Orgami folds

Support Basics & Interface
1

Is there an easy way to perform basic origami styled folds to a plane?

This weeks “weekend challenge” had me thinking on it. And I cannot seem to figure a good way to bend a side along a line.

The straight edge lines I can see pretty easily, its just a matter of alignment in the correct view and maybe snap the cusor to the edge-on vertice, & then move the center to the cursor. Rotate. or even rotate, and then adjust.

Thing is, I cannot figure how to do that along folds that are not perpendicular to X or Y axis.

Its probably just a conceptual problem, and I’m approaching this the wrong way. (or I’m missing a mesh editing option)

2

This would make your mesh ugly, but couldn’t you create an edge for each fold line, then use shape keys to define the animation of the folds? Or is it just for a single render?

3

Not sure if I follow you on this, but for what I was thinking on, I don’t think an ugly mesh would be all that bad.

Basically, I would like to easily take a plane and end up folded into an origami shape.

I just can’t think of a way to do the odd angles.

If it worked out to be an easy process, I could envision putting together an animation moving from a flat piece of paper to a complete folded object.

4

Take it from me (And I cite my entry in the WC!) Start with a piece of paper and fold that up first! Then you have a phisical model to work from.

Hang on - I’ll upload a blend with the crane and the from I did and you can see the hell it was to fold them up!

5

Here it is…

BLEND FILE

6

Ammusionist, nice origami. How do you model that?
BTW: I like origami too :slight_smile:

7

there are alot of step-by step images of how to fold origami. Usually the include an image of the flat paper with all the crease lines on it. I would use this as a guide for the mesh topology and create a rectangle mesh with verts creating lines along all the crease marks. Then it’s a matter of either using RVKs or bones ton animate the puppy. Hope that helps.

8

I gotta say it was nasty! - I had to keep a folded model sitting on my keyboard all the time.

I just tried to explain it simply, but nada! I’m going to have to do a PDF tutorial with some piccies!

Stay tuned - It’ll probably be a few days…

9

hi. it has been a few and few more day

10

Use widgets and rotate around cursor. Set the widgets to “normal”, select the edge you want to fold around and place the cursor there. Then select all the vertices you want to move, and rotate using the widget. Ian

11

Damn, doesn’t work unless all vertices you are folding are in a straight line. Looks like you might have to just keep moving the view. Annoying, but it will work.

12

what’s a widget?

13

I have a good idea of how to do it… but now I have to try it. Maybe I be smart enough to take screenies so I can explain it.

@Whiplash effigy - manipulator arms and rotator thingymabobs. click the hand shaped icon in the 3D view buttons to see them.

14

Let’s see if this will help in lining up those folds…

http://img489.imageshack.us/img489/9186/astrolabe0032vr.th.png

Basically… you build yourself an Astrolabe so you can see what you are doing.

  • use an ortho camera
  • Select edge you want to rotate around
  • move cursor to that edge [shift+s > cursor to selection]
  • select Astrolabe and move to cursor
  • line up Astrolabe with desired edge by rotating it
  • num pad* [line up view to object] with Astrolabe selected
  • numpad down arrow 6 times, side arrow 3 times , the goal is to see only the astolabe edge on, looking straight down the axis you want to rotate around. Once you got it, set your camera there [CTRL+ALT+0] so you don’t lose it.
  • select the origami
  • select the verts you want to rotate
  • get back to your camera view of you moved
  • rotate [use r key]

Maybe somebody has a better way. One day there may be an astrolabe script :
{ algorithm to follow }

15

Here’s my shell of a script for it…

http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?p=649958#post649958