Origami Tutorials

Origami may look a little bit tricky, but you will definitely love this tool once you have played with it a little. Here are some tutorials to help you get started.

Origami Basics

Read this first if you never used Origami before. It covers about 95% of the questions a new user might have and is well worth the time spent.

• User Interface — read about panels and buttons in Origami;
• Connecting to Illustrator — exchange dielines with Illustrator;
• Making a Simple Dieline — make a simple dieline and see it in 3D;
• Adding Creases — learn how to fold a dieline;
• Defining Bottom — tell Origami where is the bottom of the shape;
• Multiple Shapes — how to have several objects in the same scene;
• Dieline Generator — make dielines faster with the online generator;
• Export and Rendering — learn to export scenes or render them.

Advanced Topics

• Folding Animation — configure the order the shape is folding;
• Backside Artwork — how to apply artwork to the other side of the paper;
• Affinity Designer — integration with other vector editors;
• Adobe Illustrator — Illustrator–specific features of Origami;
• Dieline Viewer — editing folding angles and markers right in Origami;
• Dielines Verification — checking dielines for errors;
• Foil Effect — adding foil effect to Origami shapes;
• Paper Parameters — editing paper settings and making paper presets;
• Folding Engines — what are they and how to use them;
• Flute Direction — adding more realism to cardboard models.

Common Mistakes

Sometimes dielines have issues: gaps, overlaps, and so on. Origami detects such issues and can help you resolve them. These tutorials show you how to resolve dieline issues.

• Almost Vertical/Horizontal — crease line is probably misaligned;
• Broken Shape — shape is broken apart when folding;
• Path Is Not Closed — the dieline needs a solid, continuous outline path;
• Crease Line In Main Outline — the main outline must be made of cuts;
• Intersecting Curved Cuts — it might not be easy;
• Empty Layout — why there is no dieline visible?
• Hanging Element — what if a path goes nowhere?
• Impossible Crease Line — a crease that shouldn't be;
• Inconsistent Crease Lines — similar crease lines must have same angles;
• Invalid Crease — crease lines have limitations;
• Overlapping Lines — cut and crease lines must not overlap, as well;
• Separate Element — the dieline should come in one piece;
• The Points Are Too Close — avoid crowded spaces;
• Z-Fighting — what to do with overlapping polygons.

There's more from the older folding engines:

• Intersecting Holes — holes must not overlap;
• Impossible Shape — some shapes simply don’t exist;
• Outside Hole — all holes must be inside the outline path;
• Misaligned Elements — ends must meet, perfectly;
• Elements Are Too Small — keep dieline paths simple;
• Triangulation Failed — Origami fails to make a 3D mesh of a dieline.

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