December 8th, 2005 — Papercraft
You’ve made a cool papercraft calendar to decorate your desk, but how about some great christmas themed Apple Mac Classics to go with it?
There’s a lot more available than just christmas ornaments though, you’l find dozens of different mac papercraft models to make.
Not happy with those? Then download the blank mac template (992kB .PSD) and create your own designs!
December 6th, 2005 — Notes, Papercraft
We’ve already entered the month of December, so January 2006 is coming very soon!
What would look better gracing your desk for the coming year than your very own papercraft calendar on a dodecahedron?
December 2nd, 2005 — Notes, Origami
Trying to find something to listen to? IT Conversations has an interesting talk by origami master Robert J. Lang.
Here’s the description:
The last decade of the twentieth century saw a revolution in the development and application of mathematical techniques to origami. Robert J. Lang describes how geometric concepts have led to the computer solution of a broad class of origami folding challenges and, as a consequence, enabled origami designs of astonishing complexity and realism to be developed.
He covers how technology and origami are affecting each other, and talks about how he used origami principles to help put a 100-metre wide lens into space by folding it to fit into a small rocket. That’s an amazing use of some ancient ideas!
Want to learn more about Robert J. Lang? Read the Wikipedia article on him, and then visit his site to view some amazing galleries of his work (a lot of these pictures are mentioned in his talk).
Thanks to John for the tip.
November 29th, 2005 — Papercraft
Some fun papercraft models here for any fans of Nickleodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants - a model of Spongebob himself, and a jumbo-size Pineapple house that is in scale with him when assembled
That’s not all though, there are plenty more models available for download from the same place, including Patrick Star (SpongeBob SquarePants’ bestest buddy), and Squidward’s tiki house, which is a fun model even if you’re not a fan of Spongebob.
Go and visit the site to download Spongebob and the pineapple house, and to read up on the assembly instructions.
November 28th, 2005 — Papercraft
This is a fantastic model of a V8 engine, made almost entirely from paper - except for “a motor, a battery holder, a few plastic tubes and electrical wires”.
Handcrafted with ruler, white glue and X-acto knife. It took approximately one year to design and construct.
Fantastic work here, it’s an amazing functional work of art. There’s even a DIY kit in the works if you’d like to make your own.
More pictures and videos are available at the maker’s site.
November 26th, 2005 — Origami
The ninja star, or “shuriken“, is an ancient ninja weapon. It’s also a great origami model!
Let’s take a look at how to make an origami ninja star… Continue reading →
November 16th, 2005 — Origami, Reviews
Lewis Simon, Bennett Arnstein, Rona Gurkewitz
Modular origami involves folding several ‘modules’ that are individually quite simple, then joining them together to form a larger origami model that is much more complex. Usually the modules are identical, but even more complexity can be added by varying folds in the modules or mixing different types together.
When it comes to getting started with modular origami, this book is one of the best available. Covering how to build over 35 origami models, there’s plenty for everyone from beginner to expert. There are plenty of illustrations and photos of completed models to make it easy to follow the instructions.
In the introduction, along with the usual legend and terminology, are several useful bits of advice about resizing paper, and details of how to create your own specially shaped sheets. After the basics, there are three main styles of model covered in detail:
Sonobe modules
A very simple and satisfying module that produces solid models.
Decoration box system
Very similar folds produce boxes with wildly different appearances, such as this ‘Ninja Star’ cube, with star-shaped holes on each side.
Gyroscope modules
Three- or four-pointed pyramid-like modules that create endlessly complex models. The design shown below isn’t featured in the book, but it’s easy to expand on the basics by combining the modules in different ways.
For each style of model, there are many well-illustrated instructions, starting from the basic unit and working up to intricately folded modules that create complex patterns when joined together. At the end of the book there are a few other models that don’t really fit into the previous sections, although they are all fun to fold and look good when completed.
One of the best parts of the book is that it’s essentially open-ended - several of the modules can be joined together in many different ways, and can be combined in big numbers to create incredibly detailed models. Adorning the cover of the book is a chain of 14 linked boxes that form a loop, a very impressive model that requires only simple folds to build.
As I mentioned earlier, there’s something for everyone here, although all models require some precision in your folding, most are quite forgiving of slight misalignments. With a bit of assistance in the assembly stage, quite a few of the designs would be fun to make with children, since the finished model looks much more difficult than it actually is.
More information on Modular Origami Polyhedra at Amazon.com [.co.uk]
November 9th, 2005 — Papercraft
The Readymech site has several PDFs of simple papercraft models that you can download and print off.
Some are more complicated than others, but they all look really good when assembled, and are fun to make.
The skeletron model is one of the simplest, but there is still good attention to detail, with an inner box that continues the design from the outside.
I’m going to be making more of these little papercraft robots, so watch out for future updates.
Thanks to Make: Blog for the idea!
November 6th, 2005 — Origami
Like many people who practice origami, I’ve tried lots of different types of paper, from leaflets that I’ve picked up, to copier paper, to fancy papers from craft shops.
One thing I always wanted was ‘real’ origami paper, with only one side coloured. Every time I came across some in shops, it was always so costly that I didn’t want to use it in case I made a mistake.
That all changed one day when I visited my local branch of Muji - they sell packs of origami paper for less than £1 each, and you get enough in each pack that you don’t need to worry about wasting it - all those modular origami models become very cheap to try out.
The large size is 15cm square, and you get 80 sheets in 27 different colours. One of the great features about this paper - apart from its cost - is that the sheets are perfectly square - you can fold away without having any trouble with alignment.
November 3rd, 2005 — Origami
This is a really simple model, but it looks really good when completed.
I’ve made a slightly more complex version using patterned origami paper, it really shows off the interplay of light and shade:
