Build fold-up paper models with Waybe

Making 3D models on the computer is great and all, but have you ever wanted a real-life, physical, breaks-if-you-drop-it object to hold in your hands? Of course you have -- we've all been spoiled by Captain Picard's replicator. But we might have to wait awhile for "Tea. Earl Grey. Hot." to become a reality.

Until then, you've got a couple of choices for turning your faces and edges into something you can put on your coffee table. Waybe, a brand-new plugin for Google SketchUp (Windows and Mac), lets you unfold your models into flat "patterns". After that, all you have to do is print them, cut them out, and fold them back together. Waybe even automatically adds the little tabs you need to glue everything together.


You can download Waybe and give it a whirl for free. The guys at Waybe put together a bunch of how-to videos for YouTube. As a former architecture student, I can definitely think of several occasions when something like this would've saved me hours of time spent making physical models. I can also imagine Waybe being great for K-12 education. I myself am about to build a paper model of my house -- so much for spending the weekend outside.

Posted by Aidan Chopra, SketchUp Evangelist

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