Modular Origami Diagrams

modular origami

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.

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

 


  •  

    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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