3D Printing vs Foam Building

[OscarWyler]

So ive been trying to 3d print my MK 7 helmet but so far my experience has been horrible, ive wasted so much filament, plus the actual price of the filament, meanwhile i also have the pepakura files on my right for foam, the only problem is that (idk if this is the same for the rest of the world but) the foam i need only comes from a shop in boat ports and that also might cost a bit to get a couple sheets, is it better to make the outershell from foam and do small details with the 3d printing for should i do the full 3d print (and slightly suffer)

besides that hope everyone has a nice christmas and a happy new year

 

[SgtSaint]

Helmet probably should be last, not first. Yeah yeah, everyone wants a helmet to drool over. But it's the thing everyone stares at so you want to do it AFTER you've developed a process, techniques and skills.
Personally I always recommend starting at the feet & hands then working up & in to the body.
• You're going to weather and distress the boots more than anything else... and they get looked at with the least critical eye.
• Then shins which have to ride on the boots.
• Then thighs since you have to avoid joint conflict so you can sit etc.
• See how this goes? Up from the boots, and inward from the hands to forearms to biceps to shoulders.
• By the time you get to the chest and helmet; the parts at eye level that everyone stares at, looks at first, is right there in your face in every photo - you can make them look stellar.
And if you start at the boots you're looking at parts that are only a day or two per part not 6 days per part. So you can hone your scaling skills.

 

[OscarWyler]

Helmet probably should be last, not first. Yeah yeah, everyone wants a helmet to drool over. But it's the thing everyone stares at so you want to do it AFTER you've developed a process, techniques and skills.
Personally I always recommend starting at the feet & hands then working up & in to the body.
• You're going to weather and distress the boots more than anything else... and they get looked at with the least critical eye.
• Then shins which have to ride on the boots.
• Then thighs since you have to avoid joint conflict so you can sit etc.
• See how this goes? Up from the boots, and inward from the hands to forearms to biceps to shoulders.
• By the time you get to the chest and helmet; the parts at eye level that everyone stares at, looks at first, is right there in your face in every photo - you can make them look stellar.
And if you start at the boots you're looking at parts that are only a day or two per part not 6 days per part. So you can hone your scaling skills.

sounds like a plan, ill give it a try

 

[PlanetAlexander]

foam i need only comes from a shop in boat ports

What kind of foam are you trying to get a hold of? The standard foam used is EVA foam, which you can usually find relatively cheaply (depending on country) in hardware stores listed as floor mats - or, if you want higher quality stuff, there are online retailers who sell EVA foam specifically designed for cosplay.

There's pros and cons to making a helmet/armour out of foam or 3D printing (many people take a hybrid approach), but it sounds like you have your heart set more on 3D printing at least the helmet. What issues have you had so far with printing the helmet?

 

[OscarWyler]

What kind of foam are you trying to get a hold of? The standard foam used is EVA foam, which you can usually find relatively cheaply (depending on country) in hardware stores listed as floor mats - or, if you want higher quality stuff, there are online retailers who sell EVA foam specifically designed for cosplay.

There's pros and cons to making a helmet/armour out of foam or 3D printing (many people take a hybrid approach), but it sounds like you have your heart set more on 3D printing at least the helmet. What issues have you had so far with printing the helmet?

its mainly the sizes of the pieces i have no idea how to measure the size of the pieces compared to my head, i do have a big head but still the biggest size i think is too big

 

[N8TEBB]

Some members make a part of their helmet removable at the back so they can get it on and off easier. Otherwise, they'd have to make the helmet exceptionally large to get it on and off.

However, I find that with the mk7 (at least with the popular files a lot of people use on thingiverse) that the hole at the bottom is almost as big as the helmet itself, so it's not necessary to make a part removable. Usually, just scaling it to the size that looks good will work.

That being said, it is still possible to run into problems. What files are you using? What is your head diameter? What is the distance from ear to ear? What scale % have you tried already that you feel does not fit correctly? I'd be happy to give some advice!

Also, it's important to not think of an unusable print as "waster material". It is simply the cost of learning. Every time you re try you do something a little different - and that means you learned something! So, although you did not get the result you anticipated, the "wasted" filament still provided value. Believe me, when I first started, a LOT of prints ended up in the trash.

 

[TurboCharizard]

its mainly the sizes of the pieces i have no idea how to measure the size of the pieces compared to my head, i do have a big head but still the biggest size i think is too big

In 3D Builder (a free Windows program) you can import files and under the Object ribbon there's a Measure tool that lets you take distance measurements between points on the model. As for measuring your head to fit there's a few ways that are pretty straight forward. Basically all you need is two objects that that can be placed and then measured the gap between them (calipers, two books on a desktop, the Kill Bill method of door frame and door) and then repeated for your head width, depth and height. It's not perfect but it's a fairly safe ballpark estimate that will get you through a project without Armorsmith.

 

[OscarWyler]

ALR I'll check the website out tomorrow, today I started on the chest plate BC from how expensive the foam is and stuff here, just learners I made it a bit to small so imma add my own twist on it to make it beefier and it nicely