Learning Origami

Folding

Some of my favorite YouTube channels for learning origami include:

• Leyla Torres
• Tatiana Frolova
• Sara Adams
• JM
• Jo Nakashima
• Seth Friedman
• Boice Wong

For learning how to interpret and “read” crease patterns, I definitely recommend Boice’s box-pleating tutorial series (see their channel, listed above).

Paper Shops

Some of my favorite paper shops include:

• Paper Circle in Ohio (makers of O-Gami paper)
• OrigamiUSA in New York
• Origami Shop in Ohio
• Kim’s Cranes in Washington

Computational Origami

Some great books I’ve come across for learning more about the computational aspects of origami include:

• Twists, Tilings, and Tessellations by Robert J. Lang
• Origami Design Secrets by Robert J. Lang
• Geometric Folding Algorithms by Erik Demaine and Joseph O’Rourke
• How to Fold It by Joseph O’Rourke
• Active Origami by Edwin Peraza Hernandez, Darren Hartl, and Dimitris Lagoudas

I found “Origami Design Secrets” to be the best balance between mathematical theory and the practical aspects of origami design. “Twist, Tilings, and Tessellations” is much more rigorous in its discussion of flat-foldability. I hope to read through it a second time, as it was quite challenging the first time through. “How to Fold It” is a great starting point, as the author introduces many interesting problem domains and applications of origami in an engineering context. It’s a quick read and definitely feels more “gentle” than the prior two books. “Active Origami” is an amazing resource if you are interested in building kinematic simulations of foldable structures. The authors do a great job at weaving equations, theory, and code together into a cohesive narrative. I haven’t finished “Geometric Folding Algorithms” yet, but I will update this post once I’ve done so.

Some researchers in the field of computational origami include:

• Tomohiro Tachi
• Jun Mitani
• Ida Tetsuo
• Ryuhei Uehara
• Erik Demaine
• Robert J. Lang
• Thomas Hull
• Joseph O’Rourke
• Glaucio Paulino

I am sure there are many, many others researchers that are not represented in this list, so this is by no means exhaustive. Rather, it is a small list of researchers who I came across through my own exploration and studies.

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