MAKING A MANIQUIN
- Thread starter TK-2067
- Start date
What materials do you want to use? PVC pipe or wood? Wood uses common hinges, while PVC uses the screw-on pipe connectors for moveable joints.
Not a tutorial, but shows the finished PVC pipe mannequin.
http://www.thiesmeyer.com/tk5108/dummy.html
http://www.thiesmeyer.com/tk5108/dummy.html
Boba Frett
Sr Member
Studio Stasis
Sr Member
With my stormtrooper armor I wanted a "spread leg" look that I couldnt seem to get with 90 degree angles on the joints, so I did a little creative skeleton cheating. Mind you I did not pad each side of my "skeleton" evenly or my angles would not work. Here is a pic and diagram of what my PVC mannequin looks like.
Note how the legs begin at mid-thigh so the illusion of a spread leg is possible. Also the PVC does not travel down the center of the leg. This meant I could not pad the PVC by wrapping stuffing around it. The skin of the mannequin was made by putting a long sleeve shirt and pants on my friend and then duct taping him from neck to feet. The clothes with the duct tape was then cut off of him along the side of his body and the remaining shell he created was used as the skin for my mannequin. The skeleton was made to fit the shell as far as size, and the negative space in the shell was packed with carpet foam to fill it. The hard duct tape exterior keeps the shape from contorting into an oddly shaped person. Once I taped the shell back together and put an undersuit on it, the stormtrooper armor looked great on it. I have a set of hands for it but they are both "left" hands that I acquired, so I havent used them. This mannequin doesnt have any suit on it these days and it just sits.
Josh
Note how the legs begin at mid-thigh so the illusion of a spread leg is possible. Also the PVC does not travel down the center of the leg. This meant I could not pad the PVC by wrapping stuffing around it. The skin of the mannequin was made by putting a long sleeve shirt and pants on my friend and then duct taping him from neck to feet. The clothes with the duct tape was then cut off of him along the side of his body and the remaining shell he created was used as the skin for my mannequin. The skeleton was made to fit the shell as far as size, and the negative space in the shell was packed with carpet foam to fill it. The hard duct tape exterior keeps the shape from contorting into an oddly shaped person. Once I taped the shell back together and put an undersuit on it, the stormtrooper armor looked great on it. I have a set of hands for it but they are both "left" hands that I acquired, so I havent used them. This mannequin doesnt have any suit on it these days and it just sits.
Josh
darthinwah
New Member
Originally posted by animetronic@Feb 13 2006, 02:12 AM
With my stormtrooper armor I wanted a "spread leg" look that I couldnt seem to get with 90 degree angles on the joints, so I did a little creative skeleton cheating. Mind you I did not pad each side of my "skeleton" evenly or my angles would not work. Here is a pic and diagram of what my PVC mannequin looks like.
Note how the legs begin at mid-thigh so the illusion of a spread leg is possible. Also the PVC does not travel down the center of the leg. This meant I could not pad the PVC by wrapping stuffing around it. The skin of the mannequin was made by putting a long sleeve shirt and pants on my friend and then duct taping him from neck to feet. The clothes with the duct tape was then cut off of him along the side of his body and the remaining shell he created was used as the skin for my mannequin. The skeleton was made to fit the shell as far as size, and the negative space in the shell was packed with carpet foam to fill it. The hard duct tape exterior keeps the shape from contorting into an oddly shaped person. Once I taped the shell back together and put an undersuit on it, the stormtrooper armor looked great on it. I have a set of hands for it but they are both "left" hands that I acquired, so I havent used them. This mannequin doesnt have any suit on it these days and it just sits.Â
Josh
[snapback]1183080[/snapback]
Nice work on the mannequin. I am inspired to build my own.
TK-2067
Well-Known Member
Man looks awesome , thanks for all the info rodOriginally posted by animetronic@Feb 13 2006, 09:12 AM
With my stormtrooper armor I wanted a "spread leg" look that I couldnt seem to get with 90 degree angles on the joints, so I did a little creative skeleton cheating. Mind you I did not pad each side of my "skeleton" evenly or my angles would not work. Here is a pic and diagram of what my PVC mannequin looks like.
Note how the legs begin at mid-thigh so the illusion of a spread leg is possible. Also the PVC does not travel down the center of the leg. This meant I could not pad the PVC by wrapping stuffing around it. The skin of the mannequin was made by putting a long sleeve shirt and pants on my friend and then duct taping him from neck to feet. The clothes with the duct tape was then cut off of him along the side of his body and the remaining shell he created was used as the skin for my mannequin. The skeleton was made to fit the shell as far as size, and the negative space in the shell was packed with carpet foam to fill it. The hard duct tape exterior keeps the shape from contorting into an oddly shaped person. Once I taped the shell back together and put an undersuit on it, the stormtrooper armor looked great on it. I have a set of hands for it but they are both "left" hands that I acquired, so I havent used them. This mannequin doesnt have any suit on it these days and it just sits.Â
Josh
[snapback]1183080[/snapback]
Durasteel Corporation
Well-Known Member
My DV mannequin project which Ill have casts of in the near future:
http://www.partsandtechnical.com/Vaderprow...nequinpage.html
http://www.partsandtechnical.com/Vaderprow...nequinpage.html
Durasteel Corporation
Well-Known Member
Yes I am the ego trip :love :lol
Im not 100% sure of the price yet. Im still cleaning up the sculpt, adding a thin layer of clay to smooth it out as I molded it with a layer of plastic wrap to keep the plaster of paris bandages from sticking to the fiberglass cast....ideally so if I needed to make another master/prototype I could. So Im now adding the thin layer of clay to seal it basically....so I can mold it up.
The fiberglass torso requires more fiberglass than people realize....just look at the helmet or armor on the torso to get a sense of how much material we are talking about . A single torso uses at least two full helmets worth of fiberglass....maybe three chest plates.
PHOTO LEGEND:
LEFT: my torso cast with a real helmet/chest armor cast
RIGHT a 6 foot man torso
The second issue is whether or not I am going to bother with arms and legs.
Most seem to feel, as I agree, that making arms or upper legs wont be that hard if a skelaton is made for the mannequin and the limps are fleshed out with foam.
Now on the topic of a skelaton, I may build this in steel for you guys. The RED lines represent a skelaton.
The BLUE outline represents my torso cast which may include a full head cast
The PINKISH color outlining the legs is a possible extension of the project....but will cost more, obviously.
....the idea is a torso with a steel skelaton that can be reasonably posed--meaning arm joints can lift up/down and to the sides. I have a few methods for holding that pose (which if you think about it, can be tricky...ie, how does a hinged piece that is loose so it can be posed....stay in position?? Well I solved that problem using a muscle type approach. More on that later.
So the skelaton would affix to the inside of the torso such that 90% of the work, ie, the hard part of achieving the correct shape, form, look....is ALREADY DONE.
The torso, being hollow, also would allow you to put a speaker inside...for sound affects or breathing
And it general, it will be proportionately stronger and lighter than foam.
I may cast upper arm and lower arm parts to save you guys the little effort of making truely anatomical arms.
Which brings up my main point...while some are talented, many foam mannequin just lack the true anatomical look of a person inside. I dont mean to bust anyones project as Ive seen a few nice foam/pvc mannequins, but truly there is a reason museums and stores prefer a human form cast to stuffing something as its a more reliable form. Simple as that I guess.
Price? Hmm...few hundred I think. It will depend on how long it will take me to produce the metal skelaton in such a manner that you can "IKEA" the thing...ie, assemble it easily with basic household tools. Remember the price reflects a boat load of fiberglass (a HUGE piece) and a few days of assembly on my part.
Im always open to suggestion guys...Ive been making things for a long time but Im the first to tell ya that I like fresh ideas if they are easily incorporated.
Drew
Im not 100% sure of the price yet. Im still cleaning up the sculpt, adding a thin layer of clay to smooth it out as I molded it with a layer of plastic wrap to keep the plaster of paris bandages from sticking to the fiberglass cast....ideally so if I needed to make another master/prototype I could. So Im now adding the thin layer of clay to seal it basically....so I can mold it up.
The fiberglass torso requires more fiberglass than people realize....just look at the helmet or armor on the torso to get a sense of how much material we are talking about . A single torso uses at least two full helmets worth of fiberglass....maybe three chest plates.
PHOTO LEGEND:
LEFT: my torso cast with a real helmet/chest armor cast
RIGHT a 6 foot man torso
The second issue is whether or not I am going to bother with arms and legs.
Most seem to feel, as I agree, that making arms or upper legs wont be that hard if a skelaton is made for the mannequin and the limps are fleshed out with foam.
Now on the topic of a skelaton, I may build this in steel for you guys. The RED lines represent a skelaton.
The BLUE outline represents my torso cast which may include a full head cast
The PINKISH color outlining the legs is a possible extension of the project....but will cost more, obviously.
....the idea is a torso with a steel skelaton that can be reasonably posed--meaning arm joints can lift up/down and to the sides. I have a few methods for holding that pose (which if you think about it, can be tricky...ie, how does a hinged piece that is loose so it can be posed....stay in position?? Well I solved that problem using a muscle type approach. More on that later.
So the skelaton would affix to the inside of the torso such that 90% of the work, ie, the hard part of achieving the correct shape, form, look....is ALREADY DONE.
The torso, being hollow, also would allow you to put a speaker inside...for sound affects or breathing
And it general, it will be proportionately stronger and lighter than foam.
I may cast upper arm and lower arm parts to save you guys the little effort of making truely anatomical arms.
Which brings up my main point...while some are talented, many foam mannequin just lack the true anatomical look of a person inside. I dont mean to bust anyones project as Ive seen a few nice foam/pvc mannequins, but truly there is a reason museums and stores prefer a human form cast to stuffing something as its a more reliable form. Simple as that I guess.
Price? Hmm...few hundred I think. It will depend on how long it will take me to produce the metal skelaton in such a manner that you can "IKEA" the thing...ie, assemble it easily with basic household tools. Remember the price reflects a boat load of fiberglass (a HUGE piece) and a few days of assembly on my part.
Im always open to suggestion guys...Ive been making things for a long time but Im the first to tell ya that I like fresh ideas if they are easily incorporated.
Drew
Last edited by a moderator:
Durasteel Corporation
Well-Known Member
Dont give it up either....youll burn more fat, youll feel better...and youll be more capable of doing "things" as a rule.
I keep my weightroom in the same room as my library as well. After pumping a set, I read a few pages as I feel a bit more awake, shall we say. Try keeping a dictionary in your weightroom....find a new word and recite it as you lift a set. Great way to remember fancy explatives when cursing your dumbells...
I keep my weightroom in the same room as my library as well. After pumping a set, I read a few pages as I feel a bit more awake, shall we say. Try keeping a dictionary in your weightroom....find a new word and recite it as you lift a set. Great way to remember fancy explatives when cursing your dumbells...
JoeR
Sr Member
Originally posted by Durasteel Corporation@Feb 15 2006, 09:55 PM
Dont give it up either....youll burn more fat, youll feel better...and youll be more capable of doing "things" as a rule.Â
I keep my weightroom in the same room as my library as well. After pumping a set, I read a few pages as I feel a bit more awake, shall we say.  Try keeping a dictionary in your weightroom....find a new word and recite it as you lift a set. Great way to remember fancy explatives when cursing your dumbells...
[snapback]1185313[/snapback]
Thanks for the advice buddy.
Joe
Durasteel Corporation
Well-Known Member
No sweat
Thats what the RPF stand for:
Repitition Pump Forum
....although, actually that doesnt quite sound right....ewww.
Thats what the RPF stand for:
Repitition Pump Forum
....although, actually that doesnt quite sound right....ewww.
Similar threads
