How big is my head?

[dung0beetle]

I'm not sure where to put this, so I just dropped it into the General section.

Several people ask daily about scaling. I personally hate this part of the pep process. I am horrible at maths and I usually just wait until someone does it for me. I needed something that could help me do the job without much effort. The most common scaling difficulties come with helmets I think, so I made calipers specifically to measure my head. I just cut the flaps off of a pizza box, cut 2 guides into it, and attached everything with glue and a couple of leatherworking rivets. (you can use brads, I just have tons of rivets, so that's what I used) I marked the rule lines in centimeters to make it easier to work with in pepakura.

Cheap, and easy to make. Now go out there and tell everyone how big your melon is!:cool

 

[Ral Partha]

I'm not sure where to put this, so I just dropped it into the General section.

I think this should go in the Creation Discussion forum since it has more to do with costume making.

Several people ask daily about scaling. I personally hate this part of the pep process. I am horrible at maths and I usually just wait until someone does it for me. I needed something that could help me do the job without much effort. The most common scaling difficulties come with helmets I think, so I made calipers specifically to measure my head. I just cut the flaps off of a pizza box, cut 2 guides into it, and attached everything with glue and a couple of leatherworking rivets. (you can use brads, I just have tons of rivets, so that's what I used) I marked the rule lines in centimeters to make it easier to work with in pepakura.

This is a cool project and worth making. Much more accurate than the one I'm using right now where I stand in front of a mirror and hold a ruler across my face.

Now the critique. Based on the last picture, you were measuring the width of the helmet. If you measure your head width, you need to add a couple of centimeters to account for the fact that your head will always be narrower/smaller than the helmet itself. The exact number of centimeters to add will of course depend on the helmet you intend to build. That degree of uncertainty is what makes scaling problematic.

Personally, I edit the model to add a reference strip and I scale the armor pieces in such a way that the length of this reference strip is equal to, say, my head width. From there, I can can come up with a scaling formula for that specific piece. So far, I've been successful in my builds.

 

[SPRTNBD50]

Hey thanks man... agreeing with Ral!! Anyways*runs to look for stuff to make this*!!!

 

[009 SPA]

I don't know why people make such a big fuss over how big their armour should be. The maths is really easy, and people who don't understand it should be at school in compulsory education, not making armour. I know people pull the old 'not everybody is shaped like Masterchief' argument, and this is true for making costumes for kids, but all Spartan and ODST suits have been designed by Bungie to fit a normal, physically fit adult human. And yes, there is supposed to be space for padding inside helmets, otherwise it would be useless as protection, but this applies to all other parts of the body too. People shouldn't expect their torsos to completely fill a Spartan chest piece (unless they're really fat), and shouldn't be surprised when it doesn't.

The other thing, more relevantly, is helmets. A correctly scaled helmet won't give you much room inside. This is because a Spartan who is 7ft tall has a head no bigger than a person 6ft tall, but has a bigger helmet, and therefore more room for stuff. I for one make my helmets the correct size, so I don't look out of proportion. You're not going to die with a plastic helmet on your head.

My apologies for the rant, perhaps I can make this post useful with a picture:

 

[dung0beetle]

@009-SPA:
If everyone has the same size head, why do hats come in different sizes? I guess I just don't have a proper education to understand these things.

I have learning disabilities, but they are not a measure of my intelligence. I realize that your reply may not have meant to be an attack, but it comes across that way. I am just trying to help those that need it.

@Ral Partha:
I showed it measuring the helmet because my head was busy trying to take pics I often add a reference strip to models too.

 

[ventrue]

@009-SPA:
If everyone has the same size head, why do hats come in different sizes?

Same reason why we have differen clothing sizes: The industry is conspiring against us. I mean, who really needs a XXXXXL shirt? They make these because they want us to try them on at the store, to make absolutely sure it really is the wrong size. And if we spend more time there, we also have more time to see and consequently buy other products. Ever wonder why you bought these light blue boxershorts with all the little seashells, sailing boats and mermaids on it? That's exactly why

Now, on a more serious note, I don't think his post was supposed to be an attack and especially not against you. In fact, I think it's a rather humorous move to "visualise" the issue with a picture that shows only formulas and text ;-)
I think the only ones he was attacking are those who don't even bother to think about it and instead go to the forum right away to ask others to "scalz this fur me plz!!! NOW!!!!"