gamerguy55
Well-Known Member
The following is the tutorial from the first issue of the E-Zine. I originally wrote this when the last of the HD models were released. A member of the E-Zine team stumbled across my blog, and saw what I was working on, and they convinced me to finish.
I waited to post a topic about it, so it could be shown for the first time in the E-Zine. This topic is to make it more convenient, by just going to a topic, instead of searching through the entire E-Zine.
October/First issue of the 405th E-Zine.
I hope you enjoy.
-----------------------------------
With the recent release of the completed High Definition MKVI files, I thought It was time for a tutorial over-haul.
This tutorial is meant to be an introduction to Pepakura, and armor making in general.
Before you get too far ahead of your self you need to make a few decisions.<ul>[*]What type of armor do you want to create? (eg. MKV, MKVI)[*]What is your budget?[*]How much time can you spend on armor making? This is a very time-consuming hobby.[*]Do you have previous experience making armor/props? If so, then this tutorial should just be a review.[/list]For this tutorial I'm going using Pepakura, and I'm going to stick with the High Definition MKVI.
*1 (It should noted that I do not suggest starting with the High Definition files, unless you have previous experience with Pepakura.)
Lets assume that this is your first time hearing the word "Pepakura".
Pepakura is a software program that converts 3D images into a 2D format, that is then printed out and assembled.
This may seem a little confusing but all will be made clear very shortly.
The first step in your journey to having armor, is to download Pepakura.
You can find the software: Here.[*]
Once you have downloaded and installed the software: Upon opening it, you should see this:
At this point you can't do a whole lot.
To download the needed files go: Here.[**] As said above, it's your choice on what type of armor you want. I will be using the HD MKVI files for this tutorial, though.*1
I will be demonstrating this using the High Definition MKVI Left Thigh.
Once you have downloaded your armor of choice, you will need to open the file, to do so double click on it. If the file has an extension of .zip you will need to download WinRAR[***], or other un-zipping software. Once the file is un-zipped you will see the Pepakura file, Pepakura files have an extension of .pdo
After the file is open, it should look something like this:
As you can see, on the left is what the finished product should look like, on the right in the unfolded version, or the 2D image, of the model on the left.
You may also notice 'floating faces', they have no numbers, and appear that they do not connect to any other pieces. They are detail pieces, and are applied on-top of the finished model. They are often details that were too complicated to be joined to the model. They are usually areas that you layer, with either more layers of cardstock, or cardboard for thicker pieces.
From this point you may think that you're ready to print, but you're not.
Before you print you will need to select the scale of your armor, you will need to do this for the armor to appropriately fit your body.
There is no exact method to scaling your armor, you will need to search on the forum to find the scaling method for the piece that you are building.
You will need to click the "Scale Up/Down Development by Specifying Values..", under the "2DPatternWindow" drop-down menu.
Which will open a menu:
<blockquote>Your numbers will be different than the ones in the image.</blockquote>
Now that you have your scale you will need to set your printer settings. Go to the "File" drop-down menu, and select "Print and Paper Configuration..."
Which will open another menu:
The margins will depend on the un-fold of the model. The size and orientation will need to be changed to match your printer type.
You have probably noticed that after you scaled your piece and adjusted your printer settings that the 2D image has changed. This is normal. You now need to rearrange and rotate the pieces so they do not overlap or spread across multiple pages.
Example:
You can rotate your pieces, by enabling the "Part Rotate" option, located on the menu bar.
Once you have made sure that all your settings are correct and your pieces all properly fit onto the paper, you're ready to print!!
Once printed you will have a pile of papers resembling this:
<blockquote>You will aslo see some other items there, these are all vital to the creating process.</blockquote>
For the next step you will need:<ul>[*]1 Red Pen[*]1 Black Pen[*]1 Ruler[*]One pair of scissors or an Exacto/Box-Cutting knife*2[/list]*2-If using and Exacto/Box-Cutting knife please use a cutting board and be careful when cutting.
You should notice three different types of lines on you paper.
Solid lines: These designate where you need to cut.
Dash lines (-------): These indicate a mountain fold, you fold them so the faces are facing away from each other.
Dot-Dash lines (-- - -- - -- -): Indicate a valley fold, these are folded so the faces are facing towards each other.
Use the ruler to guide the pens when 'scoring' the lines.
Black Pen: Dash
Red Pen: Dot-Dash
You will need to apply some pressure when going over the lines with the pen, in order to create a good 'score'.
Once you have them all scored, it's time to cut. Use either your Exacto Knife or scissors, which ever you prefer, this can be a very time consuming process. After you finish cutting, it's time to fold and glue: The type of glue is up to you, Personally I find that Tacky Glue works very well, but anything from Elmer's to Super glue will work fine.
Do not use tape, if you intend to resin your work.
When you're all done folding and gluing you should have something that resembles the 3D model you first saw in Pepakura, except with some different colored lines.
Congratulations, you've completed your first piece of Pepakura armor.
In the next stage of the tutorial, I will be explaining the use, and purpose of fiberglass resin.
Fiberglass Resin is very toxic and can be harmful, if proper safety is not used. I am not going to elaborate on safety, Sean has written a great tutorial[1*] about this already.
Fiberglass is a two part mixture of resin and a catalyst.
Mixture instruction are usually labeled on the container. The catalyst can be purchased separately, if you need extra, but the majority of resin comes with enough catalyst for the entire container. Adding catalyst can cause the resin to heat-up, so be careful, but the safety tut explains all that, in greater detail.
Don't mix more fiberglass than you can use in a few minutes, it can harden rather quickly and you can always mix more if you need it. Don't add new resin to an old batch, it will dry faster, and possible ruin the resin you just poured.
Fiberglass is usually applied with a paintbrush of some sort. 2-4 layers of 'just resin' on the outside, only having one layer it gets to thin, adding more layers can be a good idea, it all depends on how thick each layer is/what piece you are working on.
Here is a picture of some random pieces that have one layer of resin on them:
For the inside, either you may want to put a layer or two of resin, just to be safe. You 'will' want to use either Fiberglass Mat:
or cloth:
Either work just as well as the other, depending on the piece, you may want to have a variety of the two. You can use as few layers of this as you would like, but I would suggest 'at least' one. It's better to have it over reinforced, than not reinforced enough.
Now that you are past the fiberglass stage, this tutorial is over. I would like to redirect you to here[2**] and here[3***] for any and all Bondo/Detailing needs.
Humungotron and Sigma-LS know far more about this than I do, and the amount of information in these two topics should be more than enough to help you complete your armor.
I hope this has helped you, if you have any questions that were not answered here (or the threads that were linked) feel free to send a PM to me, or any other member of the Q&A team, we're more than glad to help.
Links:
------------------------------------------------
[*] Pepakura Desginer
[**] Pepakura Files
[***] Winrar
[1*] Safety Information
[2**] Bondo
[3***]Mud/Detailing
I waited to post a topic about it, so it could be shown for the first time in the E-Zine. This topic is to make it more convenient, by just going to a topic, instead of searching through the entire E-Zine.
October/First issue of the 405th E-Zine.
I hope you enjoy.
-----------------------------------
With the recent release of the completed High Definition MKVI files, I thought It was time for a tutorial over-haul.
This tutorial is meant to be an introduction to Pepakura, and armor making in general.
Before you get too far ahead of your self you need to make a few decisions.<ul>[*]What type of armor do you want to create? (eg. MKV, MKVI)[*]What is your budget?[*]How much time can you spend on armor making? This is a very time-consuming hobby.[*]Do you have previous experience making armor/props? If so, then this tutorial should just be a review.[/list]For this tutorial I'm going using Pepakura, and I'm going to stick with the High Definition MKVI.
*1 (It should noted that I do not suggest starting with the High Definition files, unless you have previous experience with Pepakura.)
Lets assume that this is your first time hearing the word "Pepakura".
Pepakura is a software program that converts 3D images into a 2D format, that is then printed out and assembled.
This may seem a little confusing but all will be made clear very shortly.
The first step in your journey to having armor, is to download Pepakura.
You can find the software: Here.[*]
Once you have downloaded and installed the software: Upon opening it, you should see this:
At this point you can't do a whole lot.
To download the needed files go: Here.[**] As said above, it's your choice on what type of armor you want. I will be using the HD MKVI files for this tutorial, though.*1
I will be demonstrating this using the High Definition MKVI Left Thigh.
Once you have downloaded your armor of choice, you will need to open the file, to do so double click on it. If the file has an extension of .zip you will need to download WinRAR[***], or other un-zipping software. Once the file is un-zipped you will see the Pepakura file, Pepakura files have an extension of .pdo
After the file is open, it should look something like this:
As you can see, on the left is what the finished product should look like, on the right in the unfolded version, or the 2D image, of the model on the left.
You may also notice 'floating faces', they have no numbers, and appear that they do not connect to any other pieces. They are detail pieces, and are applied on-top of the finished model. They are often details that were too complicated to be joined to the model. They are usually areas that you layer, with either more layers of cardstock, or cardboard for thicker pieces.
From this point you may think that you're ready to print, but you're not.
Before you print you will need to select the scale of your armor, you will need to do this for the armor to appropriately fit your body.
There is no exact method to scaling your armor, you will need to search on the forum to find the scaling method for the piece that you are building.
You will need to click the "Scale Up/Down Development by Specifying Values..", under the "2DPatternWindow" drop-down menu.
Which will open a menu:
<blockquote>Your numbers will be different than the ones in the image.</blockquote>
Now that you have your scale you will need to set your printer settings. Go to the "File" drop-down menu, and select "Print and Paper Configuration..."
Which will open another menu:
The margins will depend on the un-fold of the model. The size and orientation will need to be changed to match your printer type.
You have probably noticed that after you scaled your piece and adjusted your printer settings that the 2D image has changed. This is normal. You now need to rearrange and rotate the pieces so they do not overlap or spread across multiple pages.
Example:
You can rotate your pieces, by enabling the "Part Rotate" option, located on the menu bar.
Once you have made sure that all your settings are correct and your pieces all properly fit onto the paper, you're ready to print!!
Once printed you will have a pile of papers resembling this:
<blockquote>You will aslo see some other items there, these are all vital to the creating process.</blockquote>
For the next step you will need:<ul>[*]1 Red Pen[*]1 Black Pen[*]1 Ruler[*]One pair of scissors or an Exacto/Box-Cutting knife*2[/list]*2-If using and Exacto/Box-Cutting knife please use a cutting board and be careful when cutting.
You should notice three different types of lines on you paper.
Solid lines: These designate where you need to cut.
Dash lines (-------): These indicate a mountain fold, you fold them so the faces are facing away from each other.
Dot-Dash lines (-- - -- - -- -): Indicate a valley fold, these are folded so the faces are facing towards each other.
Use the ruler to guide the pens when 'scoring' the lines.
Black Pen: Dash
Red Pen: Dot-Dash
You will need to apply some pressure when going over the lines with the pen, in order to create a good 'score'.
Once you have them all scored, it's time to cut. Use either your Exacto Knife or scissors, which ever you prefer, this can be a very time consuming process. After you finish cutting, it's time to fold and glue: The type of glue is up to you, Personally I find that Tacky Glue works very well, but anything from Elmer's to Super glue will work fine.
Do not use tape, if you intend to resin your work.
When you're all done folding and gluing you should have something that resembles the 3D model you first saw in Pepakura, except with some different colored lines.
Congratulations, you've completed your first piece of Pepakura armor.
In the next stage of the tutorial, I will be explaining the use, and purpose of fiberglass resin.
Fiberglass Resin is very toxic and can be harmful, if proper safety is not used. I am not going to elaborate on safety, Sean has written a great tutorial[1*] about this already.
Fiberglass is a two part mixture of resin and a catalyst.
Mixture instruction are usually labeled on the container. The catalyst can be purchased separately, if you need extra, but the majority of resin comes with enough catalyst for the entire container. Adding catalyst can cause the resin to heat-up, so be careful, but the safety tut explains all that, in greater detail.
Don't mix more fiberglass than you can use in a few minutes, it can harden rather quickly and you can always mix more if you need it. Don't add new resin to an old batch, it will dry faster, and possible ruin the resin you just poured.
Fiberglass is usually applied with a paintbrush of some sort. 2-4 layers of 'just resin' on the outside, only having one layer it gets to thin, adding more layers can be a good idea, it all depends on how thick each layer is/what piece you are working on.
Here is a picture of some random pieces that have one layer of resin on them:
For the inside, either you may want to put a layer or two of resin, just to be safe. You 'will' want to use either Fiberglass Mat:
or cloth:
Either work just as well as the other, depending on the piece, you may want to have a variety of the two. You can use as few layers of this as you would like, but I would suggest 'at least' one. It's better to have it over reinforced, than not reinforced enough.
Now that you are past the fiberglass stage, this tutorial is over. I would like to redirect you to here[2**] and here[3***] for any and all Bondo/Detailing needs.
Humungotron and Sigma-LS know far more about this than I do, and the amount of information in these two topics should be more than enough to help you complete your armor.
I hope this has helped you, if you have any questions that were not answered here (or the threads that were linked) feel free to send a PM to me, or any other member of the Q&A team, we're more than glad to help.
Links:
------------------------------------------------
[*] Pepakura Desginer
[**] Pepakura Files
[***] Winrar
[1*] Safety Information
[2**] Bondo
[3***]Mud/Detailing
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