Paper model

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Example of a cat papercraft ShortHairPepakura.jpg
Example of a cat papercraft

Paper models, also called card models or papercraft, are models constructed mainly from sheets of heavy paper, paperboard, card stock, or foam.

Contents

Details

Printable sheet to make a metro train of the Valencia Metro (Venezuela) Paper VALMETRO.JPG
Printable sheet to make a metro train of the Valencia Metro (Venezuela)

This may be considered a broad category that contains origami and card modeling. Origami is the process of making a paper model by folding a single piece of paper without using glue or cutting while the variation kirigami does. Card modeling is making scale models from sheets of cardstock on which the parts were printed, usually in full color. These pieces would be cut out, folded, scored, and glued together. Papercraft is the art of combining these model types to build complex creations such as wearable suits of armor, life-size characters, and accurate weapon models.

Sometimes the model pieces can be punched out. More frequently the printed parts must be cut out. Edges may be scored to aid folding. The parts are usually glued together with polyvinyl acetate glue ("white glue", "PVA"). In this kind of modeling, the sections are usually pre-painted, so there is no need to paint the model after completion. Some enthusiasts may enhance the model by painting and detailing. Due to the nature of the paper medium, the model may be sealed with varnish or filled with spray foam to last longer. Some enthusiasts also use papercrafts or perdurable to do life-sized props starting by making the craft, covering it with resin and painting them. Some also use photo paper and laminate them by heat, thus preventing the printed side from color wearing out, beyond the improved realistic effect on certain kinds of models (ships, cars, buses, trains, etc.). Paper crafts can be used as references to do props with other materials too.

History

Eiffel Tower model Imagerie D epinal 418 tour eiffel.jpg
Eiffel Tower model

The first paper models appeared in Europe in the 17th century with the earliest commercial models were appearing in French toy catalogs in 1800. [1] Printed card became common in magazines in the early part of the 20th century. The popularity of card modeling boomed during World War II when the paper was one of the few items whose use and production was not heavily regulated. [2]

Micromodels, designed and published in England from 1941 were very popular with 100 different models, including architecture, ships, and aircraft. [3] But as plastic model kits became more commonly available, interest in paper decreased.

Availability

The Robert Freidus Collection, held at the V&A Museum of Childhood has over 14000 card models exclusively in the category Architectural Paper Models. [4] Since paper model patterns can be easily printed and assembled, the Internet has become a popular means of exchanging them. Commercial corporations have recently begun using downloadable paper models for their marketing (examples are Yamaha and Canon).

The availability of numerous models on the Internet at little or no cost, which can then be downloaded and printed on inexpensive inkjet printers has caused its popularity again to increase worldwide. Home printing also allows models to be scaled up or down easily (for example, in order to make two models from different authors, in different scales, match each other in size), although the paper weight might need to be adjusted in the same ratio.

Inexpensive kits are available from dedicated publishers (mostly based in Eastern Europe; examples include Halinski, JSC Models, and Maly Modelarz), a portion of the catalog of which date back to 1950.

Experienced hobbyists often scratchbuild models, either by first hand drawing or using software such as Adobe Illustrator and Inkscape. An historical example of highly specialized software is Designer Castles for BBC Micro and Acorn Archimedes platforms, which was developed as a tool for creation of card model castles. [5] CAD and CG software, such as Rhino 3D, 3DS Max, Blender, and specialist software, like Pepakura Designer from Tama Software, Dunreeb Cutout or Ultimate Papercraft 3D, may be employed to convert 3D computer models into two-dimensional printable templates for assembly.

3D models to paper

Paper model made from 4 photos Papercraft4 3D.jpg
Paper model made from 4 photos
Model of a V12 engine. Example of a 3d model of a V12 engine by Quintin Cloud.jpg
Model of a V12 engine.

The use of 3D models greatly assists in the construction of paper models, with video game models being the most prevalent source. The video game or source in question will have to be loaded into the computer. Various methods of extracting the model exist, including using a model viewer and exporting it into a workable file type, or capturing the model from the emulation directly. The methods of capturing the model are often unique to the subject and the tools available. Readability of file-formats including proprietary ones could mean that a model viewer and exporter is unavailable outside of the developer. Using other tools that capture rendered 3D models and textures is often the only way to obtain them. In this case, the designer may have to arrange the textures and the wireframe model on a 3D program, such as SketchUp, 3DS MAX, Metasequoia, or Blender before exporting it to a papercraft creating program, such as Dunreeb Cutout or Pepakura Designer by Tama Software. From there the model is typically refined to give a proper layout and construction tabs that will affect the overall appearance and difficulty in constructing the model.

Subjects

Paper model of Mount Vernon Mountvernon.jpg
Paper model of Mount Vernon

Because people can create their own patterns, paper models are limited only by their designers' imaginations and ability to manipulate paper into forms. Vehicles of all forms, from cars and cargo trucks to space shuttles, are a frequent subject of paper models, some using photo-realistic textures from their real-life counterparts for extremely fine details. Architecture models can be very simple and crude forms to very detailed models with thousands of pieces to assemble. The most prevalent designs are from video games, due to their popularity and ease of producing paper models.

On the Web, enthusiasts can find hundreds of models from different designers across a wide range of subjects. The models include very difficult and ambitious paper projects, such as life-sized and complex creations. Architectural paper models are popular with model railway enthusiasts.

Various models are used in tabletop gaming, primarily wargaming. Scale paper models allow for easy production of armies and buildings for use in gaming and that can be scaled up or down readily or produced as desired. Whether they be three-dimensional models or two-dimensional icons, players are able to personalize and modify the models to bear unique unit designations and insignias for gaming.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Origami</span> Traditional Japanese art of paper folding

Origami is the Japanese art of paper folding. In modern usage, the word "origami" is often used as an inclusive term for all folding practices, regardless of their culture of origin. The goal is to transform a flat square sheet of paper into a finished sculpture through folding and sculpting techniques. Modern origami practitioners generally discourage the use of cuts, glue, or markings on the paper. Origami folders often use the Japanese word kirigami to refer to designs which use cuts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Technical drawing</span> Creation of standards and the technical drawings

Technical drawing, drafting or drawing, is the act and discipline of composing drawings that visually communicate how something functions or is constructed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Modular origami</span>

Modular origami or unit origami is a multi-stage paper folding technique in which several, or sometimes many, sheets of paper are first folded into individual modules or units and then assembled into an integrated flat shape or three-dimensional structure, usually by inserting flaps into pockets created by the folding process. These insertions create tension or friction that holds the model together. Some assemblies can be somewhat unstable because adhesives or string are not used.

Autodesk 3ds Max, formerly 3D Studio and 3D Studio Max, is a professional 3D computer graphics program for making 3D animations, models, games and images. It is developed and produced by Autodesk Media and Entertainment. It has modeling capabilities and a flexible plugin architecture and must be used on the Microsoft Windows platform. It is frequently used by video game developers, many TV commercial studios, and architectural visualization studios. It is also used for movie effects and movie pre-visualization. 3ds Max features shaders, dynamic simulation, particle systems, radiosity, normal map creation and rendering, global illumination, a customizable user interface, and its own scripting language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paper plane</span> Toy aircraft made of folded paper

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Net (polyhedron)</span> Edge-joined polygons which fold into a polyhedron

In geometry, a net of a polyhedron is an arrangement of non-overlapping edge-joined polygons in the plane which can be folded to become the faces of the polyhedron. Polyhedral nets are a useful aid to the study of polyhedra and solid geometry in general, as they allow for physical models of polyhedra to be constructed from material such as thin cardboard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paper craft</span> Making of artistic works entirely or primarily of paper

Paper craft is a collection of crafts using paper or card as the primary artistic medium for the creation of two or three-dimensional objects. Paper and card stock lend themselves to a wide range of techniques and can be folded, curved, bent, cut, glued, molded, stitched, or layered. Papermaking by hand is also a paper craft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Origamic architecture</span> Type of artform

Origamic architecture is a form of kirigami that involves the three-dimensional reproduction of architecture and monuments, on various scales, using cut-out and folded paper, usually thin paperboard. Visually, these creations are comparable to intricate 'pop-ups', indeed, some works are deliberately engineered to possess 'pop-up'-like properties. However, origamic architecture tends to be cut out of a single sheet of paper, whereas most pop-ups involve two or more. To create the three-dimensional image out of the two-dimensional surface requires skill akin to that of an architect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UV mapping</span> Process of projecting a 3D models surface to a 2D image for texture mapping

UV mapping is the 3D modeling process of projecting a 3D model's surface to a 2D image for texture mapping. The letters "U" and "V" denote the axes of the 2D texture because "X", "Y", and "Z" are already used to denote the axes of the 3D object in model space, while "W" is used in calculating quaternion rotations, a common operation in computer graphics.

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3D computer graphics software refers to packages used to create 3D computer-generated imagery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardboard modeling</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architectural drawing</span> Technical drawing of a building (or building project)

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Paper toys are constructed in several ways, by folding, as in paper airplanes, paper fortune tellers or Origami, or by cutting, decorating or assembling pieces of paper with glue or tape to create a paper doll or paper model.

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<i>Paper Mario: Sticker Star</i> 2012 video game

Paper Mario: Sticker Star is a 2012 role-playing video game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. Following Super Paper Mario (2007), it is the fourth installment in the Paper Mario series and part of the larger Mario franchise; it is the first game in the series released on a handheld console. In the game, the protagonist Mario and a new ally named Kersti travel across the Mushroom Kingdom to retrieve the six Royal Stickers scattered by Bowser. The game was released in November 2012 in North America and December 2012 overseas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3D modeling</span> Form of computer-aided engineering

In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical coordinate-based representation of a surface of an object in three dimensions via specialized software by manipulating edges, vertices, and polygons in a simulated 3D space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Verge3D</span> Real-time renderer and toolkit software

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References

  1. "Nastawnia Bramowa | Swiat | V&A Search the Collections". collections.vam.ac.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  2. "A brief history of paper models". users.ece.cmu.edu. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  3. "History World of Micromodels". 2016-03-13. Archived from the original on 2016-03-13. Retrieved 2017-09-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. "The Robert Freidus Collection of Architectural Paper Models - V&A Museum of Childhood". V&A Museum of Childhood. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  5. Drage, Chris (September 1991). "Design for learning". BBC Acorn User. No. 110. Redwood Publishing. pp. 110–111. ISSN   0263-7456.

Software for creating paper models