Will 3D printers kill off pepakura?

I think it will be awhile before 3d printing puts an end to pep.

The master pattern for this cost about $750 in SLA and about $250 in 3D print with shapeways white strong nylon.

raygun01_zpsc9dd20e6.jpg
 
It isn't always just about the end product - it's also about the act of making.

If making 3D models is what you enjoy, then 3D printing is a great way to realize what you do. If cutting, folding, gluing and the other pep steps are part of what you like doing, then 3D printing isn't going to work well. If all you want is the end product, 3D printing is great.
 
I have always been one to have many tools in my toolkit, even to the point of havig multiple ways to accomplish the same thing. I see 3D printing as another tool in the bag. It has its usefulness in some cases, but in others there may be a better suited method. I certainly don't see 3d printing "killing" anything.
 
I recently finished my Gravity Gun build, and the majority of the parts were 3D printed. But if you look through my build, there was still lots of sanding, lots of painting, lots of molding, lots of casting. Lots of "traditional" work. I think it's a little naive to think that 3D printers are, or will in the remotely near future, able to spit out ready-to-use high quality props. I can't think of a single 3D print build that I've seen that didn't require at least some level of cleanup work on the printed master.

And the 3D artists who are making models for pepakura are the same artists making models for 3D printing. At the end of the day, a 3D model is a 3D model and the people who make them can go either route - or both. Again with my Gravity Gun build, I did a mock up of some of the parts in pepakura before I sent them off to the 3D printer.
 
Pepakura is amazing, but it's not as accurate, for instance you stuff up a major glue line, then your entire helmet is slightly wonky :'( I'm buying a reprap set next month purely because I want the things I create to be as true as possible, and using most 3d software it's surprisingly easy to cut up models into printable parts... That said you do still have to do a lot of work on them! I believe for a large amount of hobbyists 3d printing will become more and more common, whilst those whom create the lovely originals we copy will just add it to the enormous amount of talent they possess
 
As many people said before, pepakura is much cheaper then 3D printing.
I think Pepakura will be exist, as long paper, resin, body filler,
silicon & polyurathane existing.

If I have access to 3D printing, i would only print very small detailed parts, wich are impossible to make by hand. But i will NEVER print a full Prop and i will NEVER give someone respect for a prop that is made by a machine... (Thats the reason i hate NECA Props)

Sure 3D printing is much easier and faster, then the whole Pepakura progress, but where is the skill? Where is the work? And where is the fun, when a machine does your work?

See it that way:
You can buy a ready-mix-cake package and only put it in the oven
OR
you make the whole cake yourself!

I think I will use Pepakura as long as I make Props, because then i get respect for that what I have done and have fun.
 
As someone who studied to be a professional model builder, I can say people have been saying for years and years and years that 3-D printing will take over. Realistically all of these 3-D print builds look poor simply because of the process. A $2000 FDM printer can't even compare to an SLA or SLS machine, and even then it can't compare will machined parts.


There's a reason why professionals call it "rapid prototyping" because it is rapid. It is almost always a quick test or concept. Very few professional models are made through 3-D printing, it does have it place though. There are some parts that simply can't be made any other way.

As for comparing it to pep, I don't think there's any reason to make that comparison. People make pep either because they don't want to shell out big bucks for parts or because they enjoy the process. As for me, I have a strong machining background. People think I just throw parts on the mill, that is not the case there is a lot of work to be done, and I really enjoy that work. I've never done pep but i'm sure people do enjoy working with their hands, not pressing print and getting a part in the mail a week later that they sand and finish. I feel if 3-D printing does take over this community it will be bad for it, I think a lot of hand skills will go down the drain.
 
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If I have access to 3D printing, i would only print very small detailed parts, wich are impossible to make by hand. But i will NEVER print a full Prop and i will NEVER give someone respect for a prop that is made by a machine... (Thats the reason i hate NECA Props)

Sure 3D printing is much easier and faster, then the whole Pepakura progress, but where is the skill? Where is the work? And where is the fun, when a machine does your work?

See it that way:
You can buy a ready-mix-cake package and only put it in the oven
OR
you make the whole cake yourself!

I think I will use Pepakura as long as I make Props, because then i get respect for that what I have done and have fun.

I think you seem to be discounting the number of hours and amount of work and skill that's required to make a detailed, accurate 3D model. Have you ever done any 3D modeling before? Because it's not simple.

And as has been said before, it is many, many years before 3D printers can print 100% "ready to use" objects. 3D printed prop parts still need cleanup and sanding and filling and all of those "traditional" techniques.
 
I'am working in company with promoting 3d printing (FFD like makerbots ultimaker repraps etc) but the goal is to tell people what can they make easy and what is ridiculous to create on 3d printer. In my opinion 3d printers are great but anyway you need to finish prints paint, cover with gold or design them from scratch. Sure there will be plenty of people saying i'am maker but only what he create is accont on some 3d model page but what is my life motto, Who cares?... They can't build ma41 from paper, they cant glue 200 pieces of iron man armor from cardboard... who cares? Sure i'm not because i use 3d printer often and i love it, but when it comes to create something and i saw that it will take 40 hours of printing and i can create it from pvc in 1hour ... i chose pvc or other material.
 
IMO, Pep is to SLA what SLR was to Digital SLR. At least right now in Hollywood designing hero props & its even starting to create background props. And to give us a clue as to how cheap this is getting "the good" studio prop companies (even a couple masters) now have a SLA machine on site.... If you are are talking the common person, then its alot further out but dont be dismissive the next generation is about instant gradification....
 
I think you seem to be discounting the number of hours and amount of work and skill that's required to make a detailed, accurate 3D model. Have you ever done any 3D modeling before? Because it's not simple.

And as has been said before, it is many, many years before 3D printers can print 100% "ready to use" objects. 3D printed prop parts still need cleanup and sanding and filling and all of those "traditional" techniques.

I'm well aware of the time and effort it takes to do 3-D modeling. I've learned Solidworks, Pro-E, and Inventor.

And I'm also well aware of the finishing skill required to finish the parts that come out of printers. During an internship I spent a large amount of time using 3-D printers. Many times items can easily be made by hand but are 3-D printed instead. Why? because it is a time saver. If you are looking to save build time its easy to overlook finishing.
 
Well I wouldn't say all these 3D print builds look poor. My Iron Patriot helmet was printed on a Makerbot, finishing is time consuming no matter what you use, pep, clay or 3D print... either from your home printer or Shapeways. It all depends on how nice you want it to be when you finish it.


As for replacing pep, I doubt it, even if 3D printers get cheap, you need to know how to high poly model and get it through to the printer, then finish it. If you pep it, probably faster, 3D printers are slow.. and a bit more finishing.

My 2 cents :)



As someone who studied to be a professional model builder, I can say people have been saying for years and years and years that 3-D printing will take over. Realistically all of these 3-D print builds look poor simply because of the process. A $2000 FDM printer can't even compare to an SLA or SLS machine, and even then it can't compare will machined parts.


There's a reason why professionals call it "rapid prototyping" because it is rapid. It is almost always a quick test or concept. Very few professional models are made through 3-D printing, it does have it place though. There are some parts that simply can't be made any other way.

As for comparing it to pep, I don't think there's any reason to make that comparison. People make pep either because they don't want to shell out big bucks for parts or because they enjoy the process. As for me, I have a strong machining background. People think I just throw parts on the mill, that is not the case there is a lot of work to be done, and I really enjoy that work. I've never done pep but i'm sure people do enjoy working with their hands, not pressing print and getting a part in the mail a week later that they sand and finish. I feel if 3-D printing does take over this community it will be bad for it, I think a lot of hand skills will go down the drain.
 
Just my 2 cents worth. I see 3D printing as a tech that will grow with huge demand in the coming years. I don't think it ever replace PEP or other hand crafting simply because (and as other have said) there is a certain satisfaction one gets from creating something with their hands.

I used Shapeways for the first time last year. Yes it was fast and my parts were quite cheap (compared to local quotes of the same part anyway), but those parts will require a heap of work to make them "useable".

I have not really done a true PEP but I have made some stuff out of foam and card (still requires designing, cutting, folding and glueing - sounds like PEP to me) and it is cheap and it is fun.
 
Pep will rule as long as ppl have a lot of spare time on their hands and want the satisfaction of saying they hand built it.

That said the 3d print will save so much time and the money spent on a machine will pay for itself in time saved (if you put a value on your time).


My 8 cents
 
Once 3d printers become as cheap and disposable as inkjet printers are now, it will change the whole economy. People will be able to print everything from coffee mugs to cars (one piece at a time). Factories for mass-producing cheap plastic items will disappear; chain stores that depend on selling cheap plastic items (like Wal-Mart and Target) will disappear with them. Things that now are stamped "Made in China" will be stamped "Made at Home".

The effects will be far-reaching.
 
Absolutely right. Cheap 3D printers and laser scanners appearing in the home in the next five to ten years will change everything. The music and movie industries have changed almost beyond recognition as a result of having to combat digital piracy and embrace digital distribution. The same issues will affect physically manufactured objects and the companies that produce them.

On a social level, the technology will change the way what we do is perceived. People won't think of using traditional skills to make something so that when they see a hand-made object, it simply won't occur to them that it hasn't been downloaded and printed out.
 
I know this is a super old thread but this popped up on google and I just had to state the facts.
Owning a 3D printer, Laser Cutter and a machine shop with a vmc and cnc lathe.

I can honestly say that for certain items 3d printing can be faster but depending on the layer
height and material I can spend just as much time on the 3d printer as I would on my vertical milling center.

3D printing will never be a common house hold item because simply most people don't like to build stuff.
How many people have inkjet printers and rarely use them?

Now having either UPS or Fedex or another 3D printing service locally would be more of a realistic goal at least for the next 10 years.

As stated before 3D printing takes forever depending on the layer height,nozzle, speed, infill elec....

The lower the layer height the longer it takes. If you wish to reduce the amount you have to sand then you are required to print with a lower layer height.
The issue with this is everything has to be calibrated perfectly and the taller the part the greater the chance of warp depending on the material.

Printing a full size helmet could take an upwards of 40 to 50 hours or more depending on the amount of failed prints.

You could easily create a pepakura helmet in a lot less time then that especially if you used a laser cutter or vinyl plotter.

At the end of the day pepakura will be a lot faster then 3d printing for larger items at least for a while.
Smaller items hands down the 3d printer as others have said.

Just thought I would add my thoughts and experience
 
I'm using my 3D printer as a sculpting tool. I have size limitations and usually have to glue a few pieces together to make my master patterns, but the symmetry and detail can't be beat. It has it's own challenges, and for faceted or large, flat parts, pepakura and foam board is definitely the way to go. Clay still has its uses for me, with replicating texture, smoothing transitions and the like.
 
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