Creating a Foam unfold of Reach's Mk V helmet

[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.