finally
added the last frame,
the parallel of the 5
5
sixth that was added.
3
Keep in mind that the
base assembly will
roughly represent an
icosidodecahedron,
and when combined
with the application of the in-and-out weaving pattern be too difficult to figure out. In the photos directly
and the clearly delineated axes, the weaving shouldn’t above, three edges of the additional frames are added.

62
In the photo immedi-

ately to the right, the
remaining two sides
have been added to
the frame from the
previous page. The
far right photo shows
the complete base of
twelve pentagons.
Once the base is

completed, the
remaining ten edges of
each pentagonal prism
can be added, either
as one whole piece, or
as individual units. Any
two base pentagons
that are pairs will
weave into each other.
For instance, in the
photo immediately
to the right, where
one orange prism is
completed, its pair,
the black pentagon,
will form the prism
directly opposite the
5
orange one, and its
longer units will be
over top of the base
orange pentagon.
In the center right
photo above, and the
photo immediately to
the right, six prisms
are shown completed.
The additions do
actually weave; each longer unit will form one edge difficult part of this model, because as you add more
of one outer five-fold axis. Assembling the longer units, other frames will make it more difficult to
units into the base pentagons is probably the most manipulate them into place.

N CATE D
I N T E R L O C K I N G P O L A R LY T R U ES
TEN
N G U L A R L Y D I STORTED DIPOL
TRIA
INTERS T E L L A R
Despite its rather intimi-
dating geometric name, this model is
actually comparably easy to make.
The combination of doubled five-
fold axes with the small exterior
triangles yields an attractive model
which, because of its relatively
wide paper proportions, can be
folded at a smaller size. The
exterior truncated points are
only for aesthetics; they could
be skipped, and the longer units
extended to points, but the small
triangles add great detail to the
design, and are well worth the ex-
tra work required.
This model has two paper proportions: A)

1.375: 4.8125; and B) 1.375:1.5. Translating
the given dimensions to inches makes a 6"-tall
model.
THE LONGER UNITS, 1.375: 4.8125, “A”
Ab Book and Ac Pinch the Ad Pivoting along Ae Swivel-

cupboard fold left edge to the the right edge, squash-fold
and unfold. left quarter; join the circled along existing
unfold. areas, folding creases,
where shown. folding in the
left quarter.

64
180
Af The result. Ag Pivoting along the Ah Swivel-squash Ai Refold Aj Crease the tab,
Unfold everything, right quarter, join fold along existing Steps 3–4. joining the circled
and rotate 180 the circled areas, creases, folding in areas, and unfold.
degrees. folding where shown. the left quarter.
tab
pocket
x 60
Ab Book and Ac Pivoting along

cupboard fold the left quarter,
and unfold. join the circled
tab pocket areas, and unfold.
Ba Partially fold in Bb The completed unit.

half, then flip over.
180
Ag Divide the third

Ad Join the circled Ae Swivel-squash Af The result. Unfold
quarter from the left
areas, folding fold along existing everything and
into thirds, pinching
where shown. creases, folding in rotate 180 degrees.
where shown. (See
the left quarter.
the note on the
opposite page.)

65
Steps 6 and 7 are not

necessarily required;
you can skip them if you
wish and simply approximate
the thirds. This will save time
and remove unwanted creases
from your model. However,
the angles will be slightly less
Ah Divide the second Ai Pivoting along the left Aj Swivel-squash
precise, unless you estimate
perfectly. I rarely add precreases quarter from the left third pinch made in Step fold along existing
anymore, as I don’t like them to into thirds, pinching 6, join the circled areas, creases, folding in
be visible on my final model. where shown. folding where shown. the left quarter.
tab
pocket
x 60
tab pocket
Ba Refold Bb Fold in the tab Bc Fold in Bd The completed unit.

Steps 3–4. along the base half partially
of the pocket. and flip over.
ASSEMBLY
B B Like all Wire Frames, these units are assembled
by sliding the tabs into the pockets. Three
shorter units will form a triangular face,
which will be surrounded by three longer
units joined to the shorter units. The bottom
half of the frame will be the same as the top,
and the two halves will be joined together.
The shape of this frame

can be likened to those
of “Nebula,” and thus is
A particularly difficult to
define geometrically. It has
five sides, three of which
are hyperbolic, so we
have to be a bit creative.
“Dipole” describes the
two units joining at each
equatorial vertex, of which
A there are three, making it
triangular. But there are
two smaller triangles at
each pole; thus, the frames
are “polarly truncated.”

66
With its wider paper proportions and diminutive right, there are five. The assembly of the first five
size, you might think that this model would be frames should form two different five-fold axes,
easy to assemble and weave. However, as there each directly opposite the other. The axes shown
is no easily distinguishable relationship between on the left, above and below, are the smaller of the
any two frames, the weaving can be surprisingly two; the axes on the right are the larger. Aside from
complicated. In the upper photo at left, two frames axial weaving, there is little symmetry between the
are shown assembled; to its right, three. Below frames at this point. The use of frame holders is
at left, four frames are assembled, while to its again nearly a necessity for this model.
5
5

67
The top left photo shows six frames assembled. identical halves, so that the equatorial verti-
The top right photo shows seven frames as- ces are the only ones that have to be connected
sembled. Immediately above on the left there are on the model. Every long unit contributes one
eight frames assembled, and to the right of that, edge to a five-fold axis and one edge to an inner
nine. While adding further frames to this model, three-fold axis. The short units, of course, do not
keep in mind that the three-fold axes are doubled, interact with any other frames. For the sake of
so not every three-fold weave formed during space, I have not included a picture of the addition
assembly will be an axis on the final model. It of the final frame, but I’m sure you’ll know what
is easiest to add each frame assembled as two to do!

N CATE D
E R L O C K I N G WRINKLED TRU
FIVE I N T RA
E D S K E W R H O MBIC HEXAHED
ORT
TETRAHE D R I C A L LY D I S T
dark m at t e r
This model,
which is excellent for
practicing the bottom-up
weaving technique, com-
bines crimped units with
thin, large frames for an inter-
esting airy effect. This is one
of two complex, open models
I designed that have twenty tri-
angular faces, none of which
interact with each other.
This model has two different pa-

per proportions: A) 1:4.9375; and B)
1:6.625. Translating the given propor-
tions into inches makes a model roughly
14" in diameter.
THE SHORTER UNITS, 1:4.9375, “A”
Af Fold
an angle
Ab A Ac Pinch Ad Fold the Ae Join bisector
Book and in half bottom the circled through
cupboard horizontally up to the edges; the circled
fold and where pinch; unfold. intersec-
unfold. shown. unfold. tion; unfold.

69
180
Ag Fold where Ah Fold where Ai Swivel-squash fold Aj The result. Unfold

shown; shown, joining along existing creases, everything and
unfold. the circled areas. folding in the left quarter. rotate 180 degrees.
Ba Pivoting along the Bb Swivel-squash Bc Refold the top pocket, Bd The result.
right edge, join the fold along existing but add a small swivel Fold the unit in
circled areas, folding creases, folding in fold on the bottom, half vertically.
where shown. the left quarter. through the top layer only.
Be Fold the tab Bf The result. Bg Unfold the upper Bh Make a pleat
up to align with Unfold the center half of the bottom along existing
the layer behind, crease from behind. right quarter. (The creases. (The unit
and unfold. unit won’t sit flat.) still won’t sit flat.)

70
pocket
tab
x 60
tab pocket
Bi Mountain fold the Bj Make three mountain Ca Mountain fold

quarter behind, allowing Cb The completed unit.
folds where shown. the unit in half;
some paper in the crimp (Their exact angle partially unfold.
to stretch out and flatten. isn’t important.)
THE LONGER UNITS, 1:6.625, “B”
Ab Book and
cupboard fold
and unfold.
Ac Pivoting along the left Ad Join the circled Ae Swivel-squash

quarter, join the circled areas, folding fold along existing
areas, and unfold. where shown. creases, folding in
the left quarter.
180
Af The result. Unfold Ag Pinch the right Ah Pinch the left Ai Pivoting along the pinch
and rotate 180 degrees. quarter to the quarter to the made in Step 6, join the circled
center crease. center crease. areas, folding where shown.

71
tab
pocket
x 60
Bd The
completed
Bc unit.
Ba The result. Partially
Refold Steps fold in
3–4. half,
then flip
Aj Swivel-squash Bb Fold the tab in along over.
fold along existing the base of the pocket.
creases, folding in tab pocket
the left quarter.
ASSEMBLY
Slide the tabs into the pockets, and recrease
the center creases to lock. When locking the B
longer units into a shorter one, I recommend
saving the triangular face locks for last,
as they are the easiest to assemble.
B
A
One completed frame

is shown at right. This
shape is relatively
complicated to explain
geometrically; the name
given comes from its
folding origin, but it is
easiest to visualize it as
a wrinkled cuboctahedron
with four tetrahedrically
arranged faces
replaced with three-
point intersections.

72
Because this model is a good candidate for bottom- three-point intersections join twenty free-floating
up weaving, that process is shown in the pictures triangular faces to complete the model. It is easiest
here. Once you become familiar with the general to begin assembling the model from the outside, as
weaving technique, this model is actually much shown in the above picture on the left, and once a
simpler than it initially appears. To begin, each of few (around thirty or so) units are assembled, flip the
the triangular intersections will be directly under entire model over, as shown above on the right, and
another triangular face. The triangular faces them- assemble the remaining units. Below, sixty units are
selves will not interact with each other. Twenty shown assembled in both photos.
5
5
5
5

73
3
3
One of the great advantages of models whose are shown assembled; above on the right, 105
vertices are all very near the perimeter (known units are shown assembled; and both pictures be-
as “surface-woven models”) is that assembly is low show the model completed with all 120 units
more convenient. Supporting the large open form from two different views. As it nears comple-
of this model is a challenge that can arise upon tion, you can adjust the size of the five-fold axes
assembly, however. It is helpful to have several slightly if necessary so that the crimps line up
medium-size objects handy to prop the model up with the edges of the triangular faces with which
while adding units. Above on the left, ninety units they interlock.

L LY
I N G E Q UATO R IA
TEN INTERLOCK STA
I N I S H E D T R I A NGULAR BIFRU
DIM
dark e n e r g y
This model is the second of
two models I designed with twenty
non-interacting triangular faces. It is
very similar in concept and folding to
“Dark Matter,” but the result is dis-
tinctly different. This has always been
one of my favorites because the as-
sembly is fun, and the paralleled edges
around the five-fold axes give the model
a complicated swirling effect. Although it
does not appear similar, this model is a dif-
ferent weaving compound of the same type of
shape as used in “Interstellar” (page 63).
There are two different paper proportions for this

model: A) 1:6.5; and B) 1:7.75. Translating the given di-
mensions into inches makes a model ~14" in diameter.
THE SHORTER UNITS, 1:6.5, “A”

fold and unfold.
Ad Join the circled

areas, folding
where shown.
Ac Pivoting along Ae Swivel-squash fold
the left quarter, along existing creases,
join the circled folding in the left quarter.
areas; unfold.

75
180
Af The result. Ag Pinch the right Ah Pinch the left Ai Pivoting along the
Unfold and rotate quarter to the quarter to the pinch made in Step 6,
180 degrees. center crease. center crease. join the circled areas,
folding where shown.
tab
pocket
x 60
Aj Swivel-squash Bb Fold the tab up along

fold along existing the base of the pocket.
creases, folding in Ba The result.
the left quarter. Refold Steps 3–4.
Bc Partially fold in
THE LONGER UNITS, 1:7.75, “B” half, then flip over. tab pocket
Bd The completed unit.

fold and unfold.
180
Ad Swivel-squash Af Pinch the left edge

fold along existing to the left quarter.
creases, folding in
Ac Pivoting along the the left quarter.
right quarter, join Ae The result.
the circled areas, Unfold and rotate
folding where shown. 180 degrees.

76
Ag Pivoting Ah Swivel-
along the squash
right edge, fold along
join the existing
circled areas, creases,
folding where folding in the
shown. left quarter.
Ai The result.
pocket tab
x 60
pocket
tab
Aj Refold Ba Fold the Bb Mountain-fold Bc Partially unfold Bd The completed

Steps 2–3. unit in half, the tab to align the center crease unit.
right to left. with the edge of from behind.
the pocket behind.
If you compare a
completed frame
ASSEMBLY A
from this model with
a completed frame
A from “Interstellar”
As with all edge units, (a polarly truncated
A
simply slide the tabs triangularly distorted
into the pockets to lock. dipole), you will see
The assembly here will that they are the
be quite similar to that same shape. Calling
of “Dark Matter.” this an equatorially
diminished triangular
bifrustum is just a
matter of seeing
the shape from a
B different geometric
perspective.

77
Any frame holders

that are used dur-
ing the assembly
process should hold
a shorter and longer
unit together around
a five-fold axis, rather
than a two-fold axis,
as the vertices over
the two-fold axes are
significantly higher
than the surround-
ing frames. Keep the
parallel longer edges
in mind, as circled on
the bottom left—if
you switch them up,
it can be confusing.
In the middle row of
photos to the left,
seventy units are
shown assembled;
in the bottom row,
eighty-five are shown.
At this point, it is prob-
ably easiest to flip the
model over so that
the outside is facing
down, as shown in the
bottom right photo
and on the following
page. When in doubt
as to which units have
been added, track the
path of one individual
frame. Models like this
can seem overwhelm-
ing until you become
familiar with their
weaving pattern.

78
As the model nears

completion, you
can remove frame
holders and adjust
any irregularities in
the five-fold axes. The
middle pair of images
to the left show ninety
units assembled, and
the lack of interaction
between any two
triangular faces. All of
the triangular faces
should be assembled
at this point. Whenever
possible, try to
assemble the two
units that join at the
equatorial vertices of
every frame outside of
the model. Assembling
them as separate
units that are already
woven into the model
can result in unsightly
deformations in the
paper. In the bottom
two photos, the model
is shown with all 120
units assembled from
the three- and two-
fold views. Before
pronouncing the
model complete, make
sure that the pairs
of parallel edges are
both underneath the
shorter edges of the
two adjacent triangular
faces above them.

aurora
ING
TEN INTERLOCK
TRIANGULAR
DIPYRAMIDS
This model is surprisingly

simple in concept, as the dipyramid is a
more basic polyhedron than many
others in this book. In fact,
I was surprised that no
one had folded this before.
Stellated compounds tend
to be aesthetically pleasing; this
one presents wonderful penta-
grammoidal stars. The exterior
vertices are difficult to assem-
ble, and getting the units into
the right areas can be tricky, though
not nearly as much as in the model
that follows this!
This model has two different paper proportions: A)

1.375:10.5, and B) 1.375:6.625. Translating the given
dimensions into inches makes a ~12" model.
THE LONGER UNITS,

1.375:10.5, “A”

fold and unfold. Ac Pinch the right
quarter into the center
crease where shown. Ad Pivoting along
the center crease,
join the circled
areas; unfold.

80
180
Af Swivel-squash Ah Repeat
Ae Pivoting along the fold along existing Steps 2–5.
center crease, join creases, folding in Ag The result. Unfold
the circled areas, the left quarter. everything and
folding where shown. rotate 180 degrees.
90
Aj Fold between Bb Repeat Steps 9–10

Ai The result. the circled Ba Fold in along the on the top of the unit.
Refold Steps 4–5. areas; unfold. angle bisector of
the previous fold.
tab pocket
x 30
Bc Fold in half partially and flip over. pocket Bd The completed unit. tab
180
Ad Pinch the left

Ab Book and Ac Repeat edge into the left
cupboard-fold Steps 2–6 quarter, folding
and unfold. as in Unit A. where shown.

81
Ae Pivoting along the Af Swivel-squash Ag Refold Step Ah Tuck Ai Repeat Steps

right quarter, join fold along existing 2; do not unfold. the pocket 9–10 on the top
the circled areas, creases, folding in underneath as in Unit A.
folding where shown. the left quarter. the top layer.
tab
pocket
Steps 9-11 aren’t actually
required for Unit A in order
for the units to be assembled,
but they make the assembly much
easier by reducing the size of the
x 60
tabs. If you are looking for an extra
challenge, you can omit these steps.
Aj Fold in Ba The
ASSEMBLY half partially completed
and flip over. unit.
pocket
B tab
B To assemble the units, slide the tabs into

B
the pockets. Three shorter units will join
A together to make each of the two polar
vertices; two shorter and two longer
units will join alternately to make each
of the three equatorial vertices. The
equatorial vertices can be particularly
challenging to assemble because of
their narrow 20-degree angles.
Each frame in this model is a triangular dipyramid;

that is, a six-sided polyhedron composed of triangles.
In its regular form, a triangular dipyramid is a
member of the Johnson solids polyhedron set.

82
The assembly of this model can be quite challenging, especially
physically, so it is important to follow several general points.
First, each of the two polar vertices on each triangular dipyra-
mid represent the center of one three-fold axis, and they should
5 always be assembled beforehand. There are two triangular verti-
ces per frame, and ten frames. This results in twenty three-fold
axes, which, of course, align with the faces of an icosahedron.
The polar vertices are close to the center of the model, so this
definitely isn’t a candidate for bottom-up weaving.
To the left, the photo shows two frames; the below left
photo shows three. The photo directly below shows four, and
the bottom one shows five. Note that between any two-fold axis
“pairs,” there is a sort of hybrid in-and-out weaving pattern.
It is imperative to “intuit” the weaving

process in this model, as the dense center
obscures the vision. The trickiest part of
the assembly is, undoubtedly, the addition
of the triangular vertices near the center of
the model. They can’t be assembled inside
the model, so they must be assembled
outside of it and then carefully flattened
and bent so that the three outer edges of
the units nearly touch. The pieces form a
spearhead shape when bent, which will al- 5
low you to push the point in; you can then
unbend the units inside the model and ad-
just them accordingly. This process seems
complicated, but it is the easiest way I
have found to carry out the assembly.

83
Directly to the left, six

frames are shown; to
the right of that, sev-
en; in the middle left
photo, eight frames
are shown; and to the
right of that, nine are
shown. The bottom
left photo shows the
model from the three-
fold view with all ten
frames completed;
the bottom right photo
shows a two-fold view
of the same.
As the model nears

completion, check
5 that all adjacent inner
vertices have the two-
3 fold hybrid in-and-out
weaving relationship
5 mentioned previously,
and be sure the outer
equatorial edges of
each dipyramid con-
tribute one edge to
two different exterior
five-fold axes. Confirm
that the exterior stel-
lated vertices are all
assembled as cleanly
as possible, since
they are highly visible.
After checking every-
thing, the model can
be pronounced com-
plete! This is a nice
prequel to the next
project, which is simi-
lar, but more difficult.

84
WEAVING
W EAVING INSTRUCTIONS DRA
C K I N G I R R E G ULAR TETRAHE
LO
TWENTY INTER
event
horizon
This model is the most dif-
on to assemble in this book. It is so
ficult one
dense that almost no light passes through,
an is even more stellated and com-
and
p
plex than “Aurora.” Despite this, it is
o of my favorite compounds. You
one
s
should have a thorough understand-
in of Wire Frames before attempting
ing
to fold it.
This model has two different pa-

per proportions: A) 1.125:6.1875; and B)
1.12
1.125:9.5625. Translating the given di-
me
mensions into inches results in a ~10"
mo
model.
THE SHORTER UNITS,

1.125:6.1875, “A”
Ac Pinch in half between

Ab A Book and cupboard the center crease and
fold and unfold. the right quarter.
Ad Pivoting along
the center crease,
join the circled
areas; unfold.

85
180
Ae Pivoting along the Af Swivel-squash Ag The result. Unfold Ah Pivoting along

center crease, join fold along existing everything and the right quarter, join
the circled edges, creases, folding in rotate 180 degrees. the circled areas,
folding where shown. the left quarter. folding where shown.
tab
pocket
x 60
Ai Swivel-squash
fold along existing
Ba Tuck Bb
creases, folding in Aj The result. the Partially
the left quarter. Refold Steps 4–5. pocket fold the
under unit in
the top half and
layer. flip over.
pocket
THE LONGER UNITS, 1.125:9.5625, “B” tab
Bc The
Ab Book and cupboard completed
fold and unfold. unit.
Ad Pinch in half
180 between the
center crease and
the right quarter. Ae Pinch in half
between the pinch
Ac Repeat Steps just made and the
2–6 as for Unit A. right quarter.

86
Af Pivoting along the center Ag Swivel-squash fold Ah Refold Step 2. Don't

crease, join the circled along existing creases, unfold or rotate the paper.
edges, folding where shown. folding in the left quarter.
tab
pocket
Ai Tuck the
pockets under
x 60 the top layers.
Aj Pivoting along Ba Fold in half Bb The completed unit.

the center crease, partially and
join the circled flip over.
edges, and unfold.
tab
pocket
ASSEMBLY
To assemble the units, slide the tabs into the pockets, and recrease
the center mountain folds to lock. The three lower vertices are
most easily assembled in the numeric order shown below.
One complete frame is shown

at right. However, it is easier
to assemble the frames into the
model in two separate steps, so complete
frames should not be assembled outside of the
model. Instead, assemble the three longer units
1
of each frame into triangles, and the three shorter
2
units of each frame into three-point intersections.
3

87
This model is best suited to a weaving method sections—first the twenty triangles that form the
called "scaffolding." Frame-at-a-time weav- bases of each tetrahedron, then the triangular
ing would be extremely complicated, and the points used to complete the tetrahedra. In the top
interior vertices reach too far toward the center pair of photos, five triangles are shown assembled.
of the model to make bottom-up weaving prac- This creates two five-fold axes: one exterior one on
tical. Basically, the model is built in separate the top, and a lower one on the bottom.
The middle pair of

photos show ten
triangles. The next
5 five triangles form
the same shape as
the first five, but are
flipped to opposite
5
poles. Make sure the
open sides of the tri-
angles face outwards.
The bottom two
photos show fifteen
triangles assembled;
on the following page,
all twenty are shown.
Frame holders will be
needed, and are best
5 applied as a single
piece to group each
5
of the twelve exterior
five-fold axes. Each
unit contributes one
edge to one exterior
five-fold axis, one inte-
rior five-fold axis, and
one three-fold axis.
The frames should
be assembled with
as much precision as
possible. It doesn't
matter if there are a
few weaving mistakes;
they can be fixed
upon the addition of
5
all twenty triangles.
Frames 11 through 15
will form a third, wider
five-fold axis around
the original top five-
fold axis, as shown on
the bottom right.

88
These frames also

contribute the interior
edges of the top three- 5
fold axes. Upon adding
all twenty triangles,
carefully check that 3 3
everything matches
the pictures in the top
row to the right. 5
The relationship
between any two
inner three-point
segments is shown in
the left-hand photo in
the middle row. Each
point will be at the
center of a three-fold 5
axis, and any set of
two will contribute
two five-fold axes 5
where shown. In the
right-hand photo in
the middle row, the
model is shown with
five inner points as-
sembled. Assembling
the inner points is
extremely difficult,
especially the last
few. The bottom left
photo shows fifteen
three-point segments
assembled, with a
sixteenth being added.
As in “Aurora,” each
point should be care-
fully bent and slowly
adjusted into place.
This is very time-
consuming; figure on
spending at least ten
minutes adding and
assembling each piece
properly. The bottom
right photo shows the
completed model from
the two-fold view.

TA GO NAL STARS
I N T E R L O C K I N G ICOSIKAIPEN
TWE NTY-SIX
the alp h a b e t
This is the single most time-
consuming project in this book; when it
was first constructed it was the largest
Wire Frame modular ever made. Its
polar dihedral symmetry distinguish-
es it from all other models in this
book, as it is not based on a regular
polyhedron. The name comes from
its connection to planar modulars,
where each plane is a assigned a
letter of the alphabet. Here, the
twenty-six frames represent each
of the letters of the alphabet.
This model has only one paper pro-

portion: 1:2.41. If using the template,
start with relatively small squares.
Rectangles ripped from 3.5" squares
make a ~10" model.
MAKING AND USING THE TEMPLATE
Ab Book fold Ac Fold in half Ad Fold in Ae Fold the right Af Fold the right
and unfold. diagonally where half between edge to join the edge to join
shown; unfold. the circled intersection of the previous
areas where the two previous fold; unfold.
shown; unfold. folds; unfold.

90
Ag Fold the left Ah The completed Ai Slide a second square Aj Fold the square
edge to join the template. into the template, so over along the edge
previous fold. that the circled lines are of the template.
flush with each other.
Ba Pull the square Bb Refold Bc Mountain fold the Bd Rip along both lines.
sheet out and set the crease. edge to align with Keep the two equal-sized
the template aside. the top layer, and rectangles; discard the
unfold everything. small strip on the right.
Set one rectangle aside
and focus on the other.
UNIT PREPARATION
The crimp formed using

the given folding method
makes a 75-degree interior
angle. Such units are used to make
stellated polygons. The actual angle
for perfectly flat polygonal frames
as used here should be roughly 74.4
degrees. Using the formula (360/
n+a), where n is the number of sides
on the given polygon and a is the
interior angle of each vertex, you
can find the necessary crimp angle
for any star polygon. The 75-degree
angle lets the units have a slightly
wider dihedral angle than perfectly
Ab Book and Ac Pivoting along Ad Swivel-squash
angled crimps would allow.
cupboard the center crease, fold along existing
fold; unfold. join the circled creases, folding
areas, folding the left quarter in.
where shown.

91
180
Ae The result. Af Repeat Steps Ag Tuck the locks Ah Join the circled
Rotate 180 2–3 on the other under the top layer. edges, and unfold.
degrees. side of the paper.
Ai Fold the unit in Aj Join the circled Ba Fold up where shown, Bb Fold an angle
half horizontally; edges and unfold. along the bottom of bisector of the
unfold. the crease made in the previous two steps.
previous step; unfold.
Bc Pivoting along the horizontal Bd Fold between Be Fold in half and Bf Crimp the
center crease, join the left the circled unfold. Then flip over. unit as shown,
edge to the edge of the angle areas; unfold. mountain folding
bisector on the right, folding the unit in half
where shown; unfold. vertically.

92
tab
pocket
X 650
Steps 9–11 are used

to make a 75-degree
crimp angle. If you feel
comfortable doing so, you can omit
these steps and approximate the
tab pocket Side view. fold made in Step 12 to save time.
Bg The completed unit.
ASSEMBLY
Ab Before assembling the units, flatten the dihedral

angle around the vertices of the units you are
assembling. Then slide the tabs around and into
the pockets. Two units will join at every vertex.
Ae One complete icosikaipentagonal

star, composed of twenty-five units.
The name sounds intimidating, but
Ac Finally, push in the it is simply the geometric name for
sides of the units where a twenty-five sided polygon. It is
shown, recreasing the called a star because it is a stellated
center dihedral angle. polygon rather than a regular one,
but is not an icosikaipentagram. Thus
this model is composed of twenty-six
interlocking twenty-five-sided stars.
Ad Two units joined.

Join the others in
the same fashion.

93
4 4
5 5
5
5 5
This model is very different from all others in this the only frame that has no interaction with the poles.
book. First, it is critical to recognize that it has polar In the photos below, the twenty-sixth frame is the
dihedral symmetry; there will be a large “hole” on light-blue band that is fully completed, and the pieces
the top and bottom of the model. There is no regu- of other frames are parts of the center. The weaving
lar polyhedron on which this compound is based; of this model is actually simpler than you might think,
therefore the assembly will rely on axial weaving. once the pattern is understood. The schematic above
Basically, there are twenty-five polygonal “bands” shows the center light-blue frame—represented by
that weave around each other to form the large the light-blue segment—and its equatorial relation-
“holes” on either side of the model. The twenty-sixth ship with other frames. There will be ten four-fold
frame wraps around the center of the model, and is axes along each “file” of the model.

94
5
4
4
4
4
The actual weaving between the frames should be This pattern is repeated along each “file” around
obvious—each vertex where two units join should the entire model. All frames, with the exception of
weave over the “valley” crimp of another unit. the twenty-sixth center frame, are hyperboloidal.
Along each “file” of the model, starting at the center The number of assembled units in each picture is
twenty-sixth frame, there will be one five-fold axis, not specified since units can be added randomly, as
followed by ten four-fold axes, followed by one three- needed. Also, the nature of the crimped units should
fold axis near one of the poles, before the frame make frameholders unnecessary, even in the earlier
bends back down into the model as indicated by the stages. The below right and top left facing page pho-
arrow on the photo at the top left of the facing page. tos show the first complete pole forming.

95
25
As the model gets closer to completion, its weight

and shape will necessitate that it be tipped onto one
of its poles (the large open holes with twenty-five-
fold axes on opposite sides of the model). As the
frames approach completion around the equatorial
regions, the light-blue twenty-sixth frame might de-
form a little because the other frames still aren’t in
their final positions. Push down gently on the poles
to help alleviate this problem. Additionally, note
that along each “file,” the chirality of every axis is
opposite to the ones on either side of it. Further,
this model has an in-and-out weaving relationship
between any two frames, which is helpful if you
need to double-check the weaving. If you manage to
complete it, congratulate yourself; this is the larg-
est and most time-consuming model in this book,
which is why I have left it for last.

96
9 6
P blished
WEAVING
W EA
EAVIN bNTut
AVING
VING G leINSTRUCTIONS
Publishing
INSTR an i Orint
RUCTIO NSof Periplus Editions (HHK) Ltd.
Ackn
nowledgm
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blishing.com
I wouuld li
likke to acknowleedge th
the
Copyright © 20
016 by Byriah Loper origa
amissts who have in nspired my
own worrk: Daniel Kwan n, who has
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproducced or utilized in
n
proviidedd constant inspiration,
any form or byy any means, elecctrronic or mecha anical, including pho
otocopying,
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etrrieval system, with
hout prior and with hout whom this book
written perm misssion from the pu
ubllisher. woulldn’tt have occurredd; the
otherr young wireframe modullar
Library of Co
ongress Cataloging
g-in
n-Publication Data desiggnerrs who have enccourag ged
me to co ontinue with myy own
Loper, Byria
ah, 1994- author.
workk, inccluding Aaron P. and Alec
Mind-blowing g modular origam
mi : the art of polyyhedral paper fo
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pages cm Sherrwin; Meenakshi Mu ukerji, for
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Mind Blowing Modular Origami The Art of Polyhedral Paper Folding Byriah Loper

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Mind Blowing Modular Origami The Art of Polyhedral Paper Folding Byriah Loper

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LOPER

Create incredible geometric shapes with simple folded paper

MIND-BLOWING MODUL AR ORIGA MI

MIND-BLOWING MODUL AR ORIGA MI

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7 TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

15 INTRODUCTION TO DECORATIVE MODULARS

34 INTRODUCTION TO WIRE FRAMES

TRIAKIS VORTEX Excalibur Excelsior

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COSMOS NEBULA ATMOSPHERE K5

GALAXY Interstellar Dark Dark

Aurora Event The AlphabeT

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MODULAR ORIGAMI has most of the Like traditional representative

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more than paper representations it as an occasion help

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TANT is a higher-quality paper that

SKYTONE is a higher-quality parch-

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A batch of units for

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In addition, the weaving pattern has

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completed on the bottom, and more Of the various assembly techniques

When you do complete a model, check

An example of "in-and-out" weaving

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FOLD AND UNFOLD This appears to

BOOK-AND-CUPBOARD FOLD AND

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This base isn’t used in this

Ab Fold diagonals and

Ac Keeping the front and Ac Separate the points’

Ad Apply pressure to the

Af The completed Ag The completed Closed-

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Ab Start with a Waterbomb

Ac Fold the top flap on the left

REPEAT SYMBOLS indicate

PINCH FOLDS don’t extend

Af In progress. AXIAL SYMBOLS are used to

CIRCLES indicate areas of the

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While this book is indeed mostly devoted to the serious,

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3.5" squares make a ~6" icosahedral as-

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Ah Fold in the outer edges Ai Inside-reverse fold Aj Mountain fold the

Ba The completed unit. x 30

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3" squares make a ~4.5"-tall dodeca-

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Ab Slide the tab into the pocket, aligning the

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6" paper makes a 5.5"-tall model. Begin white

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The exterior embellishments can tab x 30

Ab To assemble Ac The result.

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