Tutorial: Pepakura building for dummies (or noobs)

[rvb4life]

thanks guys! can't believe this is still really useful years after i wrote it, hopefully I'll get back into the armor-building process and try to update the tutorial soon. anything specific you want explained?

 

[Kodiak 117]

Very helpfull and informative..good job.

 

[Support Marine]

Thanks for this, it will help alot. Before hand I was looking at the sheets and like... where do I even start?

 

[Tvoie]

I wish i had found this before i started. I didn't even know about the site, I just found the pep files and figured "why not?" Thanks for these tips!

 

[TheRabbit]

Yea, this OP is really a must read for anyone just starting out with pep.

rvb4life: I really can't think of anything related to pepping that your post doesn't cover! It's excellent even after all these years.

 

[Kodiak 117]

Very helpful and alot of great detail, so many questions answered !!!!

 

[Knightsaber2033]

Hi, My Brother HL-2170W laser printer died while printing up card stock, was working fine for a week to two until today. What is the best or second best printer that prints Card stock with no problem?

 

[tteape0]

Thank you for details and pictures. Can't wait to get started on my first attempt

 

[Phongftw]

when building a helmet, which area of the helmet is usually a good place to start peicing parts together? (top of head, sides, bottom, etc.)

 

[Carpathia]

when building a helmet, which area of the helmet is usually a good place to start peicing parts together? (top of head, sides, bottom, etc.)

The crown (top) of the helmet is the best place to start IMO.

 

[Phongftw]

The crown (top) of the helmet is the best place to start IMO.

Thanks! im sorry if there was a thread for this somewhere, its just really hard to search for things for me on the 405th :/

 

[DSJeffers]

This is awesome. I'm glad this got sticky'd. I'd be lost any other way for the most part. There is always a sense of hopelessness when starting a new hobby. I have one problem though. My printers wont print the lines and I have no other way to use something else to try. I was thinking if there was a way to make it so I can take the pepakura file to a place that can print it for me? As in to change it to a .PDF or something from a .PDO. I've clicked around on the program itself and haven't found a way yet. I've got everything I need so start up until I'm getting it ready for the resin. I can't afford that ATM but I will later.

TL;DR I need to print the files somehow and the printers I have access to aren't good enough. Is there a way to change the pepakura file to a .PDF?


**EDIT**

Ok I found a way to do it but for some reason it isn't showing the lines even when I do manage to print it on paper AND when it's in .PDF. Ugh...


**EDIT AGAIN**

Alright I figured it out lol... I just had to increase the size of the lines and it's printing as I speak.

 

[GingerSquad]

So i'm very new to this whole armor and pepakura stuff, so first off i would like to thank you for this tutorial. Just one question, is there a certain paper i should use?

Thanks again

 

[Katsu]

Hi Ginger, not to horn in too much, but this is mostly just a "resource" thread and not really a Q/A thread. It's fine! There's no harm, but you won't get as good of a response versus if you posted in the "HELP!!! For Pepakura" thread in the Noob subforum, there is a lot more visibility there. That is probably why no one has responded in almost three days.

I will answer though here for now! There IS a certain paper to use. The "best choice" is 110lbs cardstock, as it has really good strength without being so thick you can't work with it. If you want something thinner, you cannot go any thinner than 60lbs. (the lbs for paper is a weight measurement but real-world it basically means "how thick is the paper") the thicker the cardstock, the stronger it will be and less likely to collapse. You can NOT use regular paper for a helmet you intend to finish. Paper is good for prototyping to make sure the size is right but it will not hold its shape at all.

Here is a link to cardstock on amazon, it's only 1.50 for a half ream! (Plus shipping)
http://www.amazon.com/Wausau-Bright...=1373948523&sr=8-1&keywords=110+lbs+cardstock

 

[Lady Seraphim]

Thanks for the tutorial! Gotta be honest, I printed out the Mark VI left shoulder and stared at it for like 5 minutes trying to figure out how I was supposed to cut it. This is very helpful.

 

[pointlessape]

Hello, total noob here and I'm having trouble printing the papers. I have all the files I need already "Unfolded" (I thinks that is what its called) but the most important one isn't unfolded. How do I unfold it or make it so I can print the pieces. This is the file http://www.4shared.com/file/Y0fmSQ4K/FAllout_Roadwarriors_T45d_PEFI.html with all the other, the one I don't know how to work with is the helmet.

 

[Katsu]

Generally, to get a good reply, as I mentioned above.. You should be posting this in the "Help!! For pepakura" thread in the noob forum. There is not a lot of exposure on this thread, so you may never get a reply!

But I found the post and I am replying!
If you want to unfold, it's a bit of a time consumer but it is doable. The program "Pepakura Designer" has an unfolding system. Generally you import the model, click Unfold, and it does a really cruddy unfold job. Then you take the zipper tool and break apart the model into manageable pieces! If you have further questions, definitely ask on the Help thread I mentioned above, there are more people who check that one than this so you will get a fast response from many people.

 

[pointlessape]

Generally, to get a good reply, as I mentioned above.. You should be posting this in the "Help!! For pepakura" thread in the noob forum. There is not a lot of exposure on this thread, so you may never get a reply!

But I found the post and I am replying!
If you want to unfold, it's a bit of a time consumer but it is doable. The program "Pepakura Designer" has an unfolding system. Generally you import the model, click Unfold, and it does a really cruddy unfold job. Then you take the zipper tool and break apart the model into manageable pieces! If you have further questions, definitely ask on the Help thread I mentioned above, there are more people who check that one than this so you will get a fast response from many people.

thanks for the reply, it pains me to say but I have zero experience with the software, how would I go about unfolding the sections since the file is so complex.

 

[Katsu]

Again, please post future questions in the Help! For Pepakura thread, so they will be in the right section.

Once you hit the unfold button, you need to click the button that looks like a zipper. This allows you to join/break apart edges of the model. You don't want to cut it into pieces that are too small, but they need to fit on the page and not overlap each other. Play around with it and you will start to get a feel for it. Remember that if you want o save your work, you need to buy the 40$ full version of Designer. It's worth it if you are going to be messing around with pep files.

 

[Nov A259]

Hi, I have a problem with pepakura viewer: There are some parts of the model out of the pages...i don't know how to print it...