This is the first model I designed in 2024 and I wanted to focus on the character of a marmot. Additionally it is the first design in which I decided to use Hexpleating due to the shapes of the model (and not efficiency or for experiments).
Marmots life in the alps. It´s cold and they hibernate during the winter. Therefore their bodies are plump (and very cute). Having a minimalistic model in mind, I feared that using Boxpleating would make it look more like a cubicle. The less details and shapes you have, the more important they become. Soon, I settled for Hexpleating. I wanted to practice it anyways and this seemed to be a perfect opportunity.
For a 3d model, I had to options. Either I left a part of the crease pattern non flat-foldable or I had to squash the back and the head flat making them disproportionally large. I decided on the latter. As soon as I had the basic shape, that had a lot of character, I stopped: I didn´t want to spoil the design with too many detail that might influence the simple character.
The crease pattern is using hexpleating, the diagonal is divided into 11 equal divisions. Folded from a 24cm square, the model will be about 12cm long. For me, the hardest part of the marmot was shaping the head, otherwise it is one of my more simple designs. Even though I´m not completely content with the way it turned out (the eyes could be better), I´m satisfied with the overall result.
