Modular Origami — Balls and Polyhedra

Models folded and photographed by Michał Kosmulski. Modules designed by their respective authors.
Click on images to enlarge them. Links in image titles lead to pages with more information about each particular object.

Image thumbnails on this page and the full-size images they link to are licensed under a Creative Commons License (Free for non-commercial use with attribution; Ask me about other uses).

Truncated cube

Made from Thomas Hull's PHiZZ unit (24 modules).
Generally, PHiZZ units are always connected in such way that three modules meet at each vertex. However, one can connect just two modules at some points, thus making the edges longer and making it possible to create faces of shapes which are not possible with "regular" PHiZZ connections (for example octagons).

Icosahedron

Made from Francis Ow's 120 degree module (30 modules, pointing inwards).

Icosahedron

Made from Francis Ow's 120 degree module (30 modules, pointing outwards).

Icosahedron

Made from a modified version of Robert Neale's penultimate module (30 modules, pointing outwards).

Icosahedron

Made from Sonobe module (30 modules, pointing inwards).

Umbrella Dodecahedron

Made from M. Mukhopadhyay's umbrella dodecahedron module (30 modules).

Poinsettia ball

Model is placed near a real Poinsettia flower for comparison.

Made from M. Mukhopadhyay's poinsettia ball module (30 modules).

Icosahedron

Made from Francis Ow's 60 degree module (scroll down the linked page for unit folding instructions) (30 modules).

Icosahedron

Made from a modified version of Francis Ow's 60 degree module (scroll down the linked page for original unit folding instructions) (30 modules).

Dodecahedron

Made from a modified version of Francis Ow's 60 degree module (scroll down the linked page for original unit folding instructions) (30 modules).

Dodecahedron

Made from Michał Kosmulski's TEM (Trapezoid Egde Module), antisymmetric variant (30 modules, "inverted" vertices).

Truncated octahedron

Made from Michał Kosmulski's TEM (Trapezoid Egde Module), antisymmetric variant (36 modules).

Truncated octahedron

Made from Robert Neale's penultimate module (36 modules).

Truncated octahedron with inverted spikes on all faces

Made from a modified version of Francis Ow's 60 degree module (scroll down the linked page for original unit folding instructions) (36 modules). Note that in this modification, the angle at the module's tip is NOT 60 degrees.
[ 3D image ]

Truncated tetrahedron

Made from Francis Ow's 60 degree module (scroll down the linked page for unit folding instructions) (42 modules).

Rhombicuboctahedron

Made from Robert Neale's penultimate module (48 modules).

Truncated octahedron

Made from Michał Kosmulski's Oxi module (72 modules).

Decorated dodecahedron

Made from a modified version of Robert Neale's penultimate module (90 modules, pointing outwards, 5-triangle groups depressed to point inwards).

Dodecahedron with pentagonal pyramids on all faces and inverted spikes on pyramids' side faces

Made from Nick Robinson's trimodule (90 modules).

Fullerene (truncated icosahedron)

Made from Robert Neale's penultimate module (90 modules).

Buckyball (90 edges)

Made from a variant of Thomas Hull's PHiZZ unit (90 modules).
[ 3D image ]

Buckyball (90 edges)

Made from a variant of Thomas Hull's PHiZZ unit (90 modules).

Buckyball (120 edges)

Made from Thomas Hull's PHiZZ unit (120 modules).

Modified buckyball (120 edges)

Made from 120 units altogether: Thomas Hull's PHiZZ unit (60 modules) and Robert Neale's penultimate module (60 modules).
This is my experiment in modular origami made from two different types of units. PHiZZ and penultimate modules are quite similar, so I decided to try using both in a single model. The result is a buckyball whose pentagonal faces protrude a little from the ball's main body, giving it a very distinct "organic" look. This shape can be considered an intermediate between the 120-edge buckyball and the dodecahedron with prisms on all faces.

Decorated rhombicuboctahedron

Made from Robert Neale's penultimate module (120 modules).
[ 3D image ]

Dodecahedron with prisms on all faces

Made from Robert Neale's penultimate module (150 modules).

Buckyball (210 edges)

Made from a variant of Thomas Hull's PHiZZ unit (210 modules).
[ 3D image ]

Golden Ball (snub dodecahedron)

Made from a modified version of Robert Neale's penultimate module (210 modules, pointing outwards).

Octahedral lattice

Made from Robert Neale's penultimate module (240 modules).

Large icosahedron (=truncated icosahedron with pyramids on all faces)

Made from Sonobe module (270 modules).
This icosahedron has 9 triangular pyramids pointing inwards on each face. The same shape can also be described as a truncated icosahedron whose each face has been replaced with a pentagonal or hexagonal pyramid bearing a triangular pyramid on each face. The three images show this solid from the top, from the bottom and from the side, respectively.

Decorated icosidodecahedron

Made from Robert Neale's penultimate module (360 modules).
One of the larger models I have designed, this icosidodecahedron has pentagonal faces made up of small triangular pyramids and triangular faces replaced with cubes which form the "decoration".