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

[erictank]

Originally Posted by PR85

it doesn't by chance have a perforation feature does it? I am assuming it probably just cuts the piece out and that's it (still a huge time saver).

The Silhouette? Yeah, it does - like German said, any cutter supported by the Pepakura Viewer program will do perforations. Be aware that perfs may sever small pieces like tiny tabs, and make it more likely that you'll rip your parts separating them from the rest of the cardstock.

You'll still be ahead of the game with the machine, though.

[danmaccymcleod]

excellent thread... That's a lot of information to chew on. Thanks.

[Indigogyre]

I've seen a few pep models that have had colors assigned to different parts and wanted to know how it's done. I've tried playing with the textures in Designer but have no managed to get them in there.

Here's an example of what I would like to do.



thanks.
Dean

[PR85]

Originally Posted by PepMaster

I don't use fiberglass anymore at all, all I use inside and out is urathane resin. I hardly even use bondo anymore, I use sheetrock putty now, sand and brush a coat of resin after the sanding is done.

Do you mind my asking where you get your urathane resin at? I have found a few places online, but I haven't really heard from anyone on here where the buy.

[PepMaster]

I get the Model-Pro resin from Speciality Resin on eBay I usually buy the 2 gallon kit for 100 and it goes a long way.

[STEALTH]

Originally Posted by PR85

Do you mind my asking where you get your urathane resin at? I have found a few places online, but I haven't really heard from anyone on here where the buy.

if you do a search on polyurethane resin on google. You'd find a lot. That's probably why exact details aren't mentioned as resources are easy to find if you just search

first results that show is "Smooth-on"

check the smooth-on website for a distributor near your area.

Oklahoma
Reynolds Advanced Materials
2131 S. Harwood St.
Dallas, TX 75215
(800) 421-4378
www.reynoldsam.com

You can save some money on shipping if you go directly there most likely.
and should be pretty cheap even if you need it shipped.

[Lord Magneto]

Anyone have any tips for spot filling?

When I use Bondo I will run into what looks airpockets when sanding.

Should I just try and mix a small batch of Bondo to fill then sand or does everyone use something else.

[PepMaster]

I use Bondo Spot Putty.

[Lord Magneto]

Originally Posted by PepMaster

I use Bondo Spot Putty.

Thanks homie. I will look into that

[German]

Originally Posted by Indigogyre

I've seen a few pep models that have had colors assigned to different parts and wanted to know how it's done. I've tried playing with the textures in Designer but have no managed to get them in there.

You have to texture the model with an external 3D program. If you are building the model from scratch, this is easy to do and you should already know how to build a UV map and texture. Assuming this is a pepakura file that you want to color then you have to do something like:

1. Export the pepakura model as an OBJ.
2. Open in your favorite 3D modeling program like Maya, 3D Studio, etc. and hope the model already has a UV map. If it does not, you are out of luck and are going to have create one, do the same things below and also unfold it again.
3. Then you can just 3D paint or assign colors/shaders by polygons, etc.
4. Save your texture as a .bmp, .jpg, .png or .tga.
5. Open up your pepakura file and go to Settings->Texture Settings
6. The list box on the left is a list of all the polygon groups in the model, most pepakura files only have one but depending on their source, there could be more than one. Each of these would need its own texture. Depending on the 3D program you used, you may just need to specify the same texture image for each group or possibly create new ones for each.
7. Click Specify Texture Image... and pick your file.
8. You should see a textured model.

I actually did this to texture the Republic Commando model that is floating around out there. I got lucky and someone created it with a UV map, so all I had to do was screenshot the texture from the game assets and apply it, which was nice.

[AxiomUltra]

Originally Posted by German

You have to texture the model with an external 3D program. If you are building the model from scratch, this is easy to do and you should already know how to build a UV map and texture. Assuming this is a pepakura file that you want to color then you have to do something like:

1. Export the pepakura model as an OBJ.
2. Open in your favorite 3D modeling program like Maya, 3D Studio, etc. and hope the model already has a UV map. If it does not, you are out of luck and are going to have create one, do the same things below and also unfold it again.
3. Then you can just 3D paint or assign colors/shaders by polygons, etc.
4. Save your texture as a .bmp, .jpg, .png or .tga.
5. Open up your pepakura file and go to Settings->Texture Settings
6. The list box on the left is a list of all the polygon groups in the model, most pepakura files only have one but depending on their source, there could be more than one. Each of these would need its own texture. Depending on the 3D program you used, you may just need to specify the same texture image for each group or possibly create new ones for each.
7. Click Specify Texture Image... and pick your file.
8. You should see a textured model.

I actually did this to texture the Republic Commando model that is floating around out there. I got lucky and someone created it with a UV map, so all I had to do was screenshot the texture from the game assets and apply it, which was nice.

German is right. Pepakura is just a glorified UV coordinate layout program. For me, when I do an unfold in Pepakura the parts that are laid out in the 2D 'paper' space are your UVs. When you export your object (.obj) the unfolded parts are assigned as UVs in a 1:1 square space. So it is important that you arrange your page layout to be as square as possible so you can take advantage of the resolution. Pepakura won't import hi-res texture files for me, I think the max is 1024? Someone correct me if I'm wrong I don't remember it's been a while.

[German]

Originally Posted by AxiomUltra

Pepakura won't import hi-res texture files for me, I think the max is 1024? Someone correct me if I'm wrong I don't remember it's been a while.

Yep, it will warn you about the maximum and then automatically scale it down to 1024x1024 for you.

[Keven Skywalker]

Originally Posted by ManfromNaboo

Hi,

the 3d model is already completely unfolded. You simply have to print it out.

I suggest changing the paper size to something larger than letter or A4 though, you could have the single pages printed out at a copy shop maybe on DIN A1 paper. Otherwise your R2 might look a little "patchy".

Please see posts in this thread for information about pepakura and how to use it.

In addition I recommend this thread here

http://www.therpf.com/f9/r2d2-budget...tos-up-129597/

or this one from instructables:

Full Size R2D2 on a budget

Looking at the time frame I´d say that you should have enough time to build a basic wooden R2

Michael
RPF staff

Michael,
Thakns for the data the event has passed and here is the result



Thanks for all your help, with some members of the Cruz del Sur base we got it just on time (there remains some details to make, and we will make them in the future)
Also when i get some time i will make a post showing the build.

thanks again

[Indigogyre]

Thanks German and AxiomUltra for the UV map and texture information.

Dean

[PR85]

Originally Posted by STEALTH

if you do a search on polyurethane resin on google. You'd find a lot. That's probably why exact details aren't mentioned as resources are easy to find if you just search

first results that show is "Smooth-on"

check the smooth-on website for a distributor near your area.

Oklahoma
Reynolds Advanced Materials
2131 S. Harwood St.
Dallas, TX 75215
(800) 421-4378
Reynolds Advanced Materials | Everything for Mold Making & Casting

You can save some money on shipping if you go directly there most likely.
and should be pretty cheap even if you need it shipped.

Thanks, Smooth-On is where I have been buying from. I just wasn't sure if there was a better/cheaper alternative and with the vast variety out there of different types of resin, I wasn't sure if anyone had any recommendations as to what would be good to use. I have been trying to research and study up and what all the different aspects do and mean, but I am still pretty new to it all and get confused.

[OBI WAN KEN0B1]

What is a good 3D modeling software to use to make Pep Files. I am just getting into this and want to make some original art for Pep modeling. you Know to make some rare Stuff that i can't find. Let me know what Ya'll Think



PEACE OBI

[DaddyfromNaboo]

Originally Posted by OBI WAN KEN0B1

What is a good 3D modeling software to use to make Pep Files. I am just getting into this and want to make some original art for Pep modeling. you Know to make some rare Stuff that i can't find. Let me know what Ya'll Think




PEACE OBI

See the first post in this thread.

Michael
RPF staff

[elro]

Originally Posted by TONKA1675

Is there any way to clean brushes between layers of fiberglass resin, or do you have to kiss one goodbye with each use?

I keep a cup of Acetone to put brushes in between mixing resin. Once the brush is needed Ill dab it on the table to get rid of excess acetone, and flick the bristles a bit. It can be a bit wet still when you dip it in the resin, the small amount of acetone has never had any problematic effects on my resin.

Some people say paint thinner, but I find acetone to be safer to keep on hand - Also effective at cleaning up accidental resin resin spills on the ground or on your skin .

[EyeofSauron]

remember tho acetone is also not good on your skin, and even worse to inhale.
i prefer the good old method. after i am finished with a batch of resin, i take a lot of paper, and get as much of the resin out as possible with that. that way, im still using my first set of brushes

[elro]

Acetone will either irritate your skin, or not irritate it. Its not actually that bad.

Here is strange story in terms of ingestion (which you would only ever actually intentionally drink acetone - Drinking by accident is a pretty big fail) :

One case report describes a man who intentionally drank 200 mL (about 7 ounces) of acetone. Within one hour, he had flushed cheeks and appeared drunk. His breathing was shallow and his throat red and swollen. He soon lapsed into coma and did not regain consciousness for 12 hours. Four weeks later, he developed symptoms similar to diabetes (increased urination, thirst and blood sugar levels). The patient fully recovered within 5 months after the incident.

Full article about acetone here : Acetone Dangers Acetone Toxicity



This actually makes me wonder should the RPF start a Workplace Health & Safety sub forum with access to MSDS sheets and general safety guidelines for materials?

[Rick Hanson]

elro is right about the acetone - as far as harmful chemicals go, it's actually among the few that don't cause any appreciable health effects via skin absorption. See: nail polish remover. It can cause surface irritation in some people, but it's surprisingly OK to wipe it on your skin. Still ought to wear a respirator around it, though.

I use disposables for resins...chip or acid brushes. Cheaper than dirt in bulk at any industrial or welding supplier.

[PepMaster]

It might cause skin problems with some people. But it's definatly cold as hell.

[Zander]

Anyone else having the problem?

I have converted my file to a .OBJ, but pep crashes every time I try to open it

[PepMaster]

That means there's a problem with the OBJ file, most of the time that's due to a problem with the model being too High Poly, or some other problem with the 3D file. Since it was a conversion from the original file I would say that's where your problem is.

[darklord1976]

I have a file that needs to be unfolded, can anyone help me? I tried to get the sizing but it seems too big. It is Starkiller's Dark Lord armor. Any help would be appreciated