Introduction to 3d Origami and Basics

What is 3d Origami?

3d origami is a popular type of origami known for its simplicity and freedom of creation. It utilises hundreds of small pieces to fit together into a large model, and the results can be glued and shaped to make stunning DIY scultpures/decorations. The little pieces used to create these models are usually referred to as "3d units" or "pieces." They are made from rectangular sheets of paper, usually cut from a larger sheet of A4 paper. The process of folding one piece is extremely simple, but an average 3d origami model may take anywhere from 300 pieces to 1000 pieces or more.

How to Fold 3d Origami Unit

To fold a 3d origami unit, begin by cutting a sheet of A4 paper (printer paper) into 16 or 32 pieces. It is possible to make pieces out of size 8 and 64 etcetera, but we most commonly just use 16 and 32. Size 16 is better for 3d origami with a larger base, although there are some ways to use 16 pieces on small bases. Size 32 is very versatile, but its only drawback is that the smaller pieces make it so you'll have to fold more. Here's how to cut 16 size pieces and 32 pieces:

To fold a piece, begin white-side up. (I suggest you don't use bicolor paper unless you specifically want it like that. Single color paper is most commonly used.)

Valley fold the bottom edge to the top edge.

Valley fold the left edge to the right edge and unfold. The purpose of this step is to create a reference point that you will use later on. Many 3d origami artists will skip this step for efficiency, but for beginners, I suggest that you do this step.

Valley fold the two top edge halves down to the middle crease. Then turn the paper over.

Fold the corners up.

Fold the bottom two flaps up.

Fold in half.

Piece finished!

How to Connect 3d Origami Pieces

To connect 3d origami pieces, you'll need to first "inflate" them. A 3d origami piece, once folded, looks like a flat triangle. There should be two pockets at the bottom. For optimal results, you must make the pockets at the bottom larger. You can do that by sticking the two rabbit ear flaps at the top of the piece into the two uninflated pockets at the bottom of another piece. Repeat this process to get a stick-like structure. You can see a demonstration here:

In order to connect pieces, instead of attaching them into sticks, offset the pocket and flap so that the left flap of of piece is in the right pocket of another piece, and the right flap of that same piece is in the pocket of another piece. Then, you can repeat this process and connect the pieces to create a base to build off of. Like so:

These are the basics to 3d origami! I highly suggest that you start by practicing folding pieces and following other tutorials first, since it will make designing your own models a lot easier.