07 · Form Study · 2026

Unfold

A digital-to-physical form study exploring how three-dimensional geometry can be modeled, unfolded, fabricated, and integrated into a larger collective installation.

Finished folded paper form created from a Rhino model and Pepakura pattern

Context

Created during Design Fundamentals as a paper-form exercise focused on digital modeling, unfolding, and physical assembly.

Tools

Rhino · Pepakura · Hand Cutting · Scoring · Folding

Material

Paper

01 · Digital Form

Starting in three dimensions

I modeled a star-based form in Rhino, developing a strong silhouette while considering how the geometry could ultimately be translated into folded paper.

Printed Pepakura nets laid flat before scoring and folding

02 · Unfolding

Translating volume into a flat pattern

I brought the model into Pepakura to unfold its surfaces into a two-dimensional net, determining where the form could open, reconnect, and fold back into volume.

Paper form during the folding and assembly process

03 · Assembly

Rebuilding the digital form by hand

The patterns were cut, scored, folded, and joined by hand. Small inaccuracies in the flat geometry became amplified in three dimensions, making precision and assembly sequence critical.

Close-up of folded paper surfaces and seams

04 · Collective Installation

One form becoming part of a larger system

Each student created an individual paper form before the pieces were connected into a shared suspended installation. My object became one component within a larger spatial system of color, geometry, and interconnected forms.

Collective suspended installation made from the class's folded paper forms

Reflection

This project made the relationship between digital geometry and physical construction tangible. Translating a model from Rhino to a flat net and back into volume showed me how decisions about surfaces, seams, and tolerances directly shape the final object.