Folding and unfolding objects in a 3D rendering is always an interesting premise to watch, however, there are times and certain applications where the effect is a difficult and long haul with a terrifying mix of scripting and mathematics.
Maya happens to be one of those 3D applications where you need to create your own unfolding animation effect, however, Dan Moreno has created and is making available (for Licensing) his Origami Script for Maya with will allow you to create and animate an unfolding effect in Maya with just a few clicks.
This is a script I wrote for creating origami effect quickly. You just need to select the pieces in the order you want them to unfold. Set the parameters and the script does the rest
Once the Origami Script is installed, you need to split the polygons into triangles, either manually or by simply using the Mesh Triangulate command in Maya, and then extract those faces. Then just run the script and generate the animation based on how many frames you have set in the script’s interface.
Origami script for Maya is $ 99.00 USD, and you can purchase it by sending Dan Moreno an email. More information on Origami Unfolding Animation Script for Maya can be found here.
