Creating a Foam unfold of Reach's Mk V helmet + First Build!

[copperhead5858]

This is my first post!
With the funds my family has unwittingly given me this holiday, I am VERY close to pulling the trigger on ordering everything I think I'll need to build my first cosplay. A Mk V with the Mk V helmet previously mentioned.

Before I sold the dold with that though, I checked the pep files once again to make sure I had everything I needed to start... I did not. The zip from the armory doesn't have the foam unfold for the Mk V, at least not where I would expect it, and I am not going to bend the knee to Pepkura's will. Not that I think I could, I don't think the paper unfold for that model is very good, and that is coming from the guy that has never done this before. What the zip DOES have is the original model of the helmet from Reach as a .blend, and its textures! $o$

Where has that led me tonight? Well, all I have really done today, compared to what I regularly do during breaks (rotate between playing Fortnite, Splitgate 2, MCC, and some fourth "game of the month"), is have Blender open for 3 hours and accomplish a few small steps, as I invent my own workflow into something that may not pan out at all--as well as have very little to actually save because it's Pepkura Designer.

First, I chopped up the helmet and realised I didn't like how it looked.

Then I color-coded it, removed the edge faces so they leave me alone in Pep [POSSIBLE FORESHADOWING].

Then chopped it up again, in order to have less to deal with in Pep, because I haven't been using the mirror modifier...
Finally, I made most triangles into quads because it gives Pep fewer ghosts to fight.

Some time in I also removed the cheek lights, they will come back though... they will come back.

This is where I'm standing now. Some of it is pretty messy, I think-but I made it so I understand it.
I haven't scaled this yet, but I've read HaloGoddess' tut abt scaling, idk if it's still to standard. I couldn't find my ruler tonight, so I used my phone's measuring app in a mirror to measure from my face, from my chin to my hairline, which has a respectable forehead between it, and then that still didn't feel right, so I added another inch to close the gap with the very top of my head. That totals to 9 1/2", which I am also iffy about. Google's search AI tells me a male's head height is 7-8 inches, which then makes my head a little big, but Google could be lying ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
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It's 4:17 am now, I am writing at the end of an impromptu Fortnite sesh, I'll measure my head again when I wake up. Tomorrow, I might post about what style of foam to buy. Goodnight spartans and other halo people!

 

[copperhead5858]

Hi all, I ordered the supplies a few days ago, and they'll be here by next week! I'm excited, so I think I'll start scaling the other foam templates and printing them out.
I'm buying 12 1/2" foam mats from We Sell Mats, as I saw them recommended on the foam buying guide. I didn't want to use the foam rolls because money ;p. I will say it feels like 12 mats would leave some extra... but idk! and if it's not enough foam, ODSTs, I think, might be cooler anyway. I just have a thing for the Mk V helmet

 

[OpticChief]

This is my first post!
With the funds my family has unwittingly given me this holiday, I am VERY close to pulling the trigger on ordering everything I think I'll need to build my first cosplay. A Mk V with the Mk V helmet previously mentioned.

Before I sold the dold with that though, I checked the pep files once again to make sure I had everything I needed to start... I did not. The zip from the armory doesn't have the foam unfold for the Mk V, at least not where I would expect it, and I am not going to bend the knee to Pepkura's will. Not that I think I could, I don't think the paper unfold for that model is very good, and that is coming from the guy that has never done this before. What the zip DOES have is the original model of the helmet from Reach as a .blend, and its textures! $o$

Where has that led me tonight? Well, all I have really done today, compared to what I regularly do during breaks (rotate between playing Fortnite, Splitgate 2, MCC, and some fourth "game of the month"), is have Blender open for 3 hours and accomplish a few small steps, as I invent my own workflow into something that may not pan out at all--as well as have very little to actually save because it's Pepkura Designer.

First, I chopped up the helmet and realised I didn't like how it looked.
View attachment 371395

Then I color-coded it, removed the edge faces so they leave me alone in Pep [POSSIBLE FORESHADOWING].
View attachment 371397
Then chopped it up again, in order to have less to deal with in Pep, because I haven't been using the mirror modifier...
Finally, I made most triangles into quads because it gives Pep fewer ghosts to fight.
View attachment 371398
Some time in I also removed the cheek lights, they will come back though... they will come back.
View attachment 371399
This is where I'm standing now. Some of it is pretty messy, I think-but I made it so I understand it.
I haven't scaled this yet, but I've read HaloGoddess' tut abt scaling, idk if it's still to standard. I couldn't find my ruler tonight, so I used my phone's measuring app in a mirror to measure from my face, from my chin to my hairline, which has a respectable forehead between it, and then that still didn't feel right, so I added another inch to close the gap with the very top of my head. That totals to 9 1/2", which I am also iffy about. Google's search AI tells me a male's head height is 7-8 inches, which then makes my head a little big, but Google could be lying ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
-------------
It's 4:17 am now, I am writing at the end of an impromptu Fortnite sesh, I'll measure my head again when I wake up. Tomorrow, I might post about what style of foam to buy. Goodnight spartans and other halo people!

Hey, welcome in, and honestly, good on you for actually digging into the model and experimenting instead of just forcing Pepakura to behave. A lot of people never make it past that step.


I do want to say up front: sectioning the helmet and using other tools to help you understand the geometry is smart, especially for foam. Thinking in build sections instead of “one perfect unfold” is how a lot of cleaner foam helmets end up getting made. That part of your process makes sense.


A couple things I’d tweak or add to help you long-term:


Measurements:
If you don’t already have one, grab a tailor’s measuring tape (the soft fabric kind). They’re cheap and way more reliable than phone apps or eyeballing in a mirror. Focus less on head height alone and more on:

• ear to ear width
• face depth (nose to back of head)
• overall clearance

Those numbers tend to translate better once the helmet is actually on your head.


Details & cleanup:
Don’t feel like every detail needs to exist perfectly in the foam template. A lot of the sharpness people see in finished helmets comes from:

• sanding edges
• trimming after glue-up
• bevel cleanup and light shaping

Foam builds almost always look rough mid-assembly, that’s normal.


On how it “looks”:
Something worth keeping in mind is the 5-foot rule. Armor is meant to be viewed at normal conversation distance, not from 6 inches away. Tiny imperfections that feel huge on your workbench disappear once the helmet is on, painted, and weathered.


Process advice:
Before committing to the full helmet, I’d recommend building one representative section (jaw or cheek area). That single piece will tell you:

• if your scale feels right
• if your sectioning strategy works in foam
• and where you might want to simplify or adjust

You’re clearly thinking through the problem, which is a good sign, just don’t feel like everything has to be solved digitally before you touch foam. Some of the best corrections only show up once you start cutting and gluing.


Keep the updates coming. You’re on the right path, and refining the process now will make the rest of the build go a lot smoother.

 

[copperhead5858]

Hey, welcome in, and honestly, good on you for actually digging into the model and experimenting instead of just forcing Pepakura to behave. A lot of people never make it past that step.


I do want to say up front: sectioning the helmet and using other tools to help you understand the geometry is smart, especially for foam. Thinking in build sections instead of “one perfect unfold” is how a lot of cleaner foam helmets end up getting made. That part of your process makes sense.


A couple things I’d tweak or add to help you long-term:


Measurements:
If you don’t already have one, grab a tailor’s measuring tape (the soft fabric kind). They’re cheap and way more reliable than phone apps or eyeballing in a mirror. Focus less on head height alone and more on:

• ear to ear width
• face depth (nose to back of head)
• overall clearance

Those numbers tend to translate better once the helmet is actually on your head.


Details & cleanup:
Don’t feel like every detail needs to exist perfectly in the foam template. A lot of the sharpness people see in finished helmets comes from:

• sanding edges
• trimming after glue-up
• bevel cleanup and light shaping

Foam builds almost always look rough mid-assembly, that’s normal.


On how it “looks”:
Something worth keeping in mind is the 5-foot rule. Armor is meant to be viewed at normal conversation distance, not from 6 inches away. Tiny imperfections that feel huge on your workbench disappear once the helmet is on, painted, and weathered.


Process advice:
Before committing to the full helmet, I’d recommend building one representative section (jaw or cheek area). That single piece will tell you:

• if your scale feels right
• if your sectioning strategy works in foam
• and where you might want to simplify or adjust

You’re clearly thinking through the problem, which is a good sign, just don’t feel like everything has to be solved digitally before you touch foam. Some of the best corrections only show up once you start cutting and gluing.


Keep the updates coming. You’re on the right path, and refining the process now will make the rest of the build go a lot smoother.

Thanks for the support! The digital part is the most seasoned area I'm in with the foam process, so mainly that ride was just getting used to what I could do with Pepakura Designer and what I could sneak in with Blender (not much)

Most of the supplies I ordered came in on Thursday-foam didn't tho lol-including a nice set of rulers and a tailor's measuring tape so I will be rescaling the helmet and some other pieces. Making sure my head will actually fit on the way in makes more sense; I was just going off the old texts.

Good advice, geometry & cutting it pretty is important, but compared to how I can finish it to give the affect its another material-it's broad strokes. I did get a rotary tool, which should help with clean-up!

I was thinking about using the cardboard from the boxes I've accumulated to make a test-fit piece. I think it will only be a representation of the inside faces of foam, though, since the thickness is different than the mats. It won't look right, but it should show that my scale's correct*.

* = fact check that

From experience with other projects, you certainly are right about things getting clearer once the parts are actually in front of you. Thanks so much for the encouragement

Hopefully, the next update I make will come with some foam!

 

[copperhead5858]

mats came

 

[copperhead5858]

Howdee everyone! Been a month and i do have a little news and some new experience .

Foam​

I've been chopping up a mat once a week and came out with enough pieces to feel accomplished. The thigh, which i'm working on, probably requires some of the most footage of mat-especially counting both legs-besides the chest piece, so I think im gonna go through 3 mats just for them. And I do still have to cut out the inner rubber-looking layers of the thigh. My first few cuts look a little nasty, but by the end I think I improved alright.

I couldn't be bothered not to cut on a bias, so I'm trying to maintain an outer bevel so I just have to flatten the edges-subtractive process & stuff. I think the rotary tool's for this right?

Scaling!​

I accepted I couldn't trust myself, so I got something else to trust me to trust myself. Makes sense yeah?
Does this mean I bought Armorsmith? No. I searched and I searched-I dont remember how much I searched-but I found a little reddit post through a comment addressing MakeHuman, as a Mac alternative to Armorsmith. As well as that though, it is a free for everyone alternative.

(comment not pictured; do note: it has a new, https website)
After installing, i was afraid I either shot my computer full of viruses, or was missing a library it wouldn't warn me about, instead, the .exe was just tucked away in my program files even though I thought it would let me keep it all on my desktop, bummed me out a bit, but I found it by searching 'makehuman' on my start menu.
This has now become my mini MakeHuman Tips & Trix because I find it pretty nifty;
1. Set your Gender, and Age sliders to as closest to you as you can, and maybe the ethnicities, it does effect limb lengths but there are other sliders for that!! Then set your height-maybe your weight too, if you don't want your armor to be too snug on accident.
2. As you add up all your measurements in the measure tab, during the process, your height will probably be off, it should add up to your height once again after it has all YOUR measurements.
3. Your feet and hands don't have measurement inputs but you could eyeball it on the grid, which you can control a bit more on the top right.

4. It does NOT MATTER what units you set your export to in BLENDER, your digital you... will be a giant digital you... a 40x-your-size digital you even, so just scale it to 0.025.

I used blender to scale armor pieces to my MadeHumanTM. I got my armor pieces from the ingame model files bundled with the pepakura zips and scaled them either through object or edit mode depending on how I felt. Then I found a "reliable" edge present on both blender and pepakura files to compare measurements between and based my entire scaling on that and Google's calculator. (Certainly my best work). I found the scale between blender/pepakura and multiplied that by the whole model scale in pepakura.
I call him... John

(no I did not scale both sides of the body that's justaa mirror modifier to look nice)

Fast forward 3 1/2 weeks and i'm questioning my methodology again. lol

The Future​

I will keep chipping away at this when I get really bored at the end of the weekend; not that i've lost my way, Cyberstan and homework are just more important to me right now. In reality, hopefully I can get a lot more done on this during spring break. Next planned post? Maybe me with a wearable piece of armor? Sounds like a plan, ciao 405th!

 

[nml3sscosplay]

Ooooh first build, huh? Good luck, I hope this turns out really well for you!