INFO: How to measure size of your Pepakura project

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dodgerfan2226

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Hi all! This tutorial should show you the basics of how to measure distances in Pepakura so you know if your project is large enough for you. I recently found this feature and want to make it better known (I also didn't see any forms explaining it so I felt like, being a new recruit and all, it would be helpful to show how to). Please message me if this tutorial is unclear or has any errors for me to fix! Enjoy! :)

How to measure distances in Pepakura Designer

To my knowledge, THIS ONLY WORKS IN DESIGNER AND NOT IN VIEWER!!!!!!

I built the Recruit helmet by JTM Hyper but never measured it to see if it was large enough. I knew there were numbers at the bottom of the Pepakura Designer that said how large to largest parts were but the distance of the opening was still unclear (See pic).
Assembled size.png
The assembled size was H: 27cm W: 24.7cm D: 30.9cm, but, as you will see in later pics, the head hole is smaller that the larges width of the helmet.
I managed to build it and have it fit me but I want to mitigate the risk of having it not fit. I then conducted more research on Pepakura and finally figured out how to determine the exact distance of pieces!
1. Open your project in Pepakura DESIGNER!!!!!

2. Right click anywhere in the gray area of your 2D pieces and you will be prompted with a menu like this:
pep_design-menu.png

3. Left click on the bottom option 'Measure distance between two points':
pep_design-menu-option.png
NOTE: You may notice your model change in appearance but don't worry, this is just for you to see it better.

4. Next move your curcor over one of the sides you are going to measure. Your cursor will show a new red mark at the spot you are going to measure and when you get that red mark to where you want :
cursor-over-spot-to-measure.png

5. Click on the other spot to get a line to measure your distance:
Screenshot 2014-08-03 14.51.56.png

6. Another window will popup displaying the distance in mm:
Screenshot 2014-08-03 14.52.03.png

7. Now you move the decimal place over one and you know how large it is (Ex. 198.43mm goes to 19.8cm).

There you have it! Now you can measure the distance of the openings of your pepakura build and not waste more paper! Please message me if there is something I need to fix on the thread!



 
It might be worth noting that you could make up some stencils based on this.

For instance, the bottom of the helmet.
Take a screenshot of the bottom of the helmet, trying to make sure that you have it lined up perfectly.
Open it in paint/word and make sure that the lengths that you measured for the opening in Pepakura Designer match that on the paper.
Then you print it, and cut out the opening and see if it slides over your head.

I would keep in mind though, that some helmets do allow you do wear them scaled smaller than the opening allows you to normally wear. So not all helmets require giant proportions.
This is done by modifying the lower back of the neck region so that it is either flexible or detachable.
 
That is actually really helpful. I assume the same can be done for the other pieces of armor? Such as thighs, chest, shins, etc.
 
You know I have worked with Pep for a couple of years now and have never knew that, it will help in tons of areas to ensure that something is the right size. I guess it's true you can learn something new every day that's a great tip thanks for sharing that.
 
That is actually really helpful. I assume the same can be done for the other pieces of armor? Such as thighs, chest, shins, etc.

Yes, you can measure any distance between two points on any unfolded model. (The feature doesn't work if the model isn't unfolded.) I use the measure tool instead of pepping sizing testers because it's substantially faster. I would add to cross-check your dimensions by measuring different directions (width, height, depth) because if a sizing value works well for one direction it doesn't automatically mean it will be ideal for other directions and you might need to adjust sizing to achieve a good fit in all directions. So on a forearm for example, measure both the height (allowing for extension past elbow) and the wrist opening (important to choose points directly opposite each other orthogonally) and adjust the sizing until you get a workable measurement for each of the "important" dimensions.
 
Thanks for this. I've been really worried about finishing my first piece and then realizing it doesn't fit.
 
so i took serial killers advise and measured from shoulder to shoulder for my torso, but of course it came out huge. it measured to 26" so comes out to 660 ml. i put that in the width area of pep designer, ive asked for help before but never get anywhere. please help cause i am seriously tired of redoing these cuts for nothing. but i will prevail. still trying to figure this all out.i got the bondo and resin etc. just can never get the dam measurements right, i know how pep works its just the measurements always get all screwy for me. haha. please help.
 
I would like to know if this takes into consideration the curve of a piece, or if I can go point to point for the curve.
 
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