Customer Reviews

Origami Design Secrets: Mathematical Methods for an Ancient Art

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Robert Lang's book is one of the most amazing origami books I have ever seen. Disregard the higher than normal price for the book, it is worth every penny.

People who are simply interested in folding models will be delighted by the awe-inspiring Black Forest Cuckoo Clock and the collection of turtles (complete with shell designs). Other models include birds, a moose, a train, a valentine heart, and many, many others...all out of one sheet of paper with no cutting.

The books real value, however, is its wonderful discussion of the origami design process. Lang breaks down many different aspects and techniques of design into understandable bites. Personally, I enjoyed the mathematical discussions throughout, especially the tree theory section.

The bottom line: (out of 10)
---------------

Model Value:
9 (not a book entirely of models, but the models that are contained are gorgeous)
Instruction Clarity:
9 (excellent considering how complicated the models are)
Difficulty:
10 (even origami pros will be challenged by the clock and the tiling of the fish and turtle)
Enjoyment:
10 (reading the book is as gratifying as actually reproducing one of the models within it)
Overall Value (not an average):
10 (a true masterpiece)

It usually takes much more time to diagram a new origami design than it does to create it. Thus there are many wonderful folds that have never been diagramed. That is why it is so wonderful when a great designer manages to take the time to produce a book.

But this book is no ordinary collection of designs. Instead, Lang tries to guide the reader through the creative process and various techniques for designing new origami figures. From simple concepts to pattern grafting, circle packing and other techniques, the folder learns about powerful design tools in a clear and efficient manner.

Some origami books have brief explanations about design but only a few have gone into any real depth (J.C. Nolan's Creating Origami comes to mind), but this is the clearest and most detailed account written to date.

Of course the book is also packed with instructions for reproducing some of Lang's amazing creations (including the famous Black Forest Cuckoo Clock).

I hope that this book remains in print for many years as it is an amazing resource for folders and designers.

Believe me, all over the origami world are waiting for this book!

Origami nowadays has much much more than a recreation. After the serious and arduous study of experts, the theory of origami model design has long been established. In the eyes of expert, there is nothing which cannot be folded from a single sheet of paper, as Lang stated "Anything is possible in origami" in this book. However, so far there is no book about design models. Superfans (like me), and those who are not satisfied by only the models and diagrams, can only collect ideas from sparse and different websites, books and magazines(for example, taitadaen of Japan), and struggle on our own.

And now here is Lang's book. This book is for everyone who is interested in origami. If you are an expert, buy it. Read the philosophy, share the joy and follow the route of a real origami master. If you are a veteran folder, buy it. Learn how these wonderful models were designed, see why Lang's models are always among the best, absorb the technic and try to design your models. If you are a newbie, buy it. Fold the models inside and have joy.

Even you have nothing to do with origami, buy it owing to the COVER. The vivid frog and the incredible koi, with hundreds of scales and antennae, are both folded from a SINGLE paper without a cut.

(BTW, the figure 1.1, which demostrates 32 elephants, 2D/3D, from the side/front, of different folders, accidently misses the mischevous elephant of Jeremy, which is looked from the butt :) )

Thank you, Dr. Lang!

Dr. Lang delves into the hows and whys of origami design exploring origami the way Alton Brown explores food and cooking.

The instructions for creating beautifully made koi decorating the cover are not included in their entirety, notably excluding the sequence for creating the scales. Instead, Lang describes the principles and techniques for creating textures on paper, leaving the creation of the fish as an exercise for the reader.

If you're looking for a recipe book for cool origami designs, then this is not the book for you. Rather, this book is for anyone curious about just how the heck someone makes a cuckoo clock out of one uncut sheet of paper.

Just two days ago, I had a very casual interest in origami. The primary reason being that I have no patience to simply follow instructions folding paper, and not seeing where all this paper folding is leading to till the last 1-2 steps. And, even then, why the precise sequence of folds has to be followed doesn't become clearer when you have completed your figure.

But, after getting this book, my entire perspective on origami has been drastically changed. For the first time, I have seen an Origami book which actually de-assembles the steps, and talks about the design in a top-down approach, focussing on the major folds/creases, and the general concepts and principles you need to create a figure of your own from scratch.

Despite the intimidating size of this book, you will very quickly get a sense of what all the folds are doing, and most importantly, start creating your own origami designs.

The origami designs in this book will amaze you - a heart with an arrow piercing it, a toy train, and a whole host of others which you won't believe were actually developed from a single sheet of paper without any glue or cuts.

don't be intimidated by the several pages of steps to follow to make a model. The text in each chapter gives an excellent overview and you will not feel lost in the design: in fact, you will begin to see why the creases/folds are necessary, even though you may have over 70% of the steps still to do.

Lastly, the chapter on the Tree Algorithm is outstanding. This chapter discusses a computational approach to develop an origami figure from scratch. By the time you reach this chapter, the author has done a marvellous job of putting all the design ingedients in place, so you will appreciate the advanced mathematical theory. (For me, this was the best part. But, then, I have a Ph.D. in mathematical optimization. Nonetheless, there is a wealth of material in the rest of book also.)

I only wish that other instructional books in other subjects could be as good.

I approached this book with a beginner/intermediate appreciation of origami, having dabbled in basic and moderately difficult forms occasionally through the years. I haven't seen any of the reviews yet highlight the greatest asset of this book; that it teaches you to gain an insightful eye into how models are constructed from the elementary bases. Most importantly, it liberates the casual origami hobbyist from merely following instructions, and leaves the reader equipped with the folding methods and techniques to create his own models.

The unique aspect of the book's organization is that each folding technique is taught in a "top-down" hierarchy, beginning with the sheet of paper, and highlighting how "limbs" and "extensions" evolve from the folds. The more intricate methods are then re-illustrated, in the other direction, starting with the finished form, and reverse engineering how desired traits impact the pattern of creases on the unfolded piece of paper. This approach suites people of all learning disciplines, from those who prefer to see their models evolve as they are folded, to those who begin with an image of the final creation, and work backwards.

Several ingenious techniques are described for understanding the underpinning structure of a model, including an analysis of the creases made on the unfolded paper, how cutting and grafting can prove whether desired models are technically feasible, and how angles and edges limit the number of extended "limbs" that can be made. All of this is described in a straight-forward and colloquial prose, supplemented with an engaging historical account of the evolution of origami into a scientific discipline.

All told, this book is a masterpiece in aesthetic/scientific literature, which truly engages and inspires the reader. I highly recommend this book for artists and engineers alike, and anyone seeking to understand how beauty and complexity emerges from simplicity.

This is one of the best origami books ever written. Robert Lang is known for producing complex origami models and here he teaches the mathematical thought process behind the creation of these pieces. The book contains a number of chapters covering different methods of producing particular types of origami works and then each chapter ends with a series of advanced origami models for you to make with complete diagrammatical instructions.

The book is a wonderful instruction manual on how to create original origami designs but it also includes many sets of instructions for origami models which have never before been published. The exquisite Koi carp on the front cover (which I have seen in real life) is included as is the frog, and the infamous Black Forest Cuckoo Clock instructions are included at the end of the book. Don't try to make these pieces with ordinary paper - you will want to use very fine bank weight paper, tissue foil or wet folding with Canson or Elephant Hide paper to get good results.

This volume is an essential addition to any paperfolder's bookshelf and will provide many hours of interesting reading and wonderful models to fold.

By far and away the most comprehensive book on origami design and theory that I have every seen. There are thousands of books containing origami models, but few, if any, actually take the time to explain how the models were created in the first place. If Robert Lang didn't already hold a Ph.D., this book could serve as a dissertation. In addition to the theory and concepts of origami model design, this book also contains excellent models that demonstrate the principles covered in each chapter. I have always enjoyed folding Robert Lang's models in the past. They are challenging and extremely rewarding. I am a very good techincal folder but I could never really create my own models. This book has started me on my own path towards creating my own origami models to fold. While this book certainly could be useful to beginning origami folders, it best serves intermediate to advanced enthusiasts.

If you are like me, at some point you developed an interest in Origami and your attention was caught by Robert Lang's books. I bought "Origami Insects and their Kin" and was immediately fascinated by the lifelike and ingenuity of the models. My fascination became frustration when I tried to find any model in the book that was "doable". With much patience, wasted paper and a few suicide attempts :-), I finally did one - the ant ! I kept coming back to the Praying Mantis and the Pill Bug with no luck. Then I found this magnificent book - Origami Design Secrets. By studying the methodology created by Dr. Lang, one can see the method behind his genious (or madness :-). I was stumped by a sequence in the Praying Mantis, then I understood what was behind it once I read the chapter on "splitting"... It was like a revelation! The presentation of this book, the didactics and the clarity are superb. Dr Lang created a whole new field of science to explain Origami. It also helps the creative process and the goal to eventually create your own models. I will never be a "virtuoso" like Dr. Lang, but this book opened a whole new set of doors for me. I highly recommend it!

This tome is the pinnacle of origami literature. It puts some of my more serious college textbooks to shame. Origami can now be a subject on equal ground with Calculus, Physics, Linear Algebra, etc. It has a lot of pages with a lot of text. The sheer weight of it will suprise you. It is not for young children or light reading.

Design Secrets starts off very simple and progresses nicely. I guarantee at some point during the book every folder will pass his/her knowledge and be swimming in new information. More advanced folders may skip ahead a few chapters.

The book, despite having a lot of information, is quite readable; Lang did a great job making the language very accesable.

If you are looking for new diagrams buy a different book. If you are looking to become an origami designer buy two copies. There is simply nothing out there that compares with this.