Balls and Polyhedra


Models of this type are also automatically listed in: abstract, geometric, mathematical object More restrictive types: cubes and cuboids, modular balls and polyhedra, modular cubes and cuboids, other modular polyhedron, other polyhedra, single-sheet cubes and cuboids

Models representing all sorts of polyhedra, including roundish ones (spheres and other smooth shapes can mostly only be approximated in origami).

This page lists models of a single type. You might be interested in folding instructions instead.
Dodecahedron (Penultimate Unit)

Dodecahedron (Penultimate Unit)

A regular dodecahedron made from Penultimate Unit, designed by Robert Neale. These units are very simple to fold and very versatile.

Cube (Penultimate Unit)

Cube (Penultimate Unit)

A cube made from Penultimate Unit, designed by Robert Neale. These units are very simple to fold and very versatile.

Cut Surfaces of a Cube (CFW 339)

Cut Surfaces of a Cube (CFW 339)

This interesting model by Shuzo Fujimoto represents a cube with a corner cut off. Depending on the proportions of the paper strip used, the cut surface is cl...

Cuboctahedron (Open Frame Unit)

Cuboctahedron (Open Frame Unit)

I folded this cuboctahedron from modified Open Frame Units (Tomoko Fuse) around 2013. Just 12 units are used, and without modification, they would create a r...

Two-Unit Cube III

Two-Unit Cube III

Yet another approach to making a cube from two identical units. This design is paper-effective, and looks very clean from the top and the sides. Looking at t...

Tetris

Tetris

The complete set of seven Tetris pieces, recreated in origami using the business card cube module. Of the seven pieces, six require the same number of units ...

Heart, Ladybug, and Mushroom on BBU Cube

Heart, Ladybug, and Mushroom on BBU Cube

This model is just a friendly reminder that almost any tessellation can be transformed into a BBU tile, and combined with other tiles to create 3D shapes wit...

Tetrahedron (Dark Garden pattern)

Tetrahedron (Dark Garden pattern)

I photographed this model ten years ago, in January 2013. It is just a simple tetrahedron folded from Francis Ow’s 60 degree unit. What makes it more interes...

Fujimoto Cube

Fujimoto Cube

This cube, folded from a single square, is one of Shuzo Fujimoto’s most famous designs. Not only is the model very firm, but the folding sequence is a master...

Cube (BBU E7)

Cube (BBU E7)

Another cube from BBU-s: 6 × E7, 6 × D4 6 × A1.

90-Edge Buckyball (PHiZZ Variant IV)

90-Edge Buckyball (PHiZZ Variant IV)

This was an experiment with yet another PHiZZ variation of mine, conducted a few years ago. I chose too soft paper (or too large sheets) for this model which...

Two-Unit Cube II

Two-Unit Cube II

Another simple model in which a cube is built from just two units. See also: Two-Unit Cube I.

Two-Unit Cube I

Two-Unit Cube I

This is a very simple modular origami design I recently came up with when revisiting my Oxi unit from a few years ago. The unit has folded edges on one side ...

Hydrangea Cube (Harmony paper)

Hydrangea Cube (Harmony paper)

Shuzo Fujimoto’s Hydrangea can be used as a modular unit. The method was first published by Meenakshi Mukerji and then reinvented independently by myself. I ...

Lelum Cube

Lelum Cube

A modified version of Lelum Polelum Cube where one out of each pair of flaps is hidden.

Lelum Polelum Cube

Lelum Polelum Cube

A Cube from a unit I recently designed and later learned that was earlier designed independently by Saburo Kase. More details in the unit’s description.

Mesos Logo (Cube-Hexagon Illusion)

Mesos Logo (Cube-Hexagon Illusion)

This is the logo of Apache Mesos (cluster management software) rendered in origami. A colleague at work suggested I try designing this object in origami afte...

Purple 90-Edge Buckyball (PHiZZ Variant II)

Purple 90-Edge Buckyball (PHiZZ Variant II)

90-edge buckyball made from a variation of Tom Hull’s PHiZZ unit. I know that other people have also designed this simple variant of the unit independently f...

Lotus Cube

Lotus Cube

Lotus Cube, made from a variant of my BBU (Building Block Units). Even though it is possible to make a cube from just 6 lotus BBU units, such an assembly is ...

Coaster Cube

Coaster Cube

This cube is made from a slightly modified variant of my Woven Slit Module (WSM). 36 units are used (6×4 = 24 for the faces and 12 for the edges), made from ...

Flower Icosahedron (StEM)

Flower Icosahedron (StEM)

This is an icosahedron (or dodecahedron, depending on how you look at it) made from a modified version of Sturdy Edge Module (StEM), a 90-degree unit variant...

Cube from Recursive Four-Sink Base

Cube from Recursive Four-Sink Base

This cube is made from six units, each of which is a recursive four-sink base modified for use as a module.

Fractal Pinwheel Cube

Fractal Pinwheel Cube

This is an example of using my Fractal Pinwheel as a modular unit. Due to small size, there’s only one level so the fractalness is not so clearly visible.

Cube (2:1 paper, slits outside)

Cube (2:1 paper, slits outside)

In this assembly method, each of the cube’s faces is made of two modules which are both attached to both perpendicular modules in the same way. Together with...

Adjustable Cube

Adjustable Cube

This cube is a mechanical toy. Its size can be adjusted: the cube can grow or shrink by a factor of about two. It starts out as a cube with a pattern resembl...

Knobby Cube

Knobby Cube

Another combination of Building Block Units and tessellations, this time Fujimoto’s Clover Folding, folded without the decorative margin. 18 modules: 6 × BB...

Square Weave Cube

Square Weave Cube

This is a modular cube made of six Square Weave Tessellations. The connection method is mine, the authorship of the Square Weave Tessellation seems to be dis...

Hydrangea Cube

Hydrangea Cube

I came up with the idea of connecting Hydrangeas to form a modular origami design independently, then found out Meenakshi Mukerji had published it in her boo...

Clover Cube

Clover Cube

This model is a combination of Building Block Units and Fujimoto’s Clover Folding. The models amounts to 18 units, 12 of which are BBUs (6 × D10 variant, 6 ×...

Rectangular Cuboid

Rectangular Cuboid

This model demonstrates how Building Block Units can be modified to form rectangular rather than square faces. Just like the cube, this model uses 12 modules...

Expanded Hexagonal Prism

Expanded Hexagonal Prism

This is a shape created by placing cubes on the outer square walls of a hexagonal prism. This way, the outer outline becomes a dodecagonal prism. Seen from t...

Cube (BBU E10)

Cube (BBU E10)

Due to the E10 tile’s small flaps, it can’t be directly attached to the flaps of inner A1 tiles. An additional “sizing” layer of A2 tiles is needed for prope...

Cube (BBU D9)

Cube (BBU D9)

Cube from 12 modules: 6 × D9, 6 × A1.

14-Spoked Wheel

14-Spoked Wheel

Mathematically speaking, this wheel is a tetradecagonal prism. This construction, which uses a mix of units made from 1:√2 and 1:2√2 paper, isn’t mathematica...

Large Cube

Large Cube

This cube uses PVM Edge Connector Units to create extra distance between the Vertex Modules.

Cube from Sunken Vertex Units

Cube from Sunken Vertex Units

The result of using the sunken variant of PVM Vertex Unit is a cube with four vertices replaced by inverted pyramids.

Toshie’s Jewel (StEM)

Toshie’s Jewel (StEM)

Normally, Toshie’s jewel is made from Sonobe units, but this one is made from StEM units instead.

Octahedron with Inverted Spikes on all Faces

Octahedron with Inverted Spikes on all Faces

This model’s structure is an octahedron whose each face was replaced with a pyramid of three equilateral right triangles, pointing inwards. Units are located...

Tetrahedron (StEM)

Tetrahedron (StEM)

This model (first from the left) is compared here with some other simple polyhedra folded from the same kind of module. Note how the tetrahedron looks almost...

Tetrahedron (SEU Sonobe)

Tetrahedron (SEU Sonobe)

This model (first in bottom row) is shown compared to other models folded from SEU units made from 2:1 and square paper (top and bottom row, respectively). N...

Tetrahedron (SEU from 2:1 paper)

Tetrahedron (SEU from 2:1 paper)

This model (first in top row) is shown compared to other models folded from SEU units made from 2:1 and square paper (top and bottom row, respectively). Note...

Octahedron (StEM, modules pointing outside)

Octahedron (StEM, modules pointing outside)

This model (first from the right, top row) is compared here with some other simple polyhedra folded from the same kind of module. The two octahedra demonstra...

Octahedron (StEM, modules pointing inside)

Octahedron (StEM, modules pointing inside)

This model (first from the right, bottom row) is compared here with some other simple polyhedra folded from the same kind of module. The two octahedra demons...

Octahedron (SEU Sonobe)

Octahedron (SEU Sonobe)

This model (last in bottom row) is shown compared to other models folded from SEU units made from 2:1 and square paper (top and bottom row, respectively). No...

Octahedron (SEU from 2:1 paper)

Octahedron (SEU from 2:1 paper)

This model (last in top row) is shown compared to other models folded from SEU units made from 2:1 and square paper (top and bottom row, respectively). Note ...

Cube (StEM)

Cube (StEM)

This model (second from the left) is compared here with some other simple polyhedra folded from the same kind of module.

Cube (SEU Sonobe)

Cube (SEU Sonobe)

This model (second in bottom row) is shown compared to other models folded from SEU units made from 2:1 and square paper (top and bottom row, respectively).

Cube (SEU from 2:1 paper)

Cube (SEU from 2:1 paper)

This model (second in top row) is shown compared to other models folded from SEU units made from 2:1 and square paper (top and bottom row, respectively).

Ticket Cube

Ticket Cube

I folded this business card cube from Warsaw public transport tickets rather than from business cards. 12 modules: 6 for the body and 6 for the coating.

Truncated Octahedron

Truncated Octahedron

This was one of my early modifications of the 60° unit. Note that in this modification, the angle at the module’s tip is NOT 60 degrees.

Flower Icosahedron (60°)

Flower Icosahedron (60°)

Compare with a dodecahedron constructed from units modified by me in a similar manner, and with a model with the same structure but using StEM units.

Icosahedron

Icosahedron

You can compare this model, which uses straight, unmodified units, with two models made from the same units after slight modification: Flower Icosahedron and...

Umbrella Dodecahedron

Umbrella Dodecahedron

The module, originally designed just for folding this dodecahedron, can be also used for other kinds of models. See, for example, this spiked icosahedron.

Poinsettia Ball

Poinsettia Ball

Model is placed near a real Poinsettia flower for comparison.

Decorated Dodecahedron (Penultimate unit)

Decorated Dodecahedron (Penultimate unit)

This model is made from 90 modules (modified variant for triangular faces). Each face of the dodecahedron is made from a 5-triangle group, where the triangul...

Truncated Cube (PHiZZ)

Truncated Cube (PHiZZ)

Generally, PHiZZ units are always connected in such way that three modules meet at each vertex. However, one can connect just two modules at some points, thu...

Modified Buckyball (120 edges)

Modified Buckyball (120 edges)

This is my experiment in modular origami made from two different types of units: 60 PHiZZ and 60 Penultimate units. These two kinds of modules are quite simi...

Jitterbug Icosidodecahedron

Jitterbug Icosidodecahedron

You can squeeze this model and transform it into an icosahedron, closing the empty space between units. This is called the jitterbug transformation.

Decorated Icosidodecahedron

Decorated Icosidodecahedron

One of the larger models I have designed, this icosidodecahedron has pentagonal faces made up of small triangular pyramids and triangular faces replaced with...

Steinhaus Puzzle

Steinhaus Puzzle

This puzzle, described in Hugo Steinhaus’ book Kalejdoskop matematyczny (Mathematical Snapshots, literally Mathematical Kaleidoscope) consists of six pieces,...

Large Icosahedron

Large Icosahedron

This icosahedron has nine triangular pyramids pointing inwards on each face. The same shape can also be described as a truncated icosahedron whose each face ...