The PEPAKURA question thread - PLEASE READ RULES IN FIRST POST!

[laellee]

When i put the pepakura scaling to 300 height the width become 191, is that right ? because on youtube videos the numbers are different ?

P.S. my i didn't buy the full version so i don't know if that's gonna make any difference or not

There is no identical scaling between Pepakura files, unless the person who modeled them chose to make them the same scale.

Put another way: The 'size' that the original 3d model was made in determines the scale in Pepakura. So a 3d model of a helmet that is 100mm tall will load into pepakura at 100mm tall when the scale is at 1. Another person might model the same helmet at 500mm tall, so that helmet would open into Pepakura at 500mm if the scale was set at 1. Kind of confusing, but the point is every model can be a different scale and size. Using the point-to-point measurement tool is the easiest way to check measurements.

As a side note just to be clear, Pepakura rescales in all 3 dimensions, you can't select just one dimension.

 

[mrwhite]

when i do a pepakura masks like army of two or scorpion how to make it fit ? should i just print it just as i download it ?

 

[AdalaWulfe]

Soooo... there's 50+ pages and I'm not sure if anyone here has answered some of these questions [I'm using Blender; just started with no schooling];

1) Does topology matter when making the model for pep?
2) Is it better to break the model apart for pep? [separate pep files for visor, attachments, etc.]
3) When editing the pep file, are there right/wrong ways to separate your edges and folds?
4) I'm getting these weird inconsistent triangles in the middle of my models... also because of topology?

I have a few more questions, but I won't list them all.

Just in case anyone is wondering, I'm attempting to make the "Light Beyond Nemisis" exotic helmet from Destiny. The only pep files I've seen so far are the Hunter mask, Hunter knife and a rare Warlock helm...

Thanks in advance!

 

[Bandiet]

Soooo... there's 50+ pages and I'm not sure if anyone here has answered some of these questions [I'm using Blender; just started with no schooling];

1) Does topology matter when making the model for pep?
2) Is it better to break the model apart for pep? [separate pep files for visor, attachments, etc.]
3) When editing the pep file, are there right/wrong ways to separate your edges and folds?
4) I'm getting these weird inconsistent triangles in the middle of my models... also because of topology?

I have a few more questions, but I won't list them all.

Just in case anyone is wondering, I'm attempting to make the "Light Beyond Nemisis" exotic helmet from Destiny. The only pep files I've seen so far are the Hunter mask, Hunter knife and a rare Warlock helm...

Thanks in advance!

Hi... I'm also relatively new to the 3d modeling world and also using blender. Here's my take on what you've asked :

1. Keep the topology simple as possible ie. the more complex the model is in blender, the more complex and difficult the unfold and for that matter, the build.

2. Breaking a model up for pep is something I try avoid at all costs. Remember that when you've built the pep, you're going to want to apply resin, which tends to cause warping. Rather model it as one piece and then cut the visor after the hardening phase.

3. Unfolders generally each have their own style or way of doing things. Some try get as few parts as possible, sometimes at the cost of some detail... others like myself, tend to strip everything down to individual pieces, which actually makes for longer build times and a lot more work, but you salvage some detail.

4. The triangles could be removed by selecting the model, going into your "edit", "faces" selection and then selecting the " tri's to quads" option. Keep in mind that this will depend on that specific section on the model, sometimes blender has no option but to make a tri.

I find that quads are much better for modeling for pep, but that may just be personal preference.

Hope I've helped a bit... good luck with the model, would love to see how it turns out.

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk

 

[kyubi]

Hi everyone,
am pretty new to pep and am attempting my first ever. 4 days in and I've almost completed my ironman helmet using 260gsm card. My helmet is in 5 pieces... and before i resin i want to know of a good way to keep them all together that will hold shape.. i was thinking about using binder clips as that's kind of what I've done to keep it together at the moment... will it prove to be a pain in the ass?
only reason I'm having this issue was because i couldn't print straight onto the card i had to print on paper and glue it to the card was the only way i could start the project, but it did make the card warp a little. Looks great with the binder clips together but crap when i pull them off hehe.
also wondering whether there's anyone from New Zealand on the forum that knows anywhere i can get 3d prints done as i have some stl files i would like printed for another helmet as i believe that would prove to be so less time consuming.

Thank you all

 

[laellee]

Binder clips work great; just be aware that the helmet is still going to warp somwhatwhen it is resined. A lot of this can be removed later by using a heat gun and lightly reshaping. You can also reduce warping by resining in sections instead of the whole piece right away. Brush on a light 2.5cm wide strips of resin along the pieces' borders, and then continue by adding a few more strips horizontally and vertically to create something like a tic-tac-toe pattern. Once that hardens up, you can go back and brush the unresined areas so you now have one full resin coat. The first criss-cross pattern has a lot less total weight on the paper, and it reduces (not completely, but a lot) the warpage that you would get otherwise. Good luck!

 

[kyubi]

Appreciate the advice, the most trouble I'm having at the moment is how to attach the ears lol. they're shaped like ear muffs and at the moment I've slid them under the main part of the helmet and it does look right. I kind of did the whole thing without pep viewer, was just a pdf file lol. so I'm assuming i would just hot glue the piece to one another even though it has no tabs to stick to...?

Am actually wondering if I can sew the pieces together as it would probably hold better as I've been using PVA for this build and it's quite daunting holding them together. I started using binder clips to keep the glue together for when they set and that's how i thought of binder clips ha ha!

 

[laellee]

Appreciate the advice, the most trouble I'm having at the moment is how to attach the ears lol. they're shaped like ear muffs and at the moment I've slid them under the main part of the helmet and it does look right. I kind of did the whole thing without pep viewer, was just a pdf file lol. so I'm assuming i would just hot glue the piece to one another even though it has no tabs to stick to...?

Am actually wondering if I can sew the pieces together as it would probably hold better as I've been using PVA for this build and it's quite daunting holding them together. I started using binder clips to keep the glue together for when they set and that's how i thought of binder clips ha ha!

PVA glue? yeah, that's not going to be as cooperative as hot glue or super glue, although it allows fr a lot more repositioning time.

On a lot of peps, extremities like ears and such will be modeled but not connected to the rest of the piece; It can make building easier, and also allow you to get inside those outer pieces to resin that would be difficult to reach if they were all one piece. You can always add your own tabs to make attaching the two pieces together easier.

 

[kyubi]

So i got all my bits to fit together perfectly and i applied a coat of resin... this is where the trouble began. The resin in the pot has cured but not what is applied on the helmet. I'm using a poly resin with the catalyst that came with. Temperature in New Zealand is in it's high 20's Celsius with high humidity. It's been a few hours and it's still tacky. I don't know what to do, and if i need to clean it off would i just scrape it off with a blade or is it ruined and i have to start over..?

Instructions on my poly resin said 1% catalyst to the resin. So i put just over 1ml catalyst to 100ml resin thinking it would cure faster.

 

[Shinrai]

So i got all my bits to fit together perfectly and i applied a coat of resin... this is where the trouble began. The resin in the pot has cured but not what is applied on the helmet. I'm using a poly resin with the catalyst that came with. Temperature in New Zealand is in it's high 20's Celsius with high humidity. It's been a few hours and it's still tacky. I don't know what to do, and if i need to clean it off would i just scrape it off with a blade or is it ruined and i have to start over..?

Instructions on my poly resin said 1% catalyst to the resin. So i put just over 1ml catalyst to 100ml resin thinking it would cure faster.

I mean, the ratio's probably right...usually a little more catalyst will indeed just make it cure faster (and also much hotter, so it's not always advisable -- you can warp your pieces this way!). Depending on the exact resin you're using I wouldn't say it's out of the question for it to still be a little tacky after a few hours. If it's not changed after 12-24 hours, then I'd worry. I have yet to really have a problem myself, but there are two approaches I've heard:

A: If it doesn't seem to have actually cured (ie it's not rigid enough), lightly brush it with a tiny bit of catalyst to see if you can finish the cure. (Maybe cut it with some thinner so it's easier to spread).
B: If it does seem to have cured, and just isn't perfectly dry, brush it with some baby powder to collect the excess moisture.

 

[DarkPrimus]

So after allot of research on the ''paper side'' of pepakura i decided i had to take a look in foam building (building an armor out of resin is gonna get abit heavy) however in my country (the netherlands) its really hard to find the right foam (which is EVA foam if im correct) so i was wondering if anyone here can help me get the right materials cause there is SO MUCH to choose from i really dont know where to start

 

[Lord Magneto]

Does anyone know of any good tutorials on how to unfold blender 3D design files for Pepakura?

I'm actually working on a very cool project for work and they are interested in seeing how to take a 3D blender file and creating prototypes from Pepakura

 

[laellee]

Does anyone know of any good tutorials on how to unfold blender 3D design files for Pepakura?

I'm actually working on a very cool project for work and they are interested in seeing how to take a 3D blender file and creating prototypes from Pepakura

There are some decent tutorials on youtube... I guess the bigger issue first would be the type of model you are starting with. If the model in Blender is not 'clean', it will make it verryyy difficult to unfold and/or build using pepakura. Game models are a good example of this, usually being made up of several individual meshes that overlap each other to look proper when viewed normally, but horrible as they are for pep because of that invisible geometry.

Sorry, not much of a help I suppose, but if you'd like, you can PM me the file or a link and I'll take a look at it.

 

[Carnet]

Between this site, 501st, and 405th I have been through quite a few of the tutorials and they have helped immensely. I am trying to track down a specific thread on one of the three sites that contained a 3D model of a scale human male. It would be very helpful for what I am doing right now. I thought I had the page bookmarked but apparently not.

Anyone have a clue.?

I have been digging for a couple of days and I can't seem to find it, of course when I first came across it a few months ago I ran into it without even trying.

EDIT: Apparently I was smart enough to email it to myself when I found it.

http://www.4shared.com/file/QjiwGLnu/body.html

​

 

[Lord Magneto]

There are some decent tutorials on youtube... I guess the bigger issue first would be the type of model you are starting with. If the model in Blender is not 'clean', it will make it verryyy difficult to unfold and/or build using pepakura. Game models are a good example of this, usually being made up of several individual meshes that overlap each other to look proper when viewed normally, but horrible as they are for pep because of that invisible geometry.

Sorry, not much of a help I suppose, but if you'd like, you can PM me the file or a link and I'll take a look at it.

Much appreciated for the feedback. Yea I'm not 100% sure on the models yet as I have not seen them yet. They are not going to be even prop/replica/comic/movie related. I've got some technical team members that I'm working with who are working in blender and have heard about pepakura and then heard through the grapevine that I have some experience with this.... haha I'm now the resident expert in pepakura. Will def do some searching on youtube and see if I can find some more info.

 

[kyubi]

I mean, the ratio's probably right...usually a little more catalyst will indeed just make it cure faster (and also much hotter, so it's not always advisable -- you can warp your pieces this way!). Depending on the exact resin you're using I wouldn't say it's out of the question for it to still be a little tacky after a few hours. If it's not changed after 12-24 hours, then I'd worry. I have yet to really have a problem myself, but there are two approaches I've heard:

A: If it doesn't seem to have actually cured (ie it's not rigid enough), lightly brush it with a tiny bit of catalyst to see if you can finish the cure. (Maybe cut it with some thinner so it's easier to spread).
B: If it does seem to have cured, and just isn't perfectly dry, brush it with some baby powder to collect the excess moisture.

Thanks for the tips. It dried out finally lol.
It's looking pretty good at the moment. I kind of made life difficult using 1/4 ounce fibre to begin with then moved onto 6 ounce, oh boy was the 6 ounce easier to work with. I'm wondering if i can get a fibreglass paste or something similar to do the edges to strengthen them... anyone know of anything of the sort?

 

[Msanta]

Re: WHAT Is Pepakura, And How Do I Get Involved???

To use pepakura viewer on a Mac use MyCoolWrapper.
This is a simple skin to use windows programs on a Mac computer only dragging it in.

Download it on http://wineskin.urgesoftware.com/tiki-index.php?page=Downloads

Drag your pepakura viewer.exe over it and appears an error message.
Click ok and wait...
Enjoy your pepakura on a Mac

 

[SatsuiNoJXA]

REQUEST!

Is anyone able to help me out and build a file for these Iron Spider, Spider-Legs?

 

[Shinrai]

REQUEST!

Is anyone able to help me out and build a file for these Iron Spider, Spider-Legs?

Interesting idea, but I have to ask - why are you thinking you'd want to do these in pepakura at all? They're very long and slender and for the most part are essentially cylinders with details on the outside, seems to me like any number of other construction methods would work better.

 

[SatsuiNoJXA]

Interesting idea, but I have to ask - why are you thinking you'd want to do these in pepakura at all? They're very long and slender and for the most part are essentially cylinders with details on the outside, seems to me like any number of other construction methods would work better.

Well cause I wanted the intricate details and shaping that Pepakura files can guarantee. Also I know how to go about adding Fiber Glass Resin to give it a shiny metallic look. What would you suggest? I'm all ears.