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

New member with a pep viewer problem

Hi guys,

Firstly id like to say, awesome forum with some very talented people on here ! i think ive only posted a couple of times in other peoples threads so im officially saying hello, my main passion is Knight Rider and im building a full KITT replica from my Trans Am.

However, ive seen all the Iron Man builds, and other costumes and its something i love so i really want to give making a suit a go, from foam.

So anyway, ive downloaded Pep viewer 3 from Tamasoft, and ive got some files i found on here, however when i click on open, the programme freezes :confused If i open the programme and drag and drop the PDO file into the window it will load the file, but the 2 screens stay black, but if i go into print preview the files are actually there and i can print them out. But that doesnt really help with assembly as i cant see which part goes where.

pepviewer.jpg


Perhaps someone can show me the error of my ways !

Thanks,

Scott
 
That's a tough one. I would probably try deleting the software and download again. Hopefully it's just a software issue and that fixes it.
 
Nope, ive uninstalled it, reinstalled it, uninstalled it again and downloaded pep designer instead to try that and it does the exact same thing, what the hell.

Maybe i will try and contact Tamasoft themselves ?
 
Couldn't hurt, they are helpful but not sure how long it'll take for a response. I would also try .pdo's from another source to make sure the issue isn't the files themselves (doubt it is). Also maybe look at your video settings?
Tamasoft says requirements are
Video Output: Resolution 800x600 pixels, 65,536 color or greater
Once again, I doubt that's it (because those are pretty weak numbers), but give it a look anyways. It bothers me that you are not getting imaging in either Viewer or Designer, I would lean towards a computer compatibility issue and not software.

Last thing and then I'll stop writing a novel:
Might want to see if .OBJs are even showing up too: Find an .obj file somewhere (it doesn't matter what it is of, just that it's an .obj) and save it to your desktop. Then go into Designer, and then file>open> and select your .obj file. Assuming it opens, just click through the questions that pop up (not important right now for troubleshooting) and see if you can see the .obj in the 3d window. If you can, then click unfold and just enter the next screen too. If it's working, you should have a model in the 3d view and a rough unfold in the 2d view. If you still can't see anything, pretty sure it's a software or compatibility issue with your computer. If you do contact Tamasoft, let them know if you could access .OBJs or not.

Good luck with this. I'm starting to think that it's a compatibility issue with your computer, but who knows.
 
Ive just done a remote hook up with a friend who is good with pep viewer and building an iron man suit and even he couldnt figure out why its doing what its doing.

Ive tried clicking a few buttons and it shows the dots around the parts, so the file is loaded and in the window but for some reason its all black !
 
Hi,

I'm new to the forum and to the whole Pepakura thingie... But I liked what i've seen and wanted to try for my self.

So, i searched for a cool thing to make and found Daft Punk's Thomas helmet. I printed it, cut it and started to glue everything to gether. But now i'm stuck with some sort of problem. It looks like not all the pieces are printed in the same scale.
Can anybody tell me if i did something wrong? And what is i'm doing wrong?
 
Hi,

I'm new to the forum and to the whole Pepakura thingie... But I liked what i've seen and wanted to try for my self.

So, i searched for a cool thing to make and found Daft Punk's Thomas helmet. I printed it, cut it and started to glue everything to gether. But now i'm stuck with some sort of problem. It looks like not all the pieces are printed in the same scale.
Can anybody tell me if i did something wrong? And what is i'm doing wrong?

I'm assuming that your Thomas helmet was all in one Pepakura file? If so, all the parts will be scaled relative to each other automatically. So, short answer is that all of your pieces are the same scale, and there is something else going on.
One possibility is that the curves that are incorporated between two separate pieces can give the illusion that one piece is smaller than the other. Keeping your numbers aligned from one piece to another can be a hassle if you are new to this as well. I often start at the center of two pieces that get connected (rather than at one end) and work both directions gluing, it cuts my errors in half.
So hopefully it's just you getting the hang of building, helmets are by no means the easiest part to start on. If you are still having problems, pm we with a link to the helmet .pdo and I can take a look at it, a pic or two could help too. Good luck with this!
 
I'm assuming that your Thomas helmet was all in one Pepakura file? If so, all the parts will be scaled relative to each other automatically. So, short answer is that all of your pieces are the same scale, and there is something else going on.
One possibility is that the curves that are incorporated between two separate pieces can give the illusion that one piece is smaller than the other. Keeping your numbers aligned from one piece to another can be a hassle if you are new to this as well. I often start at the center of two pieces that get connected (rather than at one end) and work both directions gluing, it cuts my errors in half.
So hopefully it's just you getting the hang of building, helmets are by no means the easiest part to start on. If you are still having problems, pm we with a link to the helmet .pdo and I can take a look at it, a pic or two could help too. Good luck with this!

Thanx for the reply. I do still have a problem with the bottom of the helmet. But that's for later. I did how ever figure out what i did wrong, and i'm ashamed to say it. I put the part that's supposed to go on the left side, right and vice versa... But hey, i'm new, noob error :p
 
Hello all! This is my first post, so I'm sorry if it has already been asked. I recently got into the pepakura stuff, one of my employees led me on to it. I'm making an Iron Man helmet that I will hopefully have completed by Thursday night :D.

Just a couple questions on the holding together of models/resining.

First. I currently have my faceplate held together with little strips of scotch tape and little dots of locktight super glue and I'm going through and removing the tape strip by strip and replacing with glue. Is this necessary or can I just resin over the tape and it won't come apart?

Second. Do I have to use fiberglass cloth? Or can I just resin over the helmet one coat or two and be good. Then of course bondo, sand, repeat. (I actually am one of the few people who likes sanding lol)

Thanks,
Josh.
 
Currently I am working on a space marine. I had a question regarding "hiding faces" or parts to make others visible. For example, when building the leg the file shows it all assembled, when I want to look at just the foot portion I want to be able to hide the shin exposing just the boot.

I hope that makes sense. I appreciate any help
thanks
 
I'm pretty sure you'll find that resin dissolves scotch tape glue, or so I've often read on these forums. Superglue is not affected by resin.

The fibreglass cloth adds a lot of strength and impact resistance, so I've always gone with that. Even with two coats of resin the pep is still liable to distortion. Rondo - resin mixed 50/50 with bondo is handy for smoothing the inside of a pep helmet, but it is still liable to break if stressed too far. I recommend using the cloth, and I have found that cloth is much thinner and easier to work than the chopped strand matting.

Just my thoughts. Cheers, Phil




First. I currently have my faceplate held together with little strips of scotch tape and little dots of locktight super glue and I'm going through and removing the tape strip by strip and replacing with glue. Is this necessary or can I just resin over the tape and it won't come apart?

Second. Do I have to use fiberglass cloth? Or can I just resin over the helmet one coat or two and be good. Then of course bondo, sand, repeat. (I actually am one of the few people who likes sanding lol)

- - - Updated - - -

Hi. I don't think that Designer will allow you to do that, but you can export the file as an obj which you can edit in Blender or similar software. That will allow you to separate parts for easier viewing.

Currently I am working on a space marine. I had a question regarding "hiding faces" or parts to make others visible. For example, when building the leg the file shows it all assembled, when I want to look at just the foot portion I want to be able to hide the shin exposing just the boot.

I hope that makes sense. I appreciate any help
thanks
 
I'm sorry if this question have been asked before, but yesterday I tried using pepakura for the first time and I decided to go with the Iron Man the Iron Man helmet. When I was about to print out the pieces Pepakura Designer said something about that my printer doesen't have the right paper size. I'm using A4 printer. Seems like you guys use a paper size called "letter" ? I live in Sweden and the most common paper size here is A4. Please help guys :(
 
Click on "Setting" at the top then where it says "paper type" select "A4"

I'm sorry if this question have been asked before, but yesterday I tried using pepakura for the first time and I decided to go with the Iron Man the Iron Man helmet. When I was about to print out the pieces Pepakura Designer said something about that my printer doesen't have the right paper size. I'm using A4 printer. Seems like you guys use a paper size called "letter" ? I live in Sweden and the most common paper size here is A4. Please help guys :(
 
I'm sorry, I posted the wrong picture, the helmet on the picture is a foam edit and it's already for A4 , the one I'm having trouble with is a paper one by Sharkmark. I can't find the paper size option :(
 
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