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Skelekitty
I'll be the first to confess that I really have no idea on how to make papercraft templates!

But, I've attempted my first Google SketchUp model (out of desperation) and I was wondering if there was someone out there who might be able to lend a hand - for the greater good!

It's the Earth Element Stone (the easiest) and it needs further rendering (cracks and veins). Then, of course, it'll have to be converted into a unfolded model.

I'm quite new to this, and I'd appreciate any assistance. Anyone? Please :)
>> Anonymous
the grooves go all the way around...
>> Skelekitty
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>>128075
Nah-ah! According to all of the movie props/memorabilia stores, they don't - I was surprised too O.O
>> Anonymous
1)Are you experienced with papercraft parts? Do you know what a buildable part looks like, and what unbuildable parts look like?

If you can answer "yes" to all of these, proceed. If not, you might want a bit more of experience.

2)Can you look at a 3D model, and, just by sight, unfold it with your mind? Not the whole model at once, but can you "see" parts of the model, even when the model hasn't been unfolded?

If you answered "no" to this, which you most likely did, you are a pepakura beginner.

So basically with Pepakura you're going to want to know a few things first. One is that the more polygons you have (faces), the more complicated your model is going to be, and increases the risk of the model being unbuildable. Google Sketchup is a fantastic 3D program for creating fantastic-looking 3D models. This usually comes at a price. High polygon count. It's still possible to make sketchup models into papercraft, but keep in mind that you'll be making this thing out of paper. Nothing too complex.

Second thing you're going to want to know about are open edges. These are edges of a model that don't have anything to connect to. Imagine, if you will, a hollow cylinder. The two "circle" edges at each end would be red lines in Pepakura. They have nothing to connect to, so Pepakura places red lines over those edges to tell you that there are no points to connect. This is a common hurdle with many models, though there are several ways to work around it.

Please be patient while I type up some more information. :)
>> Anonymous
Now let's get to the nitty-gritty. Unfolding your model.

First thing you want to do before your finger just CLICKS AWAY at that "Unfold" button in Pepakura, is uncheck the "auto" box. This will let you change the size, scale, and part space layout beforehand, so you won't have any trouble later on. If you're starting out, just change the height, you don't need to worry about the others. Or you can leave the height at 10cm. Whatever floats your boat.

WOAH! Pepakura just unfolded your model into an unbuildable mass. How can you recognize if something is unbuildable? First, look at the number of faces. After unfolding, Pepakura automatically tells you the amount of faces on the model and whether or not it will take a long time to assemble. I'm a slow "papercrafter", and a model that I myself made, that had 1700 faces, took me a week to build.

Second, check for red lines. If they're abundant, you can probably just say sayonara, but if there are few to none, rejoice! You've now done the observing part of making your model into a very nice form.

Please wait while I type up more information. :)
>> Anonymous
Here's where the time-consuming part takes place. There are a few things you'll want to know. When you right-click anywhere on the right-hand side of Pepakura, you'll get a list of options

*Select and Move*
*Rotate Part*
*Join/Disjoin Face*
*Edit Flaps*
Input Text
*Check Corresponding Face*
Color Edge

I've put asterisks around the ones you'll be using the most. What to do, what to do? First, let's figure out what these options do.

Select and Move - Easy stuff, just select which part or parts you want to move and then move them!

Rotate Part - Used for making the template sheets stylish and for creating more space. You don't want a part to drag over 2 pages. Everything must fit in one page. But sometimes it doesn't at a certain angle. I actually had trouble with this option, as I could only make it do 90 degree angle rotates. Turns out you have to click once on the corner you want to turn, then click OUTSIDE of that corner and hold. THEN you can turn it whichever way you want. If that's hard to understand, try it out for yourself, it'll all make sense.

Edit Flaps - With this, you can add flaps to edges that don't have any (such as ones with red lines), create new flaps, or change the size or position of flaps.

Input Text - You can, as it says, input text where you want. Useful for labeling parts and giving tips

Check Corresponding Face - "Where is that part? What part is this?" Check Corresponding Face answers both of those questions. If you can't find a part on your templates, click the face on the model and the face will turn red, thus letting you easily pinpoint the location of the part it's on. Likewise, you can click on a face on a part you can't find on the model. This is great as it offers a set of instructions without having to write up any.

Color Edge - Lets you color an edge of a part. For whatever reason you might want to.

Please wait while I type up more information. :)
>> Anonymous
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This is something you want to avoid.

"LOL WOW I CAN PAPERCRAFT NOW HAY GUYS LOOK AT THIS MODEL I'M MAKING IT'S IFRIT THIS WILL BE SO EZ EXPECT THE MODEL SOON LOL"

1)NEVER go in over your head
2)NEVER promise a model
3)If possible, NEVER show a model you're making. This creates the sensation that papercrafting is a chore, a job, a burden. You've already shown yours, and that's ok, but the hype of "DO WANT" "WHERE IS IT DAMMIT" and all of that causes you to make even more promises you can't keep.

Image to the left shows what I'm talking about. I am not making Ifrit, either.
>> Anonymous
Oh. Please wait while I type up more information. :)
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
For demonstration purposes I will be using this Ifrit model.

Here's one thing you want to avoid while making papercraft. Huge parts with several sections of the model. Image to the left shows the bad.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
Here's what a section of it can look like when you make it more user-friendly. Other sections were moved to their appropriate spots.

Please wait while I type up more information. :)
>> Anonymous
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Here's another thing to look out for when making a model.

Glue tabs that go through each other. As you can see, where the 90 degree angle is formed, so are two tabs that go right over each other. This can be fixed by disjoining those two faces, or by placing one of the tabs on the opposite part.
>> Anonymous
Basically, making a model is unfolding, and then joining and disjoining the faces. That's it in a nutshell.

So you're going to have to spend 30 minutes to twelve hours depending on how complex your model is doing just that. Join, disjoin, join, disjoin, until you make the model EXACTLY the way you want it. Papercrafting is something you want to do for fun, so don't make it a chore on yourself.

I've been sitting here thinking a few minutes of more tips and tricks to write up, but that's all I can think of. Make the parts buildable, make them easy, and make them smart. That's all there is to it. You learn and get experience over time, and the best way to do it is to experiment.

So, get out there and experiment. I hope I've been useful to you, and maybe some others can provide some useful tips for you, as well. :)
>> Anonymous
Oh, and here's the Ifrit model, since I'm feeling kind today.

http://rapidshare.com/files/97413151/ifrit.rar.html
>> Skelekitty
>>128089
WOAH! That's amazing!! Thank you for all of that information ... but honestly, I think this model I started off would be better of in your capable hands - can I email it to you?
>> Anonymous
you guys talk like you know something about designing papercrafts, it doesnt matter how complex your 3d model is, when you know the secret to flattening it, then those high poly counts dont matter. if you dont know what im talking about, check out trader sams work or even chokipetas blog. then dont even use pepakura for that shit
>> Anonymous
thank you for all this protips.
>>128172
I'm sure chokipeta and other professional designers don't use pepakura, but I don't know where to begin... Can you start me in the right direction if you know it?
>> Anonymous
>>128172
You're actually right about that. But that usually only works when something has just mountain folds. If it alternates between mountain and valley, you're forced to fold.
>> Anonymous
>>128081
I lol'd.
>> Anonymous
>>128103
Don't be so humble. You can do it! If you can't, just come back to it later after making some easier models. You get the greatest enjoyment when you make it yourself.
>> Anonymous
>>128172
If you have ever designed anything with 1000+ faces you would spend the whole time wishing you didn't start the project. If you feel you can take it on or you have had a lot of experience don't let my thoughts hinder you.
>> Cotton Eyed Joe
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