I'm liking the thread. I'm guessing this isn't supposed to be for complete noobs, but for those with some degree of understanding of 3D programs. If this is meant to teach from the very beginning, it needs to go waaay back.
I have a few questions when it comes to modelling for pepakura that perhaps can be answered here.
1: Are triangles really that bad when it comes to modelling for pepakura? I have done some searching, and from what I gather modellers don't like triangles for three reasons (coincidence?): bad rendering, unpredictable loop cuts and difficultys in animating. If you don't mind the odd loop cuts, it doesn't really seem to me that triangles are all that bad.
2: If I do stay with quads, is there any way to merge flaps/edges in pepakura designer? When trying to use mostly quads, end pieces tend to get clustered with a lot of different faces on a detailed model. This makes pepakura designer designate an edge ID for each and every face, meaning you can end up with 10 or even more edge IDs for an edge where 1 would have sufficed.
3: Is there any free 3D software that have good booleans? I have tried modelling using booleans, but Blender completely screws my models when I do. I can add something to one end, and have Blender remove 20 or so vertices from the other side of the model.
