Text-based instructions copyright 2025 by Annette Carr
and by
If, like me, you love cubes of any kind, you will be happy to know that it is possible to fold cubes of 24 units or more, without actually having to learn new units or complicated assembly methods. My sincere thanks go to Annette Carr, for her effort and time spent to research this subject and for sharing with us what she has found.
I hope it will serve to open up some more possibilities for those venturing into modular origami.
Model Selection
First, select your favorite unit used to make a 6 unit cube from the models listed below. With a minor change to the units,you can fold 24 units to assemble a 24 unit cube.
• MBFF018 Kase Cube
Modify Step 10 and only fold 1 short edge into the center of the model.
• MBMG1 Deltaic Cube
Modify Step 12 and only fold 1 edge to the center horizontal crease line.
• MBMG5 Diamond Cube
Modify Step 16 and only fold 1 short edge to the center crease line.
• MOD12 X Cube
The unit is complete after folding Step 7.
• MOD29 Magic Rose Cube
Only complete Steps 1-17 when making the units.
• SON00 Basic Sonobe unit
In the final step, fold 1 of the triangle flaps over the center square.
The units of the below models cannot be used for a 24 unit cube because they do not use pockets for assembly, or the connections between the units are not sturdy.
• MOD20 Jackson Cube
Cannot be used as pockets are not used to connect the units.
• MOD31 CrissCross Cube
Probably not an ideal unit to use for assembling a 24 unit cube as the connection between units are not very sturdy during assembly.
Assembly Notes
Each face of the cube will be made of 4 units.
The flap that is not folded over the center square portion of the unit will be used to connect the 4 units that make up a face.
Each set of 4 units that make up a face of the cube will have 1 flap on each edge that is at a 90-degree angle due to folding it when you were making the units. These folded flaps will make the connection between the faces of the cube along the edge of the cube.
Depending on how secure the connections are between units, you might be able to assemble the 6 faces of the cube and then connect the faces together.
Another assembly technique is to use 3 units to assemble each of the 8 corners and then connect 4 of the corner assemblies to form the bottom half of the cube. Use the remaining 4 corner assemblies to create the top half of the cube and finally connect the 2 halves of the cube.
Yet another alternative may be to build one face that will lie flat on the table; then start building upwards in layers or attaching one face at a time to the face that is flat on the table.
I have been most successful by using 3 units to create 1 corner. These 3 units are joined by the folded flaps. There will be 3 unfolded flaps sticking out from this corner unit. Next add 1 unit at a time to form a second corner. Unfolded flaps are used to join units that are next to each other and do not have an edge between them. Folded flaps connect units along the edges of the cube. Continue adding 1 unit at a time until the 4 corners that make up the bottom half of the model are assembled together. Continue adding 1 unit at a time to add a second layer to the 4 vertical faces of the cube. Finally, use the 4 remaining units to assemble the top face of the cube. Use the unfolded flaps to connect these 4 units. There will be 8 folded flaps to connect the top face to the 4 side faces of the cube.
Thoughts on Larger Cubes
I have not assembled a larger cube or box, but I’m thinking it should be possible with the types of identified units listed above. A 54 unit model will have 9 units on each face. There will need to be some units that have 1 flap folded, and other units that do not have any folded flaps. My recommendation would be to not fold a flap until you know that a unit will be on an edge. In my head I am imagining that a 9 unit face of a cube will need 6 units that have 1 folded flap, and 3 units that do not have a folded flap.
I think you could move up to a 96 unit cube with 16 units on each face and maybe 150 units with 25 on each face. I’m also thinking it would be possible to make a box with 9 units on the top and bottom faces, and 6 units on each of the 4 sides. The units on the sides would be arranged 3 units across and 2 units tall. It might even be possible to make a box that has 12 units on 2 faces, 8 units on 2 faces and 6 units on 2 faces. I would think that a bigger model would need to use thicker paper to make the units.
There are, of course, various other designs for 24-unit cubes, but hopefully these ideas will get you started if you are wanting to try larger modular projects.
Compiled by Annette Carr and Lindy van der Merwe - July 2025
This text copyright 2025 by accessorigami.com
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