1st Build About to start my Mk V(b) build! (3d printed)

[AdenS6]

I am about to start my first build. I chose the Mk V(b) suit because I love Halo reach! I'm going to be using InstinctCreative3D's design.

What is the best way to scale the model to myself??

 

[tahu505]

What is the best way to scale the model to myself??

Armorsmith is a software that most of us use for scaling. You take measurements of yourself and create a 3d avatar for you to place and scale files. It is a paid software, but it's definitely worth it for saving time and material trying to get the scale right.

 

[CLSilent]

Hey Aden! I am also doing a Mark V B as my first build. From my experience so far there are a couple ways you can go about it. There is Armorsmith, which is a $40 program that you input your dimensions into and it makes attaching and scaling armor fairly easy.

In an attempt to save money, I used a free app to take a 3d image of myself and upload it to blender, where I uploaded my armor pieces and scaled them to myself manually. I imagine Armorsmith would be easier, but it worked for me and all of my armor fits me very well.

 

[AdenS6]

Armorsmith is a software that most of us use for scaling. You take measurements of yourself and create a 3d avatar for you to place and scale files. It is a paid software, but it's definitely worth it for saving time and material trying to get the scale right.

Ah I've seen screenshots from that but wasn't sure what it was from. Thank you!

 

[SgtSaint]

Three bits of advice from my "New Armorer FAQ"

1. Since you've never made armor before you might want to start with something less exacting to reduced your re-print waste.
2. Start at the boots and work up, and the hands and work in. Helmet last when your skills are best.
3. If you're new to printing in general, don't start on armor: Start small and work up while you learn printing.

1 -

If you've never done an armor build before you might want your first armor to be one without the really tight tolerances of a Spartan or Ironman. I confess I made about 3 Spartan armors to get my first one right. It was very Goldilocks of "This is too big, this is too small, this is just right" with every part. If I had known then what I learned through the process I would have made a Mandalorian (least actual armor) then an ODST then Spartan and actually gotten 2-3 good wearable costumes instead of a lot of waste. I mean, if you're going to print 3 costumes either way, might well have 3 costumes- instead of 1 + a pile of wrong-sized prints, right? Least tight of tolerance first, and work towards tightest tolerance.
So like:

1. The Mandalorian
2. Aliens Colonial Marine
3. ODST
4. Spartan
5. Ironman

2 -

Helmet probably should be last, not first. Yeah yeah, everyone wants a helmet to drool over. But it's the thing everyone stares at so you want to do it AFTER you've developed a process, techniques and skills.
Personally I always recommend starting at the feet & hands then working up & in to the body.
• You're going to weather and distress the boots more than anything else... and they get looked at with the least critical eye.
• Then shins which have to ride on the boots.
• Then thighs since you have to avoid joint conflict so you can sit etc.
• See how this goes? Up from the boots, and inward from the hands to forearms to biceps to shoulders.
• By the time you get to the chest and helmet; the parts at eye level that everyone stares at, looks at first, is right there in your face in every photo - you can make them look stellar.
And if you start at the boots you're looking at parts that are only a day or two per part not 6 days per part. So you can hone your scaling skills.

3 -

Next build your skills. Don't use your helmet or real armor as test parts to learn on if you've never done this before, don't know sanding plastic printed parts etc. Maybe print 20 test XYZ cubes at like 60mm. Use those to learn good sanding, smoothing and painting techniques. If you can't make a flat cube look like metal then you know you aren't ready to tackle armor. Plus you have 6 sides per cube to test painting on and use as a visual record of "This is silver over gloss black" etc.

After the simple cubes move on to a "speed shape". These are commonly used to test paints on over various contours. This gives you a good model to practice sanding more complex shapes with curves and grooves on. Again, you're working up towards the complex shapes of helmets and armor. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4826498

 

[SigmaProps]

I am about to start my first build. I chose the Mk V(b) suit because I love Halo reach! I'm going to be using InstinctCreative3D's design.

View attachment 357384
What is the best way to scale the model to myself??

Armorsmith for sure! I do know Galactic Armory is in the process of making something similar, and you can use other programs similarly, but Armorsmith is the go-to.

Three bits of advice from my "New Armorer FAQ"

1. Since you've never made armor before you might want to start with something less exacting to reduced your re-print waste.
2. Start at the boots and work up, and the hands and work in. Helmet last when your skills are best.
3. If you're new to printing in general, don't start on armor: Start small and work up while you learn printing.

1 -


2 -


3 -

While this info is certainly helpful, it doesn't answer the immediate question. I know you've talked about Microsoft 3D Builder in the past, why not share that info? It could serve as a great jumping off point for Aden here!

 

[AdenS6]

Hey Aden! I am also doing a Mark V B as my first build. From my experience so far there are a couple ways you can go about it. There is Armorsmith, which is a $40 program that you input your dimensions into and it makes attaching and scaling armor fairly easy.

In an attempt to save money, I used a free app to take a 3d image of myself and upload it to blender, where I uploaded my armor pieces and scaled them to myself manually. I imagine Armorsmith would be easier, but it worked for me and all of my armor fits me very well.

I tried a few of the 3d scan apps on my phone, but they all were locked behind a paywall. I'll probably have to do more digging to find a free one

 

[Zevbutt]

I tried a few of the 3d scan apps on my phone, but they all were locked behind a paywall. I'll probably have to do more digging to find a free one

I found this video that talks about a free program that does 3d scanning from any photos. It looks promising!

 

[AdenS6]

I'm not sure if I should go for the solid boot model or the multi piece one

 

[tahu505]

I'm not sure if I should go for the solid boot model or the multi piece one
View attachment 357474

For boots you're going to want flexibility. If you're using a solid material, I recommend the multi piece with elastic straps

 

[CLSilent]

I'm not sure if I should go for the solid boot model or the multi piece one
View attachment 357474

The solid one might look more cohesive on print but you do sacrifice some mobility. I personally am using a multi piece boot with some straps. I also got some rubber soles on Amazon to adhere to the bottom so the boot piece itself doesnt make contact with the ground.

 

[KaeSpoon]

I'm not sure if I should go for the solid boot model or the multi piece one
View attachment 357474

It depends on what your plan is for the boots themselves. Do you plan on using platform shoes, or regular sneakers?

Platforms are often used to make you look taller and are less flexible than your average sneaker (think of wedges or heels), so a two-piece boot may not be necessary. However; if you are looking for more mobility and comfort with a shoe that can flex (sneakers or tennis shoes), a two-piece boot would be ideal.

Here is a work-in-progress of the one-piece boot my somewhat inflexible heeled shoe goes into.

 

[SgtSaint]

I'm not sure if I should go for the solid boot model or the multi piece one
View attachment 357474

You're probably not going to be wearing armor in socks which is what you effectively have for your avatar. I'd suggest you add in a model that matches the boots you're going to wear, then size the armor covers to the real boots.

 

[AdenS6]

Finally running smooth! Got the boot, calf, and thigh armor done.

 

[cyne]

Finally running smooth! Got the boot, calf, and thigh armor done.

Hell yeah man! Good stuff, glad to see you got your printer workin well.

I'd be interested in seeing a quick suit-up photo of your leg, just to judge proportions and how tight/loose it fits on you.

 

[AdenS6]

Hell yeah man! Good stuff, glad to see you got your printer workin well.

I'd be interested in seeing a quick suit-up photo of your leg, just to judge proportions and how tight/loose it fits on you.

Its kinda hard to see since i currently do not have a way to properly wear them. for example the calf piece is just resting on top of the boot.

 

[cyne]

Hey that honestly looks great to me, curious to see what the other, more experienced people have to say.

Good stuff!

 

[AdenS6]

Finally got a successful belt piece printed!! just got to fix that corner piece.

 

[AdenS6]

My next piece is the chest, I was just wondering what the best method for slicing it would be. are there any tutorials for that?

 

[devuljuice]

Love the steady progress, doing good!

View attachment 358784
My next piece is the chest, I was just wondering what the best method for slicing it would be. are there any tutorials for that?

For splitting up models you can use tools included with certain slicer programs, Orca slicer has a great slicer feature that creates dovetails to help with alignment. Otherwise, you can use Microsoft 3D Builder you can get for free inside Microsoft Store. It's pretty archaic but it'll do well enough for simple splits.