Origami Heaven

A paperfolding paradise

The website of writer and paperfolding designer David Mitchell

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Designs from the Paul Jackson Cube
 
This page contains brief details of designs derived from the Paul Jackson Cube. If you are aware of any other such designs please let me know.

The Paul Jackson Cube, is a plain sided cube made from six very simple modules. The modules are provided with tabs but there are no pockets, the tabs of one module simply slotting neatly in between the tabs on two others and inside the cube as a whole, a method which proves sufficent to hold the cube together surprisingly well.

On its own it is quite possibly the best design in the whole modular origami repertoire but it also possesses three key qualities which make it an ideal design to construct variations from:

1. The faces of the cube are plain and each is made from a single module. This makes it easy to achieve a clean result when distorting the form.

2. It is easy to take the modules apart and put them back together in different arrangements without damaging them.

3.When used as a macromodule the Paul Jackson Cube is compatible with the Robert Neale Octahedron and my Tricorne when folded from the same size squares.

The Paul Jackson Cube is an even distribution design, the surface of the finished cube being four layers thick at every point.
 
 
 
  Name: The Paul Jackson Cube

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: Paul Jackson, early 1970's.

Diagrams: On-line diagrams can be found on the Modular Designs page of this site..
 
Patterned Variations
 
  Name: Iso Cubes - variations of the Paul Jackson Cube that can be assembled from the same set of modules.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 2001.

Diagrams: In Building with Butterflies (2nd Edition) - Water Trade - ISBN 978-9534774-7-0.
 
  Name: The Centre Stripe Cube - a decorative variation of the Paul Jackson Cube.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 1989.

Diagrams: Not yet available.
 
  Name: The Chequerboard Cube - a decorative variation of the Paul Jackson Cube.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 1989.

Diagrams: In Building with Butterflies (2nd Edition) - Water Trade - ISBN 978-9534774-7-0.
 
  Name: Yin Yang Cubes - variations of the Paul Jackson Cube that can both be assembled from the same set of modules.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 2001.

Diagrams: In Building with Butterflies (2nd Edition) - Water Trade - ISBN 978-9534774-7-0.
 
  Name: Inside Out Yin Yang Cube - variation of the Paul Jackson Cube that makes use of an internal slit cut in the module through which one half of the module is turned inside out.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 2001.

Diagrams: Not yet available
 
  Name: Single Diagonal Stripe Cubes - variations of the Paul Jackson Cube that can be assembled from the same set of modules.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 2001.

Diagrams: In Building with Butterflies (2nd Edition) - Water Trade - ISBN 978-9534774-7-0.
 
  Name: Double Diagonal Stripe Cubes - variations of the Paul Jackson Cube that can be assembled from the same set of compound modules.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: 6 compound modules, each from two squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 2001.

Diagrams: In Building with Butterflies (2nd Edition) - Water Trade - ISBN 978-9534774-7-0.
 
Surface Distortions
 
  Name: The Paul Jackson Cuboctahedron - produced by inverting all the corners of the Paul Jackson Cube to the mid-point of each edge.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: Paul Jackson, shortly after discovering his eponymous cube, in the early 1970s.

Diagrams: Not yet available.
 
  Name: The Columbus Cube - inverting just one corner of the Paul Jackson Cube produces a cube that will stand on one corner on a flat surface and act as a macromodule.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 1989.

Diagrams: In Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell - Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
 
  Name: The Tetracube - which lie at the corner of one of the tetrahedra that could be inscribed within it. Unlike the Columbus Cube the Tetracube is a regular modular design. The Tetracube will also act as a macromodule.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 1990.

Diagrams: In Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell - Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
 
  Name: Paper ball - a robust ball made by distorting all six corners of the Paul Jackson Cube. I made the ball in the picture in 1989 and have played keep it up tennis and catch with it on several occasions since. As you can see, it has survived quite well.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 1989.

Diagrams: Not yet available.
 
  Name: Metamorphosis - arrived at by applying the metamorphosis 1 distortion to one complete corner of the Paul Jackson Cube.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 1990. In its final clean form the design is my own but it owes much to the earlier work of Iris Walker, Ricky Wong and Wayne Brown.

Diagrams: In Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell - Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
 
  Name: Metamorphosis 2 - arrived at by applying the metamorphosis 2 distortion to one complete corner of the Paul Jackson Cube.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 1990.

Diagrams: In Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell - Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
 
  Name: The Icarus Cube

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 1998.

Diagrams: In Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell - Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
 
Cuboids
 
  Name: The Paul Jackson Silver Cuboid is the result of folding four of the modules of the Paul Jackson Cube from silver rectangles instead of from squares. Similar cuboids can be obtained by starting with any other rectangle, although the design becomes less stable as the height of the cuboid increases.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: 2 modules from squares and 2 sets of 2 modules from silver rectangles, all folded using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 2015.

Diagrams: Not yet available.
 
  Name: The Columbus Silver Cuboid is a version of the Paul Jackson Silver Cuboid in which one corner has been inverted to the mid-point of two short edges and symmetrically to the adjacent long edge. Like the Columbus Cube it will function as a macromodule.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: 2 modules from squares and 2 sets of 2 modules from silver rectangles, all folded using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 2015.

Diagrams: Not yet available.
 
Macromodular Designs
 
  Name: The Columbus Tower, also known as the Columbus Cubes, is made by the simple expedient of stacking Columbus Cubes one on top of the other. Columbus Towers can be combined to form walls and forests.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: Each Columbus Cube is made from 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 1989.

Diagrams: In Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell - Water Trade - ISBN

 
  Name: Columbus Silver Cuboids can be stacked to create a Columbus Silver Cuboid Tower, and combined to form walls and forests in the same way as the Columbus Cube. Columbus Cuboids folded from longer rectangles may not be able to be stacked in this way unless they are artificially weighted.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: Each Columbus Silver Cuboid is made from 2 modules from squares and 2 sets of 2 modules from silver rectangles, all folded using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 2015.

Diagrams: Not yet available.
 
  Name: Columbus Cubes can be combined with separating pieces to produce the Columbus Pyramid shown here.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: Each Columbus Cube is made from 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry. Each joining piece is from a square using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 1997.

Diagrams: In Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell - Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
 
  Name: The Crooked Tower is made by combining Paul Jackson Cubes and Robert Neale Octahedra alternately in a stack

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: Each Paul Jackson Cube is made from 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry. Each Robert Neale Octahedron is made from 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 1997.

Diagrams: In Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell - Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
 
  Name: The Octacube is made by combining eight Paul Jackson Cubes and six Robert Neale Octahedra. Larger versions can be constructed by adding more macromodules.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: Each Paul Jackson Cube is made from 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry. Each Robert Neale Octahedron is made from 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 1997.

Diagrams: Not yet available.
 
  Name: Paul Jackson Cubes and Robert Neale Octahedra can also be combined to create a version of the Octahedral Pyramid that I call the Octacube Pyramid.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: Each Paul Jackson Cube is made from 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry. Each Robert Neale Octahedron is made from 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 1997.

Diagrams: Not yet available.
 
  Name: The Leaning Tower - a macromodular design made by combining Paul Jackson Cubes and Tricornes in a stack

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: Each Paul Jackson Cube is made from 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry. Each Tricorne is made from 3 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 1998.

Diagrams: In Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell - Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
 
  Name: Slide is made by combining Columbus Cubes, Paul Jackson Cubes and Tricornes in a pyramidal form. The cubes and Tricorne's are linked together with joining pieces.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: Each Paul Jackson Cube and each Columbus Cube is made from 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry. Each Tricorne is made from 3 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 2010.

Diagrams: In Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell - Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
 
  Name: The Icarus Tower - a macromodular sculpture built from Icarus Cubes using joining pieces.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: Each Icarus Cube is made from 6 modules from squares using standard folding geometry. Each joining piece is folded from a one sixteenth size square using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 1998.

Diagrams: In Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell - Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
 
  Name: The Ring of Cubes can either be made by glueing five Columbus Cubes together or by linking together five Ring of Cubes macromodules, which are provided with the necessary tabs and pockets to make this possible without nedding to use glue.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: 30 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 1990 (both versions).

Diagrams for the pure origami version can be found in Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell - Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
 
  Name: The Ring of Cubes design can be extended, using either method, to create a Ball of Cubes. Further macromodules can be added to produce more complex forms.

Modules / Paper shape / Folding geometry: 120 modules from squares using standard folding geometry.

Designer / Date: David Mitchell, 1990 (both versions).

Diagrams for the pure origami version can be found in Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell - Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.