Unfolder for Mac – A 3D model unfolding tool for creating papercraft

After looking at the web page (wow, this is a nicely designed app!), I read a bunch of comments being annoyed at the price, so I went to check, expecting something ridiculous - and it’s $30, with a free trial‽

At least for people in the US this is, like, two meals at a fast casual restaurant. It’s four hours work even at the depressingly low federal minimum wage. The Mac to run it on cost a thousand dollars. It’s way less than someone into this hobby will spend on paper and glue if they’re making more than a couple of models.

Depresses me that people see so little value here.

I wouldn’t buy it at any price because I’m not, and don’t want to get, into papercraft, but it’s a fair price.

I like the clean design of the landing page. I downloaded it and started the app and it needs an OBJ file to even do anything, so I wasn't able to play with it at all.

It would be cool if it included sample OBJ files to entice me to find my own later. Otherwise I feel like I just hit a wall immediately in the app will probably not try it again.

So, like Pepakura? https://pepakura.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura_designer/

Just wanted to say: what a gorgeous icon, and such a Mac-ass app design.

Feels like the heyday of OS X, which for me was undoubtedly between 2006-2012. Delicious Library, Toast, Transmit. I could go on.

Congrats to the creator :)

There is a free Blender plugin for papercraft, see demo https://matiasmorant.wordpress.com/2017/12/23/papercraft-wit...

For a look at someone solving a harder version of this problem with stretchy fabric deformation, check out pandafold.app

Admittedly an unconventional audience but its a curious problem space. Pepakura as mentioned here does this very well. The author of this software looks to be familiar with it

Just a suggestion: have an example obj object, or several, loaded up. It will sound nuts to you, but I probably won't find one and will just unload the app when I need space.

I found the idea very interesting but put off a little bit by the various details such as face normals etc (have limited knowledge of the topic). Here are few ideas to increase adoption:

- Sample files

- A video of end-to-end process of creating a basic model (perhaps something more complex than a cube) from 3d design to finished artefact.

- Support for STL

- Built-in option to adjust (reduce) face counts

I don't have an usecase, I don't own a printer even. But this is actually a good piece of software - it seems non-trivial from algorithmic point of view, UX is also well polished. Kudos to authors.

I wrote something like this for windows 20 years ago, a friend of mine used it to make some cutout models for an art exhibition.

It's an interesting problem to try to solve. Anything but the simplest model requires more than one cutout, which you then (in my app at least) have to position by hand onto sheets of paper for printing. Performing the unfold to minimise the number of separate sections was not something I even attempted.

What's the usual production method for the final model?

Do you need cardstock and a cricut machine? Or a laser cutter?

How do you align artwork on the object?

Oooo this might be useful for doing geometry unwrapping for laser cutting

This is great - reminds me of the golden age of cool little MacOS apps

Hmm couldn't find any pictures of actual results from using this?

It would be cool if this used ModelIO to do the 3D model loading. It supports a ton of formats which would ease the workflow of asset import.

You’d get STL, Alembic, USD, PLY support in addition to the OBJ.

This is really cool.

As someone who is not into papercraft I'm intrigued, but it feels like it's not for me. If the app was advertised as having a small selection of simple models to get started with, people in my position might be more interested in trying it out.

The app reminds me of the boom of (IMO) cool Mac apps around 2010. It's a great idea as well, I wish I had thought of it. The price is out of reach for me though...

I remember something like this was huge for rc planes 10-20 years ago as you could then make a plane out of thin bendable foam

You'd make a 3D model from 3-views then use something like this to unfold it

Beautiful landing page. I wonder if it uses the OCCT unfolding algorithms or something similar under the hood?

Unfolder? But I barely even know her! Jk, awesome project tho! Makes me wanna make cool packaging for products

What a fantastic idea. Developers who enable others to create art are artists in their own right!

This is lovely and very slick, but you can get equivalent results for $0 with Blender and Export Paper Model.

That has the benefit of letting you create/edit/export the model in a single application instance in a single workflow that is easy with practice.

Why is this not a web page?

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Mac only. Is there any reason this couldn't be a web app? And seems pretty restrictive to just have one platform, a desktop Mac.

You can vibe code an app like this, relying on OBJ import (no editing apart from cutting/opening constraints), in possibly half a day.

If you doubt me, take, me up on it.

Sure, I have 35 years of experiences writing computer graphics code but I am certain I would just need to provide functional description input to Claude or Codex for this.

Zero architecture or deep 3D know-how.

The only challenge/interesting part is what happens with non-planar polygons (>3 vertices). I.e. deciding if they can be unrolled (approximated with a cylindrical or conical surface enough to 'work' when cut from paper that does not stretch).

You can alleviate this problem completely by always triangulating befor calculating any unfolding solution ofc (and get zero curved surfaces in the resulting paper model thusly).

The rest is rather trivial.

I'm not saying this isn't great, I just don't understand how you could ask people to pay for it, in early 2026.