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

export it as first an .obj, and then as an .stl file

Thanks a lot, I'll try that!:D One last Question do you have any advice on cleaning up a 3D model to be used with pepakura?
I'm using Cinema 4D however I'm very new to it and can't seam to split up the models particularly easly.
Is there a program that is easier for this? Please help.

Thanks again.
 
Thanks a lot, I'll try that!:D One last Question do you have any advice on cleaning up a 3D model to be used with pepakura?
I'm using Cinema 4D however I'm very new to it and can't seam to split up the models particularly easly.
Is there a program that is easier for this? Please help.

Thanks again.

I've heard a lot of good stuff about Cinema 4D, but I have ZERO experience with it. I usually cut up models in Blender, it goes fairly quick for me in that software. There is no tutorial (that I know of) on how to separate models; it helps to have 3d modeling experience or a willingness to learn. Same goes for cleaning them up, you kind of have to know what the software is telling you about the model before you can start to improve it for Pepakura. Sorry that there's no easy answer, it's probably easier to find someone willing to modify the model for you to work in Pepakura.
 
hi guys..exactly new to pepakura here
went to a bookshop yesterday but i couldn't find any cardstock paper so i bought a 230gsm paper instead. and some white glue
coudn't find any x-acto knife also so i bought a penknife that looks like this
depositphotos_1302146-Penknife-on-a-white-background.jpg

anyone know if the 230 gsm paper would work? just started a little bit. it's a lot stronger that the printer paper but i'm not sure yet if it would work for pepakura
 
hi guys..exactly new to pepakura here
went to a bookshop yesterday but i couldn't find any cardstock paper so i bought a 230gsm paper instead. and some white glue
coudn't find any x-acto knife also so i bought a penknife that looks like this
http://static3.depositphotos.com/10...os_1302146-Penknife-on-a-white-background.jpg
anyone know if the 230 gsm paper would work? just started a little bit. it's a lot stronger that the printer paper but i'm not sure yet if it would work for pepakura

If you are using 230gsm art board/coverstock (likely what you have), that will work ok for Pepakura. That is about the same as 85 pound card stock in the US. It will be harder to work with and resin than 110 pound stock, but it's definitely doable. Don't go any thinner though, even better find some coverstock in 250-300 gsm.

Pen knives like the one you showed will work, but the blades are often thick and can make cutting more difficult. Also, you will dull blades out if you do a lot of pep work. I pep A LOT, and after trying all kinds of knives, I cut everything with a standard grocery store box cutter with a single-edge razor blade. It's cheap, and the box cutter is so thin it's easy to see where I'm cutting and easy to control. One end of the razor can be used until dull, then it can be flipped around and used again. A box of 100 blades will last FOREVER. I cut all of my stuff on a large wooden cutting board from my kitchen, something else that will last FOREVER. Good luck!

(These are EXACTLY what I use now)
0004088_300.jpeg

22973317_azr_asr660448_pri_larg.jpg
 
I was wondering if someone could offer advice on how to attach a texture/image to an pepakura file I've see it done before but I have no idea :/
 
I was wondering if someone could offer advice on how to attach a texture/image to an pepakura file I've see it done before but I have no idea :/

The texture would be added in the 3d modeling software (unless there's a shortcut I don't know about). That material file (texture,image,whatever) can be applied to the pep. Also, in Designer ,the 3d menu>View Setup>Face setting needs to be set to color and texture, if it doesn't automatically.
 
I'm planning to resin and I've got some resin laying around but not sure about the viscosity.
It's kinda like hair gel but what I've seen from tutorials it's supposed to be more runny?
 
Having a slight problem I got the texture to work however when I go to print it just comes out as lines and the texture is not present, any ideas on how to fix this?
 
I'm planning to resin and I've got some resin laying around but not sure about the viscosity.
It's kinda like hair gel but what I've seen from tutorials it's supposed to be more runny?
The resin should be more the consistency of a heavy syrup. Might be if it was opened before, old, and/or if it went through a freeze.

Having a slight problem I got the texture to work however when I go to print it just comes out as lines and the texture is not present, any ideas on how to fix this?
That's screwy. Are you using designer or viewer? Is the texture showing up in the 3d window? Is it showing the texture in a print preview? If you're in Viewer, make sure you have View>use materials for faces checked. If you're in Designer, have others>texture on/off turned on.
 
Alright. I'm not exactly new here, but I'm sorta new to the concept of pepakura (read: never done this before). I know what I want to do, but I have looked around in various places and I CANNOT seem to find it.

Ideally, what I'd like to get my hands on is a file for the Advanced Riot Helmet. I haven't seen this done anywhere, though, so what I might be asking is "can anyone (show me how to or do for me) make a pepakura file of this."

That helmet is from the Lonesome Road DLC in Fallout: New Vegas, and is the bigger brother to the standard and more ubiquitous NCR Veteran Ranger Helmet. I know for a fact people have done high-quality versions of this helmet on the RPF, but I can't find the file, and if I understand correctly, there are several versions of varying detail floating around, so I'd like the best one I can get.

Sorry for asking that other people do my dirty work, but I've got the time and resources, I want to make my first build a really good one.
 
OMG I finally finished reading through all 56 pages of this thread and I think I've forgotten more than I've learned from it :p Some quick questions that have probably been asked before:

Is there a pep file for the Iron Man 3 suit (Mark VII, I believe)

Is it better to make a costume out of cardstock or foam? Or a mixture of both, like the helmet in cardstock and the suit in foam?

What kind of foam is it? Like the "camp foam" that comes in small rolls at Wal-Mart? About how much would be needed to do one suit? 3 or 4 rolls?

Approximately how much would it cost in materials to make a Mark VII in total? I'm on a limited budget but a project like this sounds like a LOT of fun!

Is it possible to do all except the painting indoors? I live in a two bedroom cottage and don't have a lot of space to work. I do have a small backyard I could probably put an EZ UP in to keep out of the rain, but I'm a little intimidated by bondo and I don't own lots of power tools. The painting, I figured I'd lay some cardboard out on the grass on a dry day in the backyard to complete that step.

Sorry, that's a lot of questions, but I am totally new to pepping and everyone here seems very friendly and helpful.
 
OMG I finally finished reading through all 56 pages of this thread and I think I've forgotten more than I've learned from it :p Some quick questions that have probably been asked before:

Is there a pep file for the Iron Man 3 suit (Mark VII, I believe)

Is it better to make a costume out of cardstock or foam? Or a mixture of both, like the helmet in cardstock and the suit in foam?

What kind of foam is it? Like the "camp foam" that comes in small rolls at Wal-Mart? About how much would be needed to do one suit? 3 or 4 rolls?

Approximately how much would it cost in materials to make a Mark VII in total? I'm on a limited budget but a project like this sounds like a LOT of fun!

Is it possible to do all except the painting indoors? I live in a two bedroom cottage and don't have a lot of space to work. I do have a small backyard I could probably put an EZ UP in to keep out of the rain, but I'm a little intimidated by bondo and I don't own lots of power tools. The painting, I figured I'd lay some cardboard out on the grass on a dry day in the backyard to complete that step.

Sorry, that's a lot of questions, but I am totally new to pepping and everyone here seems very friendly and helpful.

-The Mark vii, there are a few on here. The suit with the most user experience and build feedback would be Darkside501st's build files, here:
http://www.therpf.com/f24/darkside501sts-iron-man-mk-vii-pepakura-files-new-image-pg-124-a-139470/
(Just a heads up, that thread is at around 125 pages now lol)

-Cardstock usually allows for more detail, but involves cutting and assembling a lot more parts (as well as the fiberglassing). Everybody has their own preference for the material, I've seen a lot of people build their suits in foam but then use cardstock to get a high detail helmet.

-Cost depends on materials, method of construction, paint finish, etc., and how creative you can get with saving money. The sky's the limit, materials for my last full paper pep suit and helmet fiberglassed, primed and painted was right over $200.

- You'll want to search the site and read around about the different foams, but yes Walmart camp mats can be used.

- On that note, from where you are and what you've got, I'd think a foam build would be your best bet. Fiberglassing a paper pep will likely get you into a lot of toxic and high-odor materials that aren't too good inside to use. Foam will still have to be properly dipped/sealed/primed for paint adhesion, but that can be made a lot more doable inside than fiberglassing and Bondoing (forget sanding lol).

Can't say enough, when in doubt go searching on here, there's just about more advice and tutorials than you could ever hope for. Good luck with your build.
 
-The Mark vii, there are a few on here. The suit with the most user experience and build feedback would be Darkside501st's build files, here:
http://www.therpf.com/f24/darkside501sts-iron-man-mk-vii-pepakura-files-new-image-pg-124-a-139470/
(Just a heads up, that thread is at around 125 pages now lol)

-Cardstock usually allows for more detail, but involves cutting and assembling a lot more parts (as well as the fiberglassing). Everybody has their own preference for the material, I've seen a lot of people build their suits in foam but then use cardstock to get a high detail helmet.

-Cost depends on materials, method of construction, paint finish, etc., and how creative you can get with saving money. The sky's the limit, materials for my last full paper pep suit and helmet fiberglassed, primed and painted was right over $200.

- You'll want to search the site and read around about the different foams, but yes Walmart camp mats can be used.

- On that note, from where you are and what you've got, I'd think a foam build would be your best bet. Fiberglassing a paper pep will likely get you into a lot of toxic and high-odor materials that aren't too good inside to use. Foam will still have to be properly dipped/sealed/primed for paint adhesion, but that can be made a lot more doable inside than fiberglassing and Bondoing (forget sanding lol).

Can't say enough, when in doubt go searching on here, there's just about more advice and tutorials than you could ever hope for. Good luck with your build.

Oh great link, thank you! I'll have to go through it. That'll take me another couple of weeks lol

I did read that cardstock will get your better detail and is more durable, but foam can work better for costumes because it's got a little give to it. So a helmet in card and the rest in foam definitely sounds like it might do the trick.

Wow, $200 sounds cheap! I was reading in this thread someone gave a "low-ball" estimate of I think it was $400 and I nearly fainted. I guess it's hard to give an exact estimate, but knowing I can get away with a couple of hundred is definitely reassuring.

I will do some more searching about the foam. This post was stickied and seemed like the most important thread to go through, so I trudged through the whole thing before doing any in-depth looking around at the rest of the site. Good to know that the camp mats can be used, though.

What would I use instead of bondo, that Smooth-On stuff? Can that be used indoors? I did watch Stealth's videos, which were awesome, but there's so much covered that I think I need to go over them again. Sanding definitely can't be done inside, that's for sure. Haha. The backyard I have isn't tiny, just small. I could probably figure out something for minor work. I just don't think I'd be able to do the whole thing outside. Plus I work till roughly sundown and there isn't any good lighting in my backyard. I don't have a garage to work in, which would be better suited, so I try and do with what I have :p

Thanks again. I'll do some more digging around. You've definitely given me some good places to start on.
 
There are low-odor fiberglass/polyester resins out there, I've just always had the space to do my stuff in a ventilated area. And it's ALWAYS worth watching Stealth's videos again.
And to put my $200 number into perspective, look at it this way:

Cardstock- $15
Printer ribbons- $10 (i do refills, all black)
Glue sticks-$10
Resin+cloth- $60
Body filler-$45
Tape, sanding supplies-$25
Primers and paints- $45

...So this is $210 worth of stuff. I have drop clothes, hand and power sanders, spatulas, and a lot of the tools as well needed, so I'm not running out to buy these things every time. Those are also rattle-can paint and primer prices; if I'm shooting auto-quality with the HVLP sprayer, then you might as well add a couple hundred bucks to that primer/sealer/paint bill. You can paper pep a decent halloween costume on a budget like this. You could also spend 500 hours sanding and finishing filler on a suit like this and making it ungodly clean without raising the budget much, but you'd probably hate even looking at the suit by the time you were done :lol
 
There are low-odor fiberglass/polyester resins out there, I've just always had the space to do my stuff in a ventilated area. And it's ALWAYS worth watching Stealth's videos again.
And to put my $200 number into perspective, look at it this way:

Cardstock- $15
Printer ribbons- $10 (i do refills, all black)
Glue sticks-$10
Resin+cloth- $60
Body filler-$45
Tape, sanding supplies-$25
Primers and paints- $45

...So this is $210 worth of stuff. I have drop clothes, hand and power sanders, spatulas, and a lot of the tools as well needed, so I'm not running out to buy these things every time. Those are also rattle-can paint and primer prices; if I'm shooting auto-quality with the HVLP sprayer, then you might as well add a couple hundred bucks to that primer/sealer/paint bill. You can paper pep a decent halloween costume on a budget like this. You could also spend 500 hours sanding and finishing filler on a suit like this and making it ungodly clean without raising the budget much, but you'd probably hate even looking at the suit by the time you were done :lol

That definitely puts it into perspective. I have tons of friends with tools I'm sure I could borrow (heck, maybe I can even work on it at their house, that's an idea too.) Definitely giving me ideas on where I can trim and where I could flesh out a bit more. Like maybe go with automotive paint or something :p

Oh, a related question - any idea how much foam and/or cardstock I would need to get? How can I get a good gauge of that? Like 1 ream will cover a helmet. 1 mat of foam will cover chest, cod, and forearms... you get the idea. That was another big question that would help if I had a better idea. I don't want to have to run to Walmart every other day because I ran out of something. Same goes for the other materials - how much cloth, how much resin, etc.
 
Different suits will require different amounts of course. I usually just buy 3 packs of 110# cardstock from Walmart and that's always covered my needs for a full suit with helmet, often needing only 2 of them. Those packs are 150 sheets each, Usually are around 6-7 bucks each.

As you might have noticed, I can't speak for the amount of foam you'd need. A lot of builders use several thicknesses of foam together as well, but I'm pretty foam-dumb.
 
Different suits will require different amounts of course. I usually just buy 3 packs of 110# cardstock from Walmart and that's always covered my needs for a full suit with helmet, often needing only 2 of them. Those packs are 150 sheets each, Usually are around 6-7 bucks each.

As you might have noticed, I can't speak for the amount of foam you'd need. A lot of builders use several thicknesses of foam together as well, but I'm pretty foam-dumb.

So roughly 300 sheets does a whole suit? Okay, that's not bad at all. I'm sure I could probably convert that into how much foam I'd need. I'll dig around here some more too. Thanks again!
 
Even though I'm a relative 'noob' to the scene, i've been lurking in the background for a fair while and can let you know how much foam I have used over the few basic first-steps builds I have done.

The foam I have been using is not the best in the world - a 1.8m x 0.8m (70" x 31.5") roll of 8mm (0.3") campermat - but it's been working quite nicely for the builds I have made....

I have so far made....

1 roll :
IM Mk 7 Faceplate
IM Mk 8 Full Helmet
IM Mk 39 Chest

and please bear in mind that there is a LOT of scrap generated when you're working with foam.

However, as these rolls cost me something like £5-6 ($9-10 US) each... I don't think that's too much of a problem :) And yes, when I got them, I picked them up from one of the 'town centre' camping shops, so got utterly ripped off. I've seen them for sale for half that amount.

Broadly speaking - I'd suggest that you'd need between 3 and 5 rolls of foam for a full suit of IM-type armour, depending on the complexity and how many times you screw up the cut / the shape / the gluing phase of construction.

There are pro's and con's to both paper/card pep and foam pep... but if you are 'sneaky' about it, you can use both in the build.

First off, make the foam build... and then to every 'part' of the model that needs extra detail, or harder edges, or sharper lines or whatnot, build that particular piece in paper/card and glue it onto the foam. Then it would be a case of hiding the card cut-edge in the 'sanding/smoothing/bondo/resin/fibreglass/rotocast-plastic' phase of construction.

As the saying goes - there's plenty of ways to do this - experiment :D
 
Even though I'm a relative 'noob' to the scene, i've been lurking in the background for a fair while and can let you know how much foam I have used over the few basic first-steps builds I have done.

The foam I have been using is not the best in the world - a 1.8m x 0.8m (70" x 31.5") roll of 8mm (0.3") campermat - but it's been working quite nicely for the builds I have made....

I have so far made....

1 roll :
IM Mk 7 Faceplate
IM Mk 8 Full Helmet
IM Mk 39 Chest

and please bear in mind that there is a LOT of scrap generated when you're working with foam.

However, as these rolls cost me something like £5-6 ($9-10 US) each... I don't think that's too much of a problem :) And yes, when I got them, I picked them up from one of the 'town centre' camping shops, so got utterly ripped off. I've seen them for sale for half that amount.

Broadly speaking - I'd suggest that you'd need between 3 and 5 rolls of foam for a full suit of IM-type armour, depending on the complexity and how many times you screw up the cut / the shape / the gluing phase of construction.

There are pro's and con's to both paper/card pep and foam pep... but if you are 'sneaky' about it, you can use both in the build.

First off, make the foam build... and then to every 'part' of the model that needs extra detail, or harder edges, or sharper lines or whatnot, build that particular piece in paper/card and glue it onto the foam. Then it would be a case of hiding the card cut-edge in the 'sanding/smoothing/bondo/resin/fibreglass/rotocast-plastic' phase of construction.

As the saying goes - there's plenty of ways to do this - experiment :D

Maybe I'd best get 6 rolls then ;) Haha. And thanks for some idea of how much it will take. This is all very helpful. I think I'm going to have set aside some cash from my next paycheck to get started on this. Hopefully I won't give up and I'll at least have it by Halloween :p
 
If you are using 230gsm art board/coverstock (likely what you have), that will work ok for Pepakura. That is about the same as 85 pound card stock in the US. It will be harder to work with and resin than 110 pound stock, but it's definitely doable. Don't go any thinner though, even better find some coverstock in 250-300 gsm.

Pen knives like the one you showed will work, but the blades are often thick and can make cutting more difficult. Also, you will dull blades out if you do a lot of pep work. I pep A LOT, and after trying all kinds of knives, I cut everything with a standard grocery store box cutter with a single-edge razor blade. It's cheap, and the box cutter is so thin it's easy to see where I'm cutting and easy to control. One end of the razor can be used until dull, then it can be flipped around and used again. A box of 100 blades will last FOREVER. I cut all of my stuff on a large wooden cutting board from my kitchen, something else that will last FOREVER. Good luck!

(These are EXACTLY what I use now)
http://www.pfiusa.com/content/images/thumbs/0004088_300.jpeg
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/wc...384/large/22973317_azr_asr660448_pri_larg.jpg
i'll try to find it next time in other bookstore..it's quite expensive tho, RM3+(malaysian dollar) for 10 pieces, which is around 1+ USD
the pen knives that i got can be snapped off easily, already cut out half of the iron man helmet and so far it's okay, just snap it off when it gets dull. oh and i'm using old newspaper below the paper, have tons of it at home
 
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