Hanging Elements

The path is called “hanging” if it makes no new dieline element. Here’s a simple example:

A simple example of the hanging element in Origami

The segment on the left goes outside of the main outline and makes no new element of the dieline. It effectively “hangs” out of the dieline and is most likely an error, so Origami reports that.

Hanging cuts

The image above shows a cut line hanging out of the dieline. This is “external” hanging cut line. Below is the example of the “internal” hanging cuts:

There are two hanging elements above: one on the left and another (more complex) on the right. The difference between the external and internal hanging cuts is that Origami doesn’t report the latter.

Internal hanging cuts are considered structural elements of the dieline and quietly ignored by Origami.

Hanging creases

Here are two hanging crease lines:

The one on the left is “internal” hanging crease element, the one on the right is the “external” hanging element.

Origami reports both internal and external hanging crease lines, as they cannot be structural and must end up on cuts in order to make a proper dieline.

Hanging elements in holes

Another type of hanging elements is a path that goes inside the hole and ends without making a new element:

There are two such elements above: the crease line on the left and the cut line on the right. Both are inside the hole of the main dieline, both make no new geometry and both are reported by Origami.

Realistic cases

The images above show very simple scenes in order to showcase the problem itself. In the real world this problem is usually caused by misaligned elements.

Say a crease line is slightly misaligned and instead of touching the cut line, it crosses it a bit. The small piece that goes across the cut line will be considered a hanging crease line and reported.

Another scenario is when a misaligned crease line doesn’t reach the cut, effectively leaving a gap. If the gap is too big to fix it automatically, Origami will report the whole crease line as hanging and will not use it for folding the shape.

Automatic fixing of hanging elements

Origami tries fixing hanging elements automatically using the following approach: for each end of the hanging element Origami tries to extend it along its path to see if it reaches some other path.

If it does, Origami still reports the problem, but the element is not considered hanging internally and takes part in making the dieline.

In order to fix the hanging element, Origami might either scale the segment a bit or add another segment along the path, depending on the distance required to close the gap.

Note that Origami only tries extending the elements by about 0.1 mm (0.004 inches), so if the gap is too big, the automatic fixing will not work.

What to do?

If you get this error, check for misaligned elements around the problem line. There’s likely something that doesn’t end up exactly on another line.

Address this problem even if it is fixed automatically, as the automatic fix can be incorrect.

If unsure, add an extra point to the other line and anchor the hanging path to that point.

If the other path is a curve, have a look at the “Intersecting curves” tutorial.

Overall, this error is about misaligned paths. Aligning everything properly usually fixes the problem straight away.

Want More Hints?

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.

Adobe and Adobe Illustrator are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.