Let’s make something!
2D to 3D
fold irregular objects
If you managed to complete the last tutorial (a 3d object with 50 faces), then get ready for... irregular objects! A 3d object can have many faces, and it can also look like anything (for example: shapes of rocks and crystals in nature).
An object that is not absolutely symmetric is known as irregular. It means that there is no ‘regular’ expected order (is not always balanced between top and bottom, or left and right). Some irregular objects are more irregular than others (for example: crystals look irregular but still are regular enough to look similar to other crystals).
As we have seen before, the best way to make flat shapes for objects with many faces, is with help of a computer 3d-model program. If you make a 3d object in these programs, they can ‘unfold’ it for you to print + fold + glue. For this tutorial, we used a computer program to flatten the pieces of a crystal sculpture. The sculpture has 3 parts: there is a base at the bottom, and a ring of 6 crystals on top, and then a large 7th crystal in the middle.
CRYSTAL SCULPTURE crystal 7
crystal 5 crystal 6 crystal 1 crystal 2
crystal 4
crystal 3
base
Start by making the base (glue bottom, sides, and top). Then, make each crystal (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). Each crystal has a stem and a tip. If it says ‘closed crystal’, first glue the tip to the stem and then glue it all closed.
5,6,7
base
1,2,3,4
Crystals 1-to-4 are a group next to each other. Glue them all to each other first. Note: many of the glue tabs will now need to be folded up instead of down. Next, glue crystals 5 and 6 to crystal 7 and then glue crystal 7 to the group of 1-4. Finally, you can glue all the crystals to the base. Since this is the last part to glue, you might not be able to reach behind the glue tabs. Just add a little glue to each tab slowly and let it all dry completely.
When a 3d object has many faces AND is also irregular, the flat shape takes up more room because the shapes spread out in many different directions. Because of this, they usually need to be split up into different parts and then glued back together. (otherwise the paper might not be big enough to print it)
The first step for splitting up shapes is to measure how big you want to make the object. With that size in mind, estimate the measurement of one long edge of the object (or any edge that’s easy to recognize; longest edges are often the easiest to find in any shape). Make sure that the size of the edge is not longer than your paper (11 inches for letter or 17 inches for tabloid). 10 inches
HOW TO PRINT A COMPLEX SHAPE
6 inches
example: 3D ‘egg crystal’
Then find that same edge in your unfolded shape. And enlarge the whole shape until that edge is the correct size. (be sure that your unfolded shape has all the numbered glue tabs that it needs).
6 inches
Then fit as many faces as possible inside one sheet of paper of the size that you will use.
8.5
1 x1
inc
r
pe
a hp
23
Finally, on each sheet of paper, keep only the faces that fit, and add numbers and glue tabs to any edges that were split. Continue the same numbering of glue tabs that your drawing already had (for example, if your drawing already had 26 glue tabs, then the first one that you split will be #27, and so on).
24
22
27
28
25 26
Note: Even when you split up a shape, the smallest pieces (faces) might be too big to fit on your sheets of paper (letter or tabloid size paper). This means that you are trying to make your object too big. (folding 2d to 3d is best for small and mid-size objects) In this tutorial, we have already split up our pattern into 18 sheets of paper, all ready to cut and glue.
crystals:
All the way down to their atomic structure, the shape of crystals is determined by mathematical rules. The flat faces of crystals can be squares, rectangles, triangles, diamonds or hexagons. The 6 main crystal shapes are Cubic, Tetragonal, Hexagonal Trigonal, Rhombic, Monoclinic, and Triclinic. Often (like in the case of quartz) they are long pointed crystals (a hexagon stem and a 6-sided pyramid at the tip).
ip
and t
53
stem
124
8
120
122
121
11
12 2
117 22
121
118
46
12 3
126
1
25
CRYSTAL 1 126
125
0
12
124
119
stem and tip part 1
54 25
55
56
50
56 51
123 51
53
81
52
CRYSTAL 2
CRYSTAL 2 81
47
52
79
82
79
83
80
84 7
80
55 stem and tip part 2
54
97
stem and tip 3
10
104
105
11
1
105
106
10
2
106
101
96
101
100 84
100
99
98
99
104
97
CRYSTAL 3
19
1
4
11
114
5
11
112
109
113
6 11
stem and tip
108
116
11
113
107 8
112
109
110
110
108
66
CRYSTAL 4
87
95
stem
88
17
72 90
21
91
85
93
92
63
89
86
87
CRYSTAL 5
(closed crystal)
95
CRYSTAL 5
94
93
(closed crystal)
91
94
92 89
90
tip
132
tip
138
8
13 134
7
13
136
135 135
CRYSTAL 6
(closed crystal)
CRYSTAL 6
134
131 69
(closed crystal) 71
stem part 1
133
18
128
132
12 127
127 138
9
12 130
49
67
137
stem part 2
CRYSTAL 6
136
70
(closed crystal)
131
68
47
82
58
98
83 49
0 13
ste m par t1
46
107
65
57
59
119
3 10
CRYSTAL 7
61
62 76
72
73
71
stem part 2
78
70
74
69
75
tip part 2
67 77
60
68
76
74
CRYSTAL 7
65 75
99
stem part 3
115
86
77
63
64
CRYSTAL 7
62
88
tip part 1
57
78
60
61
58
59
CRYSTAL 7
BASE
36
4
3 33
38
29 2
39
31
36
BOTTOM OF BASE
4
30
36
37
3
32
38 35
39
33
34 bottom of the base part 2
29 bottom of the base part 1
36
bottom of the base part 4
33
4
3 33
38
29
3
2 39
2
BOTTOM OF BASE
38
39
2
42
40 bottom of the base part 3
29
4
BASE
41
top of the base part 1
20
16
BASE
9
85
17
21
19
7
129
64
73
18
11
15 10
top of the base part 2
13
12
28 8
12
27
10
9
28 10
TOP OF BASE
11
14
9
27
5
28
6
26
10
2
96
7
9
TOP OF BASE
22
25
top of t he base part 3
28
50
8
top of the base part 4
27
27
10
24 23
BASE
35
sides of the base
37
44
31
23
24
15
34
11
14
43
40 16
20 42
30
32
45
45
BASE
41
6
5
1
44
13 43
1
26