Modular Origami

Some people love modular origami. So satisfying to fold the units and have it assembled into a beautiful model – almost like magic! Other people hate modular origami. Why would anyone want to fold the same simple unit over and over again? These people prefer the regular kind of origami: one sheet = one model. Give it a try and see what you think.

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Many of the diagrams here are from Modular MM Mania – it’s a must see site. As well, see pictures at from the flickr pool.

The value in between the parentheses represents the number of units needed to complete the modular origami model.

 
origami Tetrahedron

modular origami Pyramid

modular origami

modular origami

modular origami

modular origami

modular origami

modular origami

Tetrahedrons, Cubes, Octahedrons, & Prisms
Lazy Tetrahedron 1 (2u) (TK Lam)
Lazy Tetrahedron 2 (2u) (TK Lam)
$Trigonal Bipyramid (3u) (marigami)
Pyramid (2u) (J Caboblanco)

BBU: Building Block Unit (M Kosmulski)
Cube (6u) (J Caboblanco)
Cube 2 (6u) (J Caboblanco)
Daisy Cube (24u) (M Mukhopadhyay)
Decorated Cubes (6u) (M Mukhopadhyay)
Flower Cube (6u) (M Mukhopadhyay)
Heart Cube (6u) (K-D Ennen)
Jackson Cube (P Jackson)

IMORU2 (Sonobe variation) (M Dufour)
Modular Cube (6u) (J Ardell)
Multicolored Cube (6U) (R Foelker)
Pajarita Cube/Cubo de Pararitas (6u) (J Concha)
Plain Cube (12u) (M Mukhopadhyay)
PVM: Pyramid Vertex Module (M Kosmulski)

Ray Cube (24u) (M Mukhopadhyay)
Temate Baku (6u) (M van Gelder)
Temakobako (6u) (D Mitchell)
Thatched Cube (24u) (M Mukhopadhyay)
Whirl Cube (24u) (M Mukhopadhyay)
Dice Family (6u, 24u, 78u) (D Petty)

Trihedron Cubic Box (4u) (Gerardo)
Trihedron Photo Box (13u) (Gerardo)
Trihedron Photo Frame (4u+) (Gerardo)

Sonobe Unit (3u) Toshie Jewel
. . . . . . . .(6u) Cube
. . . . . . . .(6u) with Earth patterns (DofT)

Skeletal Octahedron: (6u) (R Neale)
here, with variation and variation
Skeletal Octahedron (2u) (K-D Ennen)
Octahedron Skeleton 1 pg 7 (12u) (J Koppel)
Octahedron Skeleton 4 pg 8 (12u) (J Koppel)

That Simple Unit (3u to 20u): pg 1, pg 2 (C Esseltine)
Gyroscope (6u; 12sheets) (L Simon)
Fluted Diamond (2u) (M Kahn)
Hanging Ornament (2u) (T Fuse)

 
origami tetrahedorn

trigonal bipyramid origami

origami cube

origami cube

origami cube

modular origami

modular origami


Dodecahedra
A4 Dodecahedron (30u) (P Macchi)
A6 Dodecahedron (12u) (D Brill)
A4 Dodecahedron (12u) (M Kono)
Dodecahedron from square (12u) (H Verrill)
Hacky Sac (+30u) (picture) (W Chan)
Rhombic Dodecahedron/Rombicoedro (12u) (JL Alonso)
A4 Rhombic Dodecahedron (12u) (N Robinson)
Stellated Dodecahedron (30u) (H Verrill)
Stellated Rhombic Dodecahedron (12u) (J Mosely)
Blintz icosidodecahedron (30u) (TK Lam)
Silvana Betti Mamino’s Dodecahedra pictures:
. . . Clover (30u) 1, 2, 3
. . . Easy (60u) 1, 2, 3
. . . Open (30u)
1
, 2
. . . Pentagon (30u) 1, 2
. . . Star (60u) 1, 2, 3
 
origami dodecahedron

origami dodecahedron

unit origami


Ball and Spikey-Ball Models
Alpha Centauri (6u) (P Budai)
Blintz icosidodecahedron (30u) (TK Lam)
Bucky Unit (+20u) (D Petty)

Butterfly Ball (12u) (K Kawamura)
Curler Units (6u, 12u, 30u) pic, pic (H van Goubergen)
Deltahedron (Silvana Betti Mamino)

Fiore II (C Riccardo)
Football/Soccer: pg 1
2 ,
3 (20u) (M Leonard)
30º Fuse Ball (D Brill)
Isa (30u)
(David_paperfold)
Icosahedron with Magic Cards (12u) (M Kono)

Jitterbug (20u) (TK Lam)

Modular Ball (6u) (F Kawahata)
Moreno’s Unit (12u, 30u) (JA Moreno)
Orb (12u): 1, 2 (J Mosely)
Rigel (6u) (P Budai)
Ruby Unit (3u to 30u) (N Robinson)

Sonobe Unit
. . . (12u) Stellated Octahedron
. . . (30u) Stellated Icosahedron
. . . (30u) Sonobe variation (M Mukhopadhyay)
. . . (30u) Two thirds Sonobe (M Mukhopadhyay)
. . . (30u) with Earth patterns
. . . (30u) Boston Waltz Sonobe (mara-mama)

Spiral Star (6u) (G Bubniak) video
Spike Ball: pg 1 , pg 2 (12u – 54u) (Gurkewitz/Arnstein)
Super Simple Isosceles Triangle Unit (30u) (M Mukhopadhyay)
That Simple Unit (3u to 20u) (C Esseltine)
Various Models (M Sinayskaya)
. . . (30u) Chandelle Kusudama
. . . (30u) Clover
. . . (30u) Etna Kusudama
. . . (30u) Little Roses Kusudama
. . . (30u) Little Island Kusudama
. . . (30u) Talitha Star
. . . (30u) Waltz Sonobe
Windowed Icosahedron (12u) (TK Lam)
Yoshino Star (12U) photo (Yoshino)

 
unit origami

unit origami

unit origami

unit origami unit origami

unit origami

unit origami


Intersecting Planes
Fishball (6u) (J Power)
Octohedral Cross (12u) (YK Lam)
XYZ Diamond (6u) (J Power)
XYZ Star (6u) (J Power)
XYZmbe (6u) (N Robinson)
XYZguy (3u) (M Guy)
XYZ Rombi (3u) (F Mancini)
Magic Cards (6u) (M Kono)
WXYZ-diamond (12u) (TK Lam)
VWXYZ (20u) (M Leonard)
UVWXYZ (30u) (M Leonard)
UVWXYZ Stella (30u) (F Mancini)

Meenakshi Mukerji’s:
QRSTUVWXYZ (90u)
RSTUVWXYZ-Stars (72u) pic
RSTUVWXYZ-Rectangle (72u)
STUVWXYZ-Stars (72u)
STUVWXYZ-Rectangles (72u)
STUVWXYZ-Septagons (72u)
TUVWXYZ-Stars (42u)
TUVWXYZ-Rectangles (42u)
TUVWXYZ-Hexagons (42u)
UVWXYZ-Rect(30u)

Francis Ow’s Models:
Tornado (16u)
VWXYZ (20u)
WXYZ-rectangle (12u)
XYZ-square (6u)
XYZ-diamond (6u)

 


Frames & Open Models
120º Unit (18u to 48u) (F Ow)
135º Unit (36u to 150u) (F Ow)
Icosahedron (30u) (C Sprung)
James Planks’s Models:
Square Module (12u) cube
Triangle Module:
(6u) tetra,
(12u) octa,
(30u) dodeca
Pentagon Module (30u) dodeca
Michal Kosmulski’s Models:
SEU: Simple Edge Unit
StEM: Sturdy Edge Module
Oxi Model
TEM: Trapezoid Edge Unit
Swallowtail Module (Dog Bone Unit: J Campbell)
PHiZZ Unit (30u) (T Hull)
5 Intersecting Tetrahedra (30u) (video) (T Hull)
6 Intersecting Pentagrams (30u) (F Mancini)
6 Intersecting Squares (24u) (JC Lucero)
various interlocking frames (D Kwan)
 
modular origami

modular origami

modular origami


Strip Folding —> read here first
Knotology (P Versnick);
pic (H Rosciszer-Narloch)
Weaving Polyhedra …..Jim Blowers
Snapology, pic (H Rosciszer-Narloch)
Moravian Star (ORC),
also called Froebel Star (J Koller)
Tape Fish (T Yenn)
Easy Ribbon Fish (ORC)
 
strip folding origami

strip folding origami



Not Polyhedrons
Caterpillar (N Robinson)
Pentagonal Coaster (J Caboblanco)
Hexagonal Coaster (J Caboblanco)
Magic Rings (6u) (T Yenn)
Sprinkler Units , Ring , Sphere (P Versnick)
Stars, Rings, & Wreaths

 
origami catepillar

origami rings


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    Books with Modular Origami

    • Marvelous Modular Origami by Mukerji
    • Polyhedron Origami for Beginners (Origami Classroom) by M Kawamura
    • Origami Wreaths and Rings by David Petty
    • Unit Origami: Multidimensional Transformations by Tomoko Fuse
    • Unit Polyhedron Origami by Tomoko Fuse
    • Beginner’s Book of Modular Origami Polyhedra: The Platonic Solids by Rona Gurkewitz and Bennett Arnstein
    • 3-D Geometric Origami by Rona Gurkewitz and Bennett
    • Modular Origami Polyhedra (Origami) by Lewis Simon, Bennett Arnstein, and Rona Gurkewitz
    • Multimodular Origami Polyhedra: Archimedeans, Buckyballs and Duality by Rona Gurkewitz and Bennett Arnstein
    • Unfolding Mathematics with Unit Origami by Betsy Franco

     

    Buy Books with Modular Origami

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    More Origami Diagrams and Instructions…

  • These free origami instructions are made available to you by the paper folding community at large. If you have a diagram you would like to share, or if your diagram is listed here and you wish to have it removed, please Contact Us. Diagrams are intended for personal use. Copyright of the models lie with the origami creators and designers. Please contact the designer and/or creator directly for non-private usage of a model and/or artwork.