How to Fold a Cool 3D Origami Sci-Fi Rocket

Ever been bored in class and wondered if you could do something cool with your homework? That's how I made this design. This is not necessarily a beginners tutorial, but awesome comes with a price. This origami model is sure to impress your friends and is a whole lot of fun to make. The video is the best format to learn by, but you are more than welcome to use the instructable or both. Whatever works. If you like this tutorial remember to like and check out my Youtube channel How To Origami. Let's get started!

If you already know how to make the square base move on to step 2. Starting with a square piece of paper, fold the sheet in half both ways (up/down and left/right), then unfold. Then fold in the two diagonals (fold into triangles as shown), then unfold again. Your paper should now look like the sixth picture. Now bring in the two opposite corners towards the middle and down as shown in the last three pictures. The paper should collapse into a square as shown in the last image.

Your square base should have four flaps like the one shown in the first picture. Open this flap and squash it downwards. Be sure to keep the center crease lined up when you make the fold. The result should look like the third photo. The last photo shows what the model looks like once you do this on all four flaps.

Start by folding the bottom left and right edges up to the center crease (first two pictures). Then unfold and lift the horizontal flap upwards and back as shown. Pull back until the flaps fold inwards and create a point (6th image), then crease. Lastly, fold that point downwards and repeat on all four sides.

There should be an obvious horizontal crease dividing this diamond shape in two. Using a pencil or your imagination, divide the top half roughly into thirds. Make a strong crease on the top third so that the point touches the bottom third (demonstrated in the first two pictures). Fold the point back up so that the new crease is very close to the first one. The model should look like the last picture when you're done.

I know this is confusing, but its worth it, trust me. Unfold the entire paper. In the center there should be two octagons; one nested inside the other. Mountain fold along the outer octagon and begin refolding the model. It should collapse into a sink fold as shown in the third image. Unfold the paper one more time, and valley fold along the inner octagon. Refold as before, and collapse everything back into the position they were in before this step. The result should look like the last photo.

There should be a point on the model where the horizontal and vertical center crease intersect. This is the center point. Fold the top layer on the left and right sides in so that the point touches the center point. Do this on all four sides.

Unfold one of those sides and open it up. There should be a triangle with three creases radiating from the center. Mountain fold on the edges of the triangle, and valley fold on the creases that radiate outwards. The shape should then collapse as shown in the third and fourth picture. Do this on each side a total of eight times. Again, the last image shows what the model should look like after this step is complete.

Open up one of the legs as shown in the first picture. Then pull it out at an angle and pinch the leg closed again to freeze it in that angle. Do the same thing to all the legs, just make sure they are all roughly the same angle.

This step is 100% optional, however, I think it's really worth doing if you're not totally sick of all these sink folds. Start by folding the bottom right edge inwards as far as they can go without ripping the paper. Then unfold. Open the area up to expose a triangle (pictured in the third photo). As before, mountain fold on the edges of the triangle and valley fold on the creases radiating out from the center. Then everything should collapse back into its previous position. Repeat on each bottom edge, a total of eight times.

Last step! You should see a lot of layers nested in each other on the sides of the rocket. Stretch these open all the way around the model so that the rocket becomes cylindrical. The legs should position themselves roughly 90 degrees from each other after this.

We're done! I hope you had fun with this tutorial! If you did, be sure to check out my profile and my YouTube channel How To Origami for more awesome stuff you can impress your friends with. Please favorite, like, subscribe, and don't be afraid to leave a comment to ask a question. I will try to get back to you as soon as I can. Happy folding!