Twisted Cube Paper Forms

In the Paper Forms project, I constructed a cube twisted on its vertical axis. I already had a difficult time visualizing 2D into 3D, so I decided to start somewhere simple and add a small challenge to it. Additionally, this cube caught my attention as this form reminded me of the still-life classes I used to take, specifically of the props used. So, I thought it would be fun to replicate one of the props used back then but with a twist.

1. 8.5'' by 11'' Cardstock
2. Glue/Tape

Software

1. Adobe Illustrator/Inkscape
2. Fusion 360

I started off by trying to sketch and visualize how the form would look if it were unpackaged and laid flat. Since I was already familiar with the design and iteration process, I decided to start off by manually drawing and cutting my own block to get the idea of how the folds and tabs would work in tandem and come together. There was a lot to decide in the design--how twisted should the cube be? Are the twisted sides still equal in length with the sides that are not?

Since this design was inspired by one of the forms in Paul Jackson's magazine, "Structural Packaging: Design Your Own Boxes and 3D Forms," I was already provided with the information that the twisted angle should not be greater than 10 degrees, or the form might fail. Thus, the angle at which the box is rotated at was set to ten degrees. Additionally, I could not decide whether the twisted side should equal the normal side. Coming to the conclusion that twisting a box will not change its dimensions, I set all sides equal to each other.

With this first iteration, I could confirm that the lines and measurements I drew is a step closer to my desired result. Additionally, this trial run allowed me to grasp some of the flaws within my first design, especially with the tabs. The tabs being exactly a half of the side of the cube worked well, but the diagonal, final tab could not fully close. Thus, I made the change to make the tabs in a trapezoidal shape--the test object and changes can be seen in the pictures below.

After confirming what worked well and did not work well in the first iteration, I went onto Fusion 360 to construct the final 2D net.

After the 2D net was completed on Fusion 360, it was time to laser cut the form out. This iteration did not come out perfect, so a lot of improvements were to be made. As seen in the image, the prototype's edges were frayed; it is evident that the default settings were not strong enough to cleanly cut through the card stock. Additionally, part of the form that was supposed to be cut (highlighted in blue) were not cut, so I had to rip them manually to make the cube close. Lastly, as there were no setting for scoring on card stock, the prototype had no engravings.

With a little experimentation with the power settings on the laser cutter, I found that the best setting for cutting through the card stock was at 15% power and 90% speed. As for the engraving setting, 5% power and 90% speed worked great.

With the final iteration, I am very pleased with its outcome. Its cuts are extremely clean and satisfying to see; I am glad that the box did not turn out too small. In future iterations, I do want to consider the paper size when designing the 2D net so I could optimize the amount of paper used and thus make the box bigger. I did not see any snapping tool or working camera for the laser cutter to measure the file to the paper, so I made it slightly smaller so the laser would not miss. Overall, I am very content with the final product.

The reading was a huge asset in helping me visualize the 2D net of the 3D form. When I started the project, I knew I wanted to integrate my knowledge of illustration into what form I would create. My initial idea was to simplify the human head into planes and form. However, given that I already had a difficult time visualizing 2D forms into 3D, this concept may be too complex given the time allotted for this project.

The reading gave me ideas that these forms were not limited to generic objects such as the cube, pyramid, or cylinder–I could modify these simple objects to create something more complex. Thus, I settled on the cube twisted on its vertical axis. Its concept was simple and essential in illustration. Despite its simplicity, I still faced difficulty in drawing out the form to even make it look twisted. Overall, the reading was a helpful guide in overcoming the challenges of planning the 2D net and to show that the paper shapes that could be made are unlimited.