Halo 4 Spartan IV under armor and utility suit

VividT E X said:

HAhaha xD No prob Viper ... But as it goes, my next request could be something way more easy thant trying to take drawings to templates ...

So this question is for James and Digital cantina... I dont know ...if any of what i'll ask is possible ... but you guys seems to be realy experienced with 3d models, so best placed ton answer this ...

Do a 3d model like Jame's one can be broke down into several pieces ( like evrey different part of the liesure suit, and then " templaterized " ( I love inventing new words when I don't know the proper one xD ) for us to use those just like the templates a sewing master uses for regular clothes

If this is possible to then bring those to pepekura viewer and scale them just like armor pieces , we probably could end up with something quite cool for everybody.

We will then have armor modelers that every body would know for thier armor pieces and also some very respected under armor modelers And then glory could flow troughout your bodies and everybody'S respect with it !!! If you know what I mean...

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I think what might work better is if someone with sewing experience went over James' kickass model to mark off where pieces need to be cut in order to be sewn properly then have a modeler (I might be up to the task) cut it up along those lines... that might work

I see where you are going with this, I have some experience with that exact problem. Unfortunately to my knowledge no full digital solution exists as far as I could find. The problem lays with the way fabric conforms around objects, there is no way to digitally simulate cloth in that manner. Now, that's not to say there isn't a solution but it is a bit more "hands on". We could do what they do in garment design, they make patterns over a mannequin. If we could build a physical mannequin of the 3D model (very possible, it could even be at a smaller scale) we can then find a skilled seamstress, fashion designer or pattern maker to go over that mannequin and extract the patterns to create the suit.. Then those flat patterns can be digitized and sized accordingly. (in theory)
As of right now I think a skilled seamstress could take the views and make personalized patterns to fit their or someone elses unique dimensions, if they had an appropriate mannequin to work off. Most if not all garments are done this way already..

Now some of the exosuit for example is made up of 'hard parts so those can be made from paper etc.. and added to the fabric..

good brainstorming :cool

I think this is the liner mentioned from target

http://www.target.com/p/non-slip-liner-grey/-/A-14044757#prodSlot=medium_1_13&term=non slip


-James-

The problem with the undersuit is that it ahs to be custom made as it needs to fit 100% on your body. Either you use some stretchy fabrics/clothes or you need to fit the templates on yourself... and keep your exact weight and size until you want to wear the costumes. The H4 LE booklet even mentions that each Spartan IV has individually adjusted meals, probably for this reason

So the only way to build templates from a 3D model is to do a 100% accurate body scan of yourself and work on top of that. Unfortunately we've found that 123D Catch isn't good enough for a full body, and all the professional solutions are very expensive, partially because they require a dozen DLSR cameras, not just the software.

So I still think that the most efficient solution is to go and buy some sportswear made from a breathing fabric and start from that.

Vargatom - Agreed.

In terms of the under armor pieces I may have an idea (and it may be real dumb please forgive my ignorance of sewing) But what if you start with strechy breathable fabric, then cut out the armor pieces out of soft foam or padding in the armor shape then take some more fabric and sew over it so it looks like its a part of the suit? That way it still looks like the under armor is there but it will stretch and bend as needed.

Well cantina this is exactly what i proposed 3 or 4 pages ago and in my sense its the best way , again vergatom is correct, this is too much hand on to be digitalised umfortunatly ... Well looks like we have to flipp off prep and deep in it right away to se it done xD

DigitalCantina said:

Vargatom - Agreed.

In terms of the under armor pieces I may have an idea (and it may be real dumb please forgive my ignorance of sewing) But what if you start with strechy breathable fabric, then cut out the armor pieces out of soft foam or padding in the armor shape then take some more fabric and sew over it so it looks like its a part of the suit? That way it still looks like the under armor is there but it will stretch and bend as needed.

Click to expand...

I think this is the most straight forward solution, this is what we're going to try to do with our freelancer under armour. We're starting with athletic skins, laying down some foam and stitching the detail into and additional layer of fabric, hopefully the foam will make the detail stand up a bit where it's not stitched down.

For those who really must have the honeycomb design, there's always the custom fabric route. It's not cheap by any means.

http://www.spoonflower.com/

For the honeycomb pattern I have to agree that maybe just painting it on with a stencil might be the best option. I know someone who used their laundry sack (the white mesh bag used in the US Military) and spray cans to make their Mass Effect armor have a carbon fiber look! And even really close, like within 3 feet, it still looked good.

Either that, or maybe sewing a mesh over another fabric. I'm doing that for my ODST underarmor. Here's two links to sites I found that sells athletic jersey mesh:
here
and
here

On another note. I can try to come up with patterns for the undersuit. Then, maybe someone with pep skills can take my patterns and put them into pep for everyone. Croc Co made full patterns for Assassin's Creed 3 on pepakura. I gotta admit, I never thought of something like that, but it makes it wicked easy to adjust the patterns to the right size. Anyone who's been around crappy flimsy patterns from the fabric stores know what a pain those are.

But I can design an athletic cut pattern for a Spartan undersuit no problem. I'm also kind of "average" in size. I have a 30" inseam, 32" waist, 48" chest, 14" dia upper arms, and 17" neck. I'm only 5'8". Beyond that my girlfriend is about 110 lbs soaking wet, so there'd be an extreme for small/petite/athletic (she played softball). Only catch is I do everything the old fashioned way, pencil, ruler, pattern fabric, tailor's chalk. But if there was a way, and I mean any way possible for me to get that pattern to you guys, especially digital like pepakura. I'm down if you all are.

I'm already working on the undersuit for my ODST, and I mean a full, using 200 screencaps from the theater, ODST undersuit. I can make a Spartan IV undersuit as well going off of James', Vivid's and TheTavernKnight's work along with what I can grab from Halo 4.

Yet another page found that could be fruitful.

The hexagonal padding found on some sports outfits is Hexpad.
I've found that sheeting can be purchased, but looks to be a little expensive:
http://www.sportshealth.com/mcdavid-6600-hexpad-athletic-trainer-tool-kit-3-8-x-13-sheets

Also, at the moment, I haven't found anywhere that you can purchase a particular type of Hexpad (most suitable looks to be Hexpad Lite for the size of the hexagon) and the number of sheets you want. The other thing is I don't know how flexible / stretchy the material is, although it is breathable.

I might have to take a trip down to my local sports store to do some further investigating!

EDIT: The website says the following about the product: Flexible sheets stretch with and conform to body for continuous protection. I guess it'd be what we're looking for!

EDIT 2: Here's a video with the types of Hexpads and thicknesses:

Morphine said:

Yet another page found that could be fruitful.

The hexagonal padding found on some sports outfits is Hexpad.
I've found that sheeting can be purchased, but looks to be a little expensive:
http://www.sportshealth.com/mcdavid-6600-hexpad-athletic-trainer-tool-kit-3-8-x-13-sheets


Also, at the moment, I haven't found anywhere that you can purchase a particular type of Hexpad (most suitable looks to be Hexpad Lite for the size of the hexagon) and the number of sheets you want. The other thing is I don't know how flexible / stretchy the material is, although it is breathable.

I might have to take a trip down to my local sports store to do some further investigating!

EDIT: The website says the following about the product: Flexible sheets stretch with and conform to body for continuous protection. I guess it'd be what we're looking for!

EDIT 2: Here's a video with the types of Hexpads and thicknesses:

Click to expand...

awesome find but expensive.

I was about to scream at the computer until I saw that Morphine posted the McDavid's Hexpad for me. (Thanks Morphine!)

I just read through what I missed and found Ghost01's post with his link to a website. I looked into it and happened to see this there:

http://www.xsportsprotective.com/mcdavid-hexpad-gravity-padded-shorts-men.html

I believe the video is on this page as well, but that's not why I thought it was so exceptional. The hexagon pattern looks PERFECT for the end results that some of us OCD freaks are looking for. The only drawback I see is the huge expense for small quantities of this material.

Since the price tag is well out my range, most of you guys' too, I'd like to resuggest the same thing that everyone here seems to be centered around... Taking a breathable stretchy material and forming it over foamy templates to achieve the 3D effect. Only, I think this method can be used effectively for the hexagon pattern as well. The idea is that you could potentialy cut out a whole bunch of foam hexagons, sized to your own liking, and glue them to the underside of the fabric with somthing like Fabri-Tac or Hot-Glue and stretch them over the foamy detailed templates to form a, if done to a perfectionistic degree, very nice looking 3D undersuit.

Stupid internet, ate my post.

Here's what I was going link ... another alternative:

http://twoontwooff.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/nike-dri-fit-and-polartec-whoa.html

Not as convincing as the hexpads, but alot cheaper.

Would something like this work. Pardon the crappy picture....flash made a mess of it. This a $15 vinyl jacket and 2 minutes of painting. Would take some effert to do the entire jacket. I am also sure that it would look muck better if a actually paid attention to what I was doing...in other words..it's easy.

The vinyl jacket would get really warm real fast, I think. I'm intrigued by the Nike Dri-Fit Hexagons, though. It's got a good look to it and will help regular temp. Gotta see if I can find some of that.

theTavernKnight said:

The vinyl jacket would get really warm real fast, I think. I'm intrigued by the Nike Dri-Fit Hexagons, though. It's got a good look to it and will help regular temp. Gotta see if I can find some of that.

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It does not have to be vinyl. It is just wat I had handy. No reason you could not do it to a spandex-ish type outfit.

WIFUZZY said:

It does not have to be vinyl. It is just wat I had handy. No reason you could not do it to a spandex-ish type outfit.

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Yep. Very true. Your pattern looks kinda athletic mesh-like, too. Could go that route and just line it so no skin is showing through the holes. I've never seen the results of spray-painted stretchy fabric to know how that would look.

The Mass Effect suit I've seen was made with a simple sponge dipped in the paint, so not even a spray is needed

I guess all that really matters is the type of paint, it has to stay on the fabric even when it's stretched.

Morphine said:

Stupid internet, ate my post.

Here's what I was going link ... another alternative:

http://twoontwooff.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/nike-dri-fit-and-polartec-whoa.html

Not as convincing as the hexpads, but alot cheaper.

Click to expand...

I looked up where i could buy some of that stuff. But i came up short. It appears to be sold out by the person who was using it.

Thus the search continues *shakes fists*.

EDIT: the paint on method could work well.

Hey guys,

A couple of prospective ideas for those searching for an ideal under-suit. -Found here-


I have used these shirts and can positively give a thumbs up to their performance. They can be costly yet at the same time can save you a-lot of hours piecing something from scratch.

Another concept I am presently working with is utilizing a neoprene wetsuit ( I know it doesn't breath; hear me out!) and using its structure as a base. For those familiar with wetsuits you will know that there is a veneer/ laminate layer(s) of nylon or a lyrca fabric attached to the neoprene core. {used wetsuits can be purchased for pretty cheap}

The prototype I am working on (WIP thread hopefully up soon) is constructed in a similar fashion by cutting the neoprene suit into smaller sections such as the top of the shoulders, sections of bicep and forearms, and arranging them in the desired position and laminating them to the inside of an under-armor type shirt/suit. The idea here is to cut the neoprene is such a way that the edges blend or follow the natural contours of the surrounding surface of the body; by doing this a seamless transition can be made. Another benefit of attaching the neoprene padding to the inside is that any padding details (texture or designs etched into the neoprene) will become visible through the lyrca (under-suit material). Because the neoprene is so flexible and has excellent workability, there are a lot of design possibilities whilst maintaining the skintight performance.

Now the fun part!

Everyone is after that hexagonal print? Since the neoprene does not breath at all, the padded areas of the suit should be perforated to allow breathability: why not use a hexagon perforation? Making a hexagon cutting tool isn't too hard {bent sheet-metal with sharpened cutting edge} and once cut the top layer of under-armor would show an indented hexagon pattern of the neoprene padding below it. If you wanted an extruded look; reattach the cut hexagons from where they were cut and have them bonded halfway above the original surface. The texture would look very similar to the above picture with exception to the size of the hexagon as you would determine the cut size. Though the stamping or cutting of the hex pattern may be tedious it should be well worth the time!

Quick proof of concept: Take your hand and put in on the top of your shoulder under the fabric, now pull the fabric tight against it; you should be able to see the profile of your hand and knuckles under the fabric.


Drawing a lot from my motorcycle and diving background here; hopefully it applies!

Any ideas to push this envelope a bit further? Bring on the brainstorming!

JetfireRR

- I agree. Used wetsuits would be great under an underarmor or polartec undershirt. Not to mention if someone wants cheap it's going to equal time. Less time more money. I'd almost sacrifice my Aqualung suit since I only dive dry now. The same concept could also be used with 2 to 3mm EVA foam, if placed in the hexagon pattern.

And for those wanting the entire suit done, I'd make a simple suggestion. If you're pressed for time, money, or thermal retention/ release is a concern only adding the hexagonal shapes to areas that are not covered by your armor pieces.

But I must say, besides the few post I have seen back during the reach days I haven't seen anyone start tackling an underarmor suit. Would really like to see someone start it up.