Arrangement
- an arrangement differs from an
assembly in that the parts of the model folded
from separate sheets of paper are not integrated
with each other except by proximity or alignment.
A multiple-sheet design which is held together by
glue is an arrangement not an assembly. Assembly - a
design composed of elements folded from several
sheets of paper which hold together in an
integrated manner without the use of glue.
Back-coating
- a process by which two different
materials (such as metal-foil and tissue-paper)
are laminated together to form a single foldable
sheet.
Base
- originally a configuration of folds
which offers opportunities for further
development in many different ways but more
recently also used to mean a preliminary fold
which contains the correct number of manipulable
points for the intended design.
Bleached
paper - homogeneous paper produced by
bleaching the fibres during the manufacturing
process.
Blintz
- to fold all four corners of a square into the
centre, thus reducing the paper to half its
original size.
Box-pleating
- a technique in which the model is in
effect produced by pleating and collapsing a long
square-section tube of paper.
Bronze
rectangle - the paperfolding term for
the rectangle which has edges in the proportion
of 1:sqrt3.
Bronze
triangle - a term for the triangle made
by cutting a bronze rectangle in half diagonally
which has edges in the proportion of 1:2:sqrt3
and internal angles of 30/60/90 degrees.
Building
with Butterflies - descriptive of a
delicate style of modular origami in which the
individual modules do not possess integral tabs
and pockets. Also the title of a book by David
Mitchell in which many of the modules are of this
kind.
Centre-pocket
module - a module which has a slit
across the central region of the module into
which the tabs of two other modules may be
inserted from different directions. The
well-known Sonobe module is a module of this
type.
Collapse
- a complex fold in which a grid of
previously established intersecting creases are
used simultaneously.
Complex
fold - a fold which flattens to form
more than one crease or makes use of more than
one crease that has been established earlier in
the folding sequence.
Compound
module - a module which is itself made
out of several other modules.
Contrast
module - a module folded in such a way
that the part of the module that remains visible
after the design is assembled is formed partly
from one surface of the paper and partly from the
other.
Contrast
pattern - a pattern formed by combining
contrast modules. Contrast patterns may be
single-colour or multi-colour.
Corner-pocket
module - a module in which some of the
corners have been turned inside out to form
pockets into which the tabs of other modules
(formed from corners that have not been turned
inside out) can be inserted.
Crease
- Generally, a permanent line of
weakness established by completely flattening the
axis of a fold, or the act of creating such a
weakness. Occasionally, a similar line of
weakness created by scoring the paper.
Differentiated
paper - paper in which the two surfaces
are easily distinguishable in terms of colour,
pattern or texture.
Dimpled
- description used of a polyhedral model
made in such a way that the flat faces of the
standard mathematical form are replaced by
inverted pyramids. (See also faceted.)
Double
bronze rectangle - the rectangle formed
by joining two bronze rectangles together long
edge to long edge or by cutting a bronze
rectangle in half across its shorter width.
Duo
- differentiated paper manufactured for folding
whose surfaces have been differentiated. Duo
paper may be either plain or patterned. The
surfaces of plain duo are each printed a
different plain colour. One surface of patterned
duo is printed with a pattern and the other with
a plain colour.
Drawing
with paper - a paperfolding technique in
which the two distinctly different surfaces of a
sheet of differentiated paper are used to create
a simple picture on one surface of the model.
Dry
tensioning - a technique for inducing
curves in paper through tension created by
carefully placed creases (as opposed to curves
created by wet-folding).
Dyed
paper - homogeneous paper produced by
dying the fibres during the manufacturing
process.
Eccentric
- a term used to describe modular cubes in which
the pattern on every face is different from the
pattern on every other face.
Edge
module - a module which forms one edge
of a polyhedral model. Because there are many
types of edge module the term is insufficient in
itself and should be used in conjunction with
clarifying terms like 'open-frame', 'split-face'
etc. A full classification of edge modules has
not been made. See also face module and vertex
module.
Edge-pocket
module - a module which has pockets
along two (or more) edges into which the tabs of
other modules may be inserted.
Ethics
- self-imposed design standards within
which individual paperfolding designers may (or
may not) choose to work, such as, for instance,
whether to allow the use of cuts, glue or
decoration etc and whether to work only from
squares, regular polygons, convex shapes etc.
Exploratory
paperfolding - investigating the
possibilities inherent in the process of
paperfolding by structured trial and error.
Face
module - a module which forms one
complete face of a polyhedral model. The module
for Paul Jackson's cube is a classic example of a
face module. See also edge module and vertex
module.
Faceted
- a term used to mean that the flat faces of a
polyhedral form have been replaced by inverted
pyramids. A skeletal model can be considered to
be a faceted form. (See also dimpled.)
Flat
origami - paperfolding in which each
fold is made through 180 degrees and flattened to
create a crease. This kind of origami is
particularly amenable to mathematical analysis.
FIT
- abbreviation standing for Five Intersecting
Tetrahedra, the name of a modular design by the
American paperfolder Tom Hull.
Foil
- paper backed with metal foil.
Fold
- the result of, or the process of,
introducing a change of direction into the
previously flat plane of the paper.
Fold-line
- a broken line used in origami diagrams to show
where the crease formed by flattening a fold will
form. A dashed line is used to represent a valley
fold and a dashed and dotted line to represent a
mountain fold.
Folded
edge - a double-layer edge created by
flattening a fold to form a crease.
Folding
geometry - a system of angles which work
in combination with each other during the process
of folding paper, for instance, 90/45/22.5 or
120/60/30 etc
Found
paper - paper which has been
manufactured and marketed for purposes other than
paperfolding eg writing paper, newsprint,
advertising flyers etc, but which is subsequently
purchased or collected to be used for folding.
Glossary
- a list of questionable definitions.
Hexoid
- a three-dimensional modular assembly
made from six identical modules.
Homogeneous
paper - paper in which the two surfaces
are identical or closely similar in colour,
pattern and texture. (The two surfaces of machine
manufactured papers can always be distinguished
by close examination.)
Inverted
- turned inside out or inwards.
Irogami
- differentiated paper manufactured for folding
which is white on one surface and printed a
single plain colour on the other. This kind of
paper is also sometimes referred to as 'kami'
(the general Japanese word for paper) or simply
as 'origami paper', but both of these terms are
confusing and irogami should be preferred.
Irogami literally means 'shaded or coloured
paper'. The term 'patterned irogami' can be used
to refer to paper which is white on one surface
and printed with a pattern on the other.
Iso-area
folding - a style of paperfolding and
virtual paperfolding invented by Toshihazu
Kawasaki in which the aim is to produce a model
(such as a flat pattern or polyhedral form) whose
final structure possesses iso-area symmetry.
Iso-area
model - a model or virtual model which
possesses iso-area symmetry.
Iso-area
symmetry - rotational inverse symmetry
in which similar folds or virtual folds are made
in alternative directions after a specified
degree of rotation has been applied.
Judgement
fold - a fold for which exact location
points do not exist, and which must therefore be
made by eye alone.
Kirigami
- paperfolding in which cuts are used as
an aid to the development of points and detail.
Kusudama
- Japanese word for a hanging ball of herbs or
flowers. In origami a term used for multipiece or
modular balls of origami flowers. Sometimes used
(incorrectly) to refer to any ball-like modular
origami assembly.
Limping
seagulls - a term used to refer to the
'M' configuration of the Sonobe module.
Location
points - the location points are the two
parts of the paper that must be brought together
in order that the crease produced by flattening
the fold will form in the correct place.
Macromodular
origami - a development of modular
origami in which complete modular assemblies are
combined into integrated second-generation
structures either with or without the use of
joining pieces.
Macromodule
- a complete modular assembly that can be used to
build a secong generation structure.
Manoeuvre
- a complex fold.
Minimalist
origami - a type of representational
origami in which the subject is suggested using
the smallest possible number of folds.
Model
- any paperfold at any stage in the folding
process or after the folding has been completed.
The use of the word model to describe a paperfold
does not imply that the design is
representational.
Modular
origami - a two stage paperfolding
technique which uses multiple sheets of paper. In
the first stage each sheet of paper is folded
into a module. In the second stage the modules
are assembled into an integrated flat shape or
three-dimensional structure.
The two stages of modular origami
are are not always as separate as the wording of
this definition implies. Sometimes the folding of
the modules continues after they have been
assembled, the classic example being Philip
Shen's Omega Star.
Origami using multiple sheets which
do not interlock (or which interlock but are
folded into completely dissimilar units) is
called multi-piece origami.
In Japan, modular origami is known
as yunnito (unit) origami.
Module
- The word 'module' was originally an
architectural term for a standard unit of
measurement - all modules being exactly the same
- but it is now in common use in a wider sense
.... the lunar module, for instance, was simply a
separate unit of the Apollo spacecraft. In
origami however, the word 'module' still implies
that the units are either all identical (usually)
or occur in sets of complementary units making up
identical sub-assemblies (more rarely) or at the
very least are similar in that they begin from
the same basic folds.
Some
paperfolders use the word 'unit' instead of
'module'. They mean the same and are completely
interchangeable.
Mountain
and valley folds - poetic terms invented
by the Japanese paperfolder Akira Yoshizawa to
describe the direction of movement of a fold in
relation to the plane of the model, in much the
same way as the terms clockwise and anticlockwise
describe the direction of movement around a
circle. Mountain and valley folds are identical
except in relation to the observer. In general a
fold in which the moving part of the paper
travels through an arc towards the folder is
described as a valley fold and one in which the
moving part of the paper travels through an arc
away from the folder is described as a mountain
fold. The terms are inherently confusing and
their use should be avoided wherever possible.
Movement-arrow
- a curved arrow used in origami
diagrams to show the direction in which a fold is
to be made.
MRC
- abbreviation standing for Magic Rose Cube, a
modular design in which a cube opens up into a
rose, designed by the American paperfolder
Valerie Vann.
Multi-colour
pattern - a pattern formed by combining
plain modules which have been folded from several
different colours or patterns of paper.
Multi-colour
contrast pattern - a pattern formed by
combining contrast modules folded from several
different colours or patterns of paper.
Multi-piece
origami - origami using multiple sheets
of paper. Modular origami can be viewed as a
sub-set of multi-piece origami.
Naive
origami - a class of representational
multiple sheet origami invented by the British
paperfolder David Mitchell which must conform to
six simple rules.
Nolids
- solids of no volume which are composed of
planes lonking the edges of the polyhedron with
the centre of symmetry. In origami nolids are a
type of planar design.
One-fold
origami - a technique invented by the
British paperfolder Paul Jackson in which curves
are induced in the paper by first making, then
breaking a single crease. The technique is
misnamed to the extent that the 'break' is in
fact a very short second crease.
OFTC
- abbreviation for Origami for the Connoisseur,
the English title of a book wriiten by Kunihiko
Kasahara and Toshie Takahama.
Open-frame
polyhedra - modular polyhedra in which
the centre of the faces are missing. Also known
as outline polyhedra.
Organic
origami - a technique popularised by the
French paperfolder Vincent Floderer in which
paper is first crumpled then stretched and
moulded into organic shapes.
Origami
- a Japanese word meaning 'folding
paper' adopted into English and other languages
without any change of meaning. Synonymous with
paperfolding.
Outline
polyhedra - modular polyhedra in which
the centre of the faces are missing. Also known
as open-frame polyhedra.
Outline
edge module - an edge module which forms
part of an outline or open-frame polyhedral
model.
Plain
module - a module folded in such a way
that the part of the module that remains visible
after the design is assembled is formed from just
one surface of the paper.
Platinum
rectangles - a term proposed by David
Mitchell for the twin rectangles which contain
the golden-proportion triangles arranged apex to
apex and which are therefore of particular use in
obtaining elegant designs based on 108 / 72 / 36
degree folding geometry.
Pre-creasing
- Specifically, the technique of
creating a crease at an early stage in a folding
sequence which will not be used in the structure
of the model until a later stage is reached.
Generally, a folding technique in which a series
of intersecting creases are created individually
then used in combination.
Pure
origami - a style of origami in which
the only material used is paper (no foil etc) and
the only process used is folding (no cuts, no
glue, no decoration).
Pureland
origami - a folding style invented by
the British paperfolder John Smith which attempts
to explore what can be achieved if the range of
permissible technique is limited to basic
mountain and valley folds made and used
individually.
RAT
- abbreviation standing for 'right about there' -
a way of referring to the positioning of a
judgement fold.
Raw
edge - a single layer edge, originally
one of the outside edges of the unfolded paper.
Semi-naive
origami - a type of naive origami in
which rules 3 or 5 are not adhered to.
Silver
rectangle - the rectangle which has
sides in the proportion of 1:sqrt2. This
rectangle is also sometimes known as the true
rectangle or as DIN size paper.
Silver
triangle - the right-angle isosceles
triangle, which shares with the silver rectangle
the property that it can be continuously bisected
into self-similar shapes.
Silverhedra
- polyhedra whose faces are all silver triangles.
Simple
fold - a fold which flattens to form a
single crease or makes use of a single crease
that has been established earlier in the folding
sequence. See complex fold.
Single-colour
contrast pattern - a pattern formed by
combining contrast modules folded from just one
colour or pattern of paper.
Sink
- a complex fold in which a corner of the model
is turned inside out to become a pocket. Sinks
may be either open or closed. An open sink is one
in which the layers of the paper can be opened to
allow the sink to be achieved in a structured
manner. A closed sink is one where the layers of
the paper cannot be opened and the sink must be
performed in an ad hoc manner. Closed sinks can
often be turned into open sinks by a careful
restructuring of the layers.
Skeletal
polyhedra - modular models of nolids
(solids of no volume) in which the planes of the
nolid are represented in paper.
Soft
fold - a fold made without forming a
sharp crease, usually while the paper is damp
(see Wet-folding)
Split-face
edge module - an edge module which
extends to the centre of symmetry of both the
adjacent faces.
Squarism
- a slightly derogative word sometimes
used to describe the belief that folding squares
is somehow 'purer' than folding other rectangles.
Stellation
- in mathematics a stellation is a form
produced by extending the sides of a convex
polyhedron until they intersect. In origami this
term is often misused to mean any star-like form
produced by adding pyramids to the faces of a
convex polyhedron.
Surface
- a sheet of paper has two surfaces. Homogenous
paper has surfaces which are identical or closely
similar, differentiated paper has surfaces which
are easily distinguished from each other.
Swivel
fold - a complex fold in which making
one fold automatically entails making another in
the opposite direction.
Tessellation
- in origami a tessellation is a
repetitive geometrical pattern of flat folds
which is created by pre-creasing and
twist-folding a single sheet of paper.
Unit
origami - a translation of yunnito
origami - the Japanese term for modular
paperfolding.
Valley
fold - see entry for Mountain fold
Vertex
module - a module which forms one corner
(or vertex) of a polyhedral model. See also edge
module and face module.
Visible
surface - those parts of the surfaces of
the paper which remain visible after the model
has been completed. Like the paper from which
they are derived, visible surfaces can be
homogeneous or differentiated.
Wet-folding
- a technique invented by the Japanese
paperfolder Akira Yoshizawa in which the paper is
dampened before it is folded. Damp paper folds
like cloth and does not take a crease. Folds set
into damp paper become permanent once the paper
dries. It is not possible to unfold such designs
without dampening them again and therefire not
possible to show that the paper has not been
differentially stretched, thus losing its
integrity as a folding medium.
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