Trees

What are trees?

Normally, the word tree might refer to everyday trees growing out of the ground. However, in the origami world, trees are stick-figure like models that are extremely important to ensure that our designs turn out the way we expect it to. In box pleating, a tree has nothing to do with actual trees. A tree is a figure made up of lines that describes where flaps should be and how long they should be. For example, if you wanted to graph a tree of a scorpion, it would look like this:

Why Use Trees?

Trees are extremely important to designers because they ensure that the finished crease pattern is not wrong. For example, using a tree as a reference every time a new flap is added allows us to double-check that the flap is not in the wrong place. Additionally, before you even design a model, drawing a tree will allow you to compare proportions and make sure that the finished model, for example, will not have overly long legs. While designing, it is helpful to use a tree, but you should know that for extremely simple models, trees might not be necessary to produce the model that you desire. However, generally, it is a very good idea to make a tree and then design a crease pattern, just keep in mind that trees aren't essential in order to design something.

Creating Trees

Now that you know about trees, I'll show you a few examples. Before that, however, you should keep in mind that trees don't have to contain every flap on a model. You can just include the flaps that are necessary to make the tree resemble the model. Of course, if you want to design something more complex and detailed, putting more flaps would be a good idea, but designers might get rid of some smaller details for simplicity.

Let's begin with a classic stick figure. Keeping the structure of a person in mind, here's what a simple stick figure's tree would look like:

If you wanted to design a lobster, it would look like this:

And lastly, if you wanted to design a dragon, it would look like this:

Recap

Before designing, for the best result, you should draw a tree of your model first and then begin designing the crease pattern. A tree allows you to see proportions and make it easier to decide which flaps are necessary and which can be discarded.