A common question about a Crease Pattern, also known as a CP, is: “What is a Crease Pattern?” A CP is what you get when you fold a model and unfold it completely. You would get a bunch of mountain and valley fold lines.
Use of a Crease Pattern:
But what is the use of a CP? Most people might think that a CP is not much; you cannot create anything from it. But in truth, origami experts, perhaps even those at a high intermediate level, could fold the model from a CP and repeat folding the model with the exact shape, dimension, etc.
But why use a CP instead of diagrams? Wouldn’t folding from a CP be harder? That may be true, but diagrams are hard to draw, and sometimes it is:
a) Hard to draw diagrams in 3D.
b) Hard to let others understand what you are explaining.
Valley and Mountain fold lines:
A common question about drawing a CP is: How do you make a Crease Pattern accurately and definite which lines are mountain and valley folds? But development in technology allowed us to draw them using the computer. As for most crease patterns, dotted or dashed lines means valley and solid lines mean mountain, even tough you could do it vice versa. However, when it goes to super-complex models, all the lines are so near to distinguish if they are mountain or valley folds. In this case, we use to different colors, e.g. blue (to represent valley) and red (to represent mountain). In other words, one type of line stands for “inside”, which generally means the line would not be seen after it is folded (it is a valley fold); and the other means “outside”, which means the line would be seen after it is folded (it is a mountain fold).
But you might notice this (it’s an example, yours might be variations of it):
There is a horizontal mountain fold, but a vertical valley fold gets in the way, and the line is continued as a valley fold, but, is a mountain fold again later on, separated by a vertical mountain fold crease. (Now just a reminder: crease the mountain fold as a mountain fold, the valley fold as a valley fold, and try not to fold out of the line that is a mountain fold, and folded the valley fold as part of the mountain instead.) This means that you have to fold along the vertical valley fold crease, and fold the vertical mountain crease. Now, it is one whole mountain fold crease (but you might have to do this on the other end, depending on what model you are folding.) So just fold along the mountain fold crease. If you open up and check, you should find that the valley fold crease is still a valley fold. (Read further down for more information about why I said “still” and not “now”.)
However, there is one variation worth talking about: You have a vertical mountain crease (line A), and there are two mountain (or valley, it could be either) creases forming a “V” shape (line BC), followed by a short valley fold crease (Line D) continuing line A, a horizontal mountain fold crease (line E), and Mountain fold crease continuing lines A and D. Line BC means a reverse fold. As for the later half part of this step, it is the same as before.
Creating models from a Crease Pattern:
A CP, too, helps you to create models. In the past, origami designers might use the method of thinking of a subject (for instance, an insect); draw a stick figure of it; think of how to fold a “base” to have flaps which represent the lines of the stick figure. After that, they have to sketch out the Crease Pattern of the base. But in the 1970s, origami expert Dr. Robert J. Lang of USA created a program called TreeMaker. It is a software which you could draw out a base, adjust it to be symmetrical, and build a Crease Pattern. From there, you could make the base from the Crease Pattern, where you could continue making the model by yourself. In addition to this, Robert Lang has an excellent chapter on CP folding in his book, Origami Design Secrets.
Folding from a Crease Pattern:
First, you have to fold all the lines correctly. That is called “pre-creasing”. Then, follow the steps stated above to reach the base of the animal. It is normal to be unsuccessful for the first few times. Then, flatten all creases. This is called “collapsing”. As for making it into a complete model, you have to continue it by yourself. If you need help, you could find them in books, on the Internet, and you could also approach your local origami club/society/organization.
However, you may find that the CP you are making requires thicker paper, or you may like to have the finished result on another piece of paper. If this is the case, you could paste the second piece of paper behind the paper with the CP, pre-crease, or even practice folding the model once, before unfolding and taking out the second piece of paper. Then, fold the model with the paper you want. You should also consider practicing the model a few times first.
Problems of a Crease Pattern:
So far, you might think that a Crease Pattern is very convenient, but there are still problems:
a) Computer-made/drawn Crease Patterns cannot include curved lines.
b) To fold from a CP, you need to have skill, practice, and you must think clearly which part is which.
c) Unlike diagrams, you cannot look forward at the next step, as there are no accurate steps that you can follow in order.
d) If you fold a line as a mountain, then a valley, then a mountain again, It would be hard to make it collapse as a correctly.
You can download some CPs from:
Roman Diaz's website
Use of a Crease Pattern:
But what is the use of a CP? Most people might think that a CP is not much; you cannot create anything from it. But in truth, origami experts, perhaps even those at a high intermediate level, could fold the model from a CP and repeat folding the model with the exact shape, dimension, etc.
But why use a CP instead of diagrams? Wouldn’t folding from a CP be harder? That may be true, but diagrams are hard to draw, and sometimes it is:
a) Hard to draw diagrams in 3D.
b) Hard to let others understand what you are explaining.
Valley and Mountain fold lines:
A common question about drawing a CP is: How do you make a Crease Pattern accurately and definite which lines are mountain and valley folds? But development in technology allowed us to draw them using the computer. As for most crease patterns, dotted or dashed lines means valley and solid lines mean mountain, even tough you could do it vice versa. However, when it goes to super-complex models, all the lines are so near to distinguish if they are mountain or valley folds. In this case, we use to different colors, e.g. blue (to represent valley) and red (to represent mountain). In other words, one type of line stands for “inside”, which generally means the line would not be seen after it is folded (it is a valley fold); and the other means “outside”, which means the line would be seen after it is folded (it is a mountain fold).
But you might notice this (it’s an example, yours might be variations of it):
There is a horizontal mountain fold, but a vertical valley fold gets in the way, and the line is continued as a valley fold, but, is a mountain fold again later on, separated by a vertical mountain fold crease. (Now just a reminder: crease the mountain fold as a mountain fold, the valley fold as a valley fold, and try not to fold out of the line that is a mountain fold, and folded the valley fold as part of the mountain instead.) This means that you have to fold along the vertical valley fold crease, and fold the vertical mountain crease. Now, it is one whole mountain fold crease (but you might have to do this on the other end, depending on what model you are folding.) So just fold along the mountain fold crease. If you open up and check, you should find that the valley fold crease is still a valley fold. (Read further down for more information about why I said “still” and not “now”.)
However, there is one variation worth talking about: You have a vertical mountain crease (line A), and there are two mountain (or valley, it could be either) creases forming a “V” shape (line BC), followed by a short valley fold crease (Line D) continuing line A, a horizontal mountain fold crease (line E), and Mountain fold crease continuing lines A and D. Line BC means a reverse fold. As for the later half part of this step, it is the same as before.
Creating models from a Crease Pattern:
A CP, too, helps you to create models. In the past, origami designers might use the method of thinking of a subject (for instance, an insect); draw a stick figure of it; think of how to fold a “base” to have flaps which represent the lines of the stick figure. After that, they have to sketch out the Crease Pattern of the base. But in the 1970s, origami expert Dr. Robert J. Lang of USA created a program called TreeMaker. It is a software which you could draw out a base, adjust it to be symmetrical, and build a Crease Pattern. From there, you could make the base from the Crease Pattern, where you could continue making the model by yourself. In addition to this, Robert Lang has an excellent chapter on CP folding in his book, Origami Design Secrets.
Folding from a Crease Pattern:
First, you have to fold all the lines correctly. That is called “pre-creasing”. Then, follow the steps stated above to reach the base of the animal. It is normal to be unsuccessful for the first few times. Then, flatten all creases. This is called “collapsing”. As for making it into a complete model, you have to continue it by yourself. If you need help, you could find them in books, on the Internet, and you could also approach your local origami club/society/organization.
However, you may find that the CP you are making requires thicker paper, or you may like to have the finished result on another piece of paper. If this is the case, you could paste the second piece of paper behind the paper with the CP, pre-crease, or even practice folding the model once, before unfolding and taking out the second piece of paper. Then, fold the model with the paper you want. You should also consider practicing the model a few times first.
Problems of a Crease Pattern:
So far, you might think that a Crease Pattern is very convenient, but there are still problems:
a) Computer-made/drawn Crease Patterns cannot include curved lines.
b) To fold from a CP, you need to have skill, practice, and you must think clearly which part is which.
c) Unlike diagrams, you cannot look forward at the next step, as there are no accurate steps that you can follow in order.
d) If you fold a line as a mountain, then a valley, then a mountain again, It would be hard to make it collapse as a correctly.
You can download some CPs from:
Roman Diaz's website
