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pepakura

Page history last edited by Mike Vroegop 16 years, 1 month ago

Pepakura - Papercraft Armor!

Paper is cheap. Printing is cheap. Resin is pretty cheap. Halo is a game. Games have models. Gooo!

Please read this entire page before you decide you want to start making your pepakura armor.

 

General

Pepakura(Referred to as Pep)is a program and term which means papercraft- but pep is special. It's a program which generates patterns to cut out and assemble from 3d models- so one can take things from games and make them real. The game meshes/models are often used and a number of them have been edited to include a higher ammount of detail but these more detailed versions are not for the beginer. While Pep is good for starting Armor builders, the end product rarely ends up high quality. And if it does, it will cost about $500USD to make it molded-quality. If you have put 500USD into your armor, then you might want to think about spending another 500USD to mold it (which is covered elsewhere on this wiki).

 


 

Basics

steps

  1. Print
  2. Assemble
  3. Resin
  4. Fiber Glass (If you're on a tight budget you can skip to painting after you 'glass it')
  5. Bondo
  6. Detailing (Dremel)
  7. Paint

 

What you'll need

  1. Card Stock
  2. Pepakura (Program)
  3. Printer
  4. Clean Workspace
  5. Scisors
  6. Metal Ruler
  7. Red Pen
  8. Blue Pen
  9. Hot Glue Gun
  10. Well Ventilated Area
  11. Resin
  12. Extra Hardener
  13. Lots of Paint Brushes
  14. Tin Foil
  15. Stir Stick
  16. Fiberglass Sheets
  17. Bondo
  18. Hardener
  19. Bondo Spreaders
  20. Sandpaper
  21. Dremel
  22. Paint (Spray)
  23. Dive Suit
  24. Straps
  25. Padding

 

 

 

 

Pepakura: How To

Faq

Q:What is Pepakura?

A:Pepakura Designer allows you to create a development for paper craft easily from 3D data used in 3D CG software. You can load a 3d image and make adjustments (not featured in this tutorial) or you can load already saved files from Pepakura and print them out to assemble a 3d object using only paper!

 

Q:What is pepakura printed on?

A:The .pdo files (The ones that Pep uses)that are shared here are, for the most part, saved to print on normal letter paper, but some are formatted for A4, This is a universal standard size paper, however it is not what is typically used here in the United States (Letter).If you are using a model with an A4 format you will have to change the settings and manipulate the images to make sure they fit on the paper. But don't worry, we will cover that here.

 

Q:What type of paper works best?

A:Pep is usually printed on cardstock, which is just a thicker type of paper (Still printer friendly) 110lb cardstock is most common and can be bought at any office supply store, or even walmart and is $10USD for about 200 pieces (about 500 pages are recommended to have on hand if you're going to make a whole suit).

Part 1: Downloading Pepakura

To download Pepakura, you will need to visit the URL below, which is Pepakura's website: http://www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura-en/

 

From here, you will want to select "Download" from the left. Once on the download page, select Pepakura Designer. Once that is selected, follow the download and installation instructions on that page.

 

Part 2: Downloading the Armor Files

There are several people who currently have good, custom made, downloadable armor. Most of them can be found in the Download Database, here:

  • Note: The Most detailed pep items (Moderate-Intermediate) will be from Slyfo, Flying Squirl, Robogenisis and NZ-TK among others, usually the more detailed a pep model, the harder it will be.

 

 

 

If you're just starting out and want a suit quick and relatively simple, JediFraz has some starter models (Albeit in A4 format)

Warning: JediFraz's Armor is not scaled for a normal human, instead for the Master Chief (7ft tall) so you will NEED to read the Scaling section before you print.

 

Helmet: http://www.jedifraz.com/Hosting/Misc/MC-Helmet.pdo

Chest and Backpack: http://www.jedifraz.com/Hosting/Misc/SpartanChest.pdo

Left Bicep: http://www.jedifraz.com/Hosting/Misc/Left-Bicep.pdo

Left Forearm and Hand: http://www.jedifraz.com/Hosting/Misc/Left-Forearm.pdo

Right Bicep: http://www.jedifraz.com/Hosting/Misc/Right-Bicep.pdo

Right Forearm and Hand: http://www.jedifraz.com/Hosting/Misc/Right-Forearm.pdo

Crotch and Rear: http://www.jedifraz.com/Hosting/Misc/Crotch.pdo

Left Thigh: http://www.jedifraz.com/Hosting/Misc/Left-Thigh.pdo

Left Calf: http://www.jedifraz.com/Hosting/Misc/Left-Calf.pdo

Left Foot: http://www.jedifraz.com/Hosting/Misc/Left-Foot.pdo

Right Thigh: http://www.jedifraz.com/Hosting/Misc/Right-Thigh.pdo

Right Calf: http://www.jedifraz.com/Hosting/Misc/Right-Calf.pdo

Right Foot: http://www.jedifraz.com/Hosting/Misc/Right-Foot.pdo

 

Part 3: Opening a .pdo file

Open Pepakura Designer by selecting it from your Start Menu or double clicking the shortcut on your desk top.

 

Once the software is open, under the File tab select Open:

 

Find the Helmet file that we saved from above. Select it and click Open:

 

This will open the file. From here you should see two images.

 

On the left you will see the 3d version of the helmet assembled And on the right you will see the individual pieces mapped out to single pieces of paper(The each square marked out by dotted lines is one sheet of paper):

Photobucket

 

Part 4: Take away the Grey

A lot of people don't want to have their printer print out a grey version of the armor they are creating. It's not really necessary, and it sucks ink out of your printer. So to change this, we are going to remove the grey material used as a face.

To do this you will want to go under the Both Windows tab, and uncheck "Use Materials for Faces":

Photobucket

 

This should turn your helmet white, as well as all of the pieces shown on the right to white as well.

 

Part 5: Changing the paper size

If you're using the JediFraz models, then you will need to change the paper size. Those of us using Letter sized paper (8.5 x 11) we will need to change the settings and reorganize all of the objects.

 

To do this, we will need to go under File and select "Print and Paper Configuration":

Photobucket

 

From here, you will want to change the paper size that is set at A4, to Letter:

Photobucket

 

Also, since Letter is not as long as A4 and these pieces need to successfully fit on the paper, you will want to reduce your Side Margin and Top/Bottom Margin to as low as possible:

Photobucket

 

Once we've made this change, you will notice that your pieces on the right no longer fit on the pieces of paper. They are scrambled around and need to be re-aligned.

 

Part 6: Moving the parts

First what you'll want to do (to make things easier) is get rid of the 3d image window so that we can focus solely on putting our 2d pieces correctly onto single sheets of paper.

 

To do this, go under Configuration and select "ShowOnly2dPatternWindow":

Photobucket

 

Now we should see only the 2d patterns (if you have a mouse with a scroll wheel you can use that to zoom in and out):

Photobucket

 

To space these patterns out, we will want to use the Select and Move tool located on the tool bar. The icon should look like this:

Photobucket

 

Grab each pattern and spread it out so that it is fully within the dotted lines that indicate page breaks. Remember that it may be necessary to fully zoom in on a page in order to make sure that the pattern does not overlap or pass a dotted line.

 

Part 7: Using Part Rotate

Using the Select and Move tool one can successfully seperate each piece onto it's own sheet of paper. However, for the environment concious or people who just don't want to waste a lot of paper for monetary concerns, you can use the Part Rotate tool to "spin" the patterns around and make more fit on a page.

 

First, we'll select the Part Rotate tool from the toolbar. The icon looks like this:

Photobucket

 

Once you've selected the Part Rotate tool, you should see circles show up on all of the vertexes for each pattern as so: Photobucket

 

 

To use this tool, Zoom in on the pattern so that you can get an easier view of the vertexes. Select the vertex that you want to pivot the turn of the pattern on. You should see a cross hair through that vertex now:

Photobucket

 

Now you will want to select another vertex in order to spin the item around the first selected vertex. You can play around with this a lot to make many pieces fit on one sheet of paper. Eliminating five sheets of paper that would otherwise have been wasted is common.

 

Part 8: Almost Ready to Print

 

You have the paper resized, and you have the patterns re-aligned to the new sized paper. And from now you may be able to print. But there are a few functions left in Pepakura that you may want to utilize before you waste a lot of paper.

 

Flap Configuration

With this tool, you can change whether or not there are flaps (which are used to tape or glue one pattern to the other), give the flaps colors, or change the width of the flap.

 

Edge ID Configuration

This is where you turn on or off the Edge ID. An Edge ID is a number that helps you put the puzzle together. If left on, you would connect Edge ID #1 to Edge ID #1.

Photobucket

If turned off, you would essentially turn your patterns for your helmet into a bit of a 3 dimensional jigsaw puzzle, which is NOT recommended unless you have a lot of time to waste and enjoy a challenge. From here you can also Flip the ID position and change the font size of the ID.

 

Line Style Configuration

Its highly suggested that you at least take a look at this configuration, even if you don't edit it. From here you can edit the way your line looks if it is a Cut Line, Mountain Line (outside fold) or Valley Line (inside fold). Knowing the overall look of your Mountain and Valley lines will help you to know whether you are folding out or folding in on all of the fold lines printed on your pattern. If you are not satisfied with the line types that came default, you can also edit them to your preference.

(Original Tutorial by Frizzle Fry)(Example helmet by Jedifaz)

 

Scaling

The term Scaling is referring to how big Pepakura will make the finished model, if scaling is off by just an inch, your finished model will be either larger by an inch everywhere or smaller by an inch. It is not a skill that is developed overnight. Thankfully for you, by the time you read this, enough people will have messed up their scaling enough to allow you to get it right on first trying, and if not, then defiantly the second. Most of the newer models that you will be downloading to make your armor will be already scaled properly for someone about 6' tall. If not you can use this formula to determine how big you should make your armor:

 

 

 

Scaling Formula

  1. Add up your height in inches. There is 12" to a foot. We'll use a random hieght for the example. 5'11" which equals 71 inches.
  2. Divide that by 86: 71/86 = .82558
  3. Multiply that number times the scale it currently is, 30.342: 30.342*0.82558 = 25.04979
  4. Now in Pepakura, go into 2dPatternWindow and select "Scale Up/Down by specifying value"
  5. Under scale, put in the new scale (for this equation its 25.04979). Do this for all of your pieces to be symmetrical.

(Scaling Formula by Frizzle Fry)

 

 

  • Note: One thing to keep in mind is the size of the scale that is in use before you edit it is from the base of the ground to the top outside of MC's helmet. You don't really want the top of your head to be touching the top of the inside of the helmet if you expect it to fit right. So you may want to add two or three inches to your actual height before doing the math. This may help other areas as well, where it could come through a bit tight.

 

After you print, double check that all flaps have numbers on them. Also, print a Bicep with the scaling you have decided for yourself to make sure that it fits properly. It is much easier to make a bicep than it is a helmet.

 

 

Preparing to build

This Section will tell you everything you need to know before you start your build.

 

How to Fold Pepakura

This is a tutorial on how to fold the lines on Pepakura correctly and clean.

  1. You're going to need is 2 Pens and a ruler. Make sure that the 2 pens are each different colors. (Try to use a metal Ruler)
  2. Know the two types of folds by heart!
    • - - - - - = Mountain folds, when you fold them they will look like this '^' (like the peak of a mountain)
    • -- - -- - -- - = Valleys folds, when folded they should look like 'v' (like bottom of a valley)
  1. You must assign the pens to a certain fold. (remember you must keep them the same through out the procedure)
    • Example:
      • Red Pen = Valley fold lines
      • Black Pen = Mountain fold lines
  1. Cut out the piece you are going to be folding.
  2. Set up the Ruler so it is parallel to the line you are going to score, make sure that it is a bit close, as seen here:
  3. Then you're going to want take the pen you assigned to valley fold or mountain fold and go over the line 3 or 4 times pressing semi hard with the ruler as a guide to keeping the pen straight and on the original line.
  4. Once you have done that you may fold the paper accordingly to come out as a nice clean fold.

(By Iceman29 and Xavier)

Here are the pieces for the JediFraz Model laid out, cut and scored (Remember, this is the simplest helmet to make from pep)

Photobucket

 

Assembly

After you cut out and score all the pieces for your helmet, you might be in dismay at the enormity of this task... Pep IS cheap, but it is not a one day process, take a break if you are feeling overwhelmed. Always start with the crown (top) of the helmet. The reason for this is simple, if you start at the bottom, the tiny imperfections that WILL happen when you glue will build up. By the time you are finishing the top, you will find that you're helmet is deformed or that you cannot fit a piece in properly. Remember, #1 goes with #1 (with one "1" being upside down).

 

There are several different methods for connecting the pieces, they range from simple to toxic:

 

  1. Hot Glue
      • __Heat Warning__ By far the most popular and easiest method, it combines the strength of Hobby glue with the Ease of Scotch tape. As an added bonus, you can remove it (carefully and slowly) and try again if you don't like how it turned out
  1. Scotch Tape
      • This Method is very temporary, and should not be used readily.
  1. Super Glue
      • __Siamese Fingers Warning__ While this allows you to be more accurate (because of slow cure time) it is toxic, impossible to undo, and because you have to hold the pieces together perfectly while they dry, very time consuming.
  1. Hobby Glue
      • This is a relatively good choice, but it comes in small containers and you will need a few of them... still toxic, and is meant for delicate things... not really the type of "Glob on" you will need on some parts.

 

Here is JediFraz's helmet model being assembled with Hot Glue(this one was started improperly(not from the crown down)):

Photobucket

 

 

Safety

There are certain materials commonly used in the creation of costume armor that are hazardous to your health and should ONLY be used with proper safety equipment, ventilation and in accordance with the manufacturers safety recommendations.

 

The 405th costume armor group insists on the responsible use of these materials by its members and guests to these sites in the creation of costume armor.

 

Read Here Before Continuing: http://halocostuming.pbwiki.com/Safety

 

 

 

Strengthening Your Armor

Reinforcement

While there are several ways to strengthen your helmet, the only proven reinforcment method is to use resin on the outside. Other Methods have been used, such ad ductape or cardboard, but if your going to try to make your helmet as acurate as possible the for now resin is the way to go. Aqua Resin has yet to be proved, but it looks like it might be a good Nontoxic alternative to resin. (For updates on the test go here: http://405th.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8678&st=0&p=121341&#entry121341 )

 

Using resin requires an organic mask, gloves, and about 30 brushes (5 if your just doing a helmet)

 

...Tutorial comming soon!

Comments (3)

Mike Vroegop said

at 9:03 pm on Feb 6, 2008

The Scaling section should probably be its own article, "scaling pepakura", and maybe a little more step-by-step.

Anonymous said

at 9:27 pm on Feb 6, 2008

Hm... well It is... isnt it?

Mike Vroegop said

at 6:25 am on Feb 8, 2008

Eh.. this is OK for now, but it's a good idea to keep wiki articles short and to-the-point. For example, this page should probably be an overview of the papercraft approach to making armor, then a listing of steps- which are links to each step's page. Also, you can make a word a link to a new wiki article by putting brackets around it.

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