Creating Paper Models

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spaceship.jpgEmu describes a technique for creating paper models using Blender. The nice thing about his approach is that all the tools you need are already available in 2.44.

He writes:

Blender 2.44 comes with a script called Unfold. It can easily turn mesh into a flat net, without deforming any faces. What is it good for?

If you use some more tricks around and are not afraid of mat-knife, you can have all your blends staying in front of you on the table. All you need is a printer, a good glue, two hands and blender (blender is almighty!).

So far, he has created three models: Suzanne, Alltaken’s post apocalyptic tank, and a space ship:

suzanne.jpg tank.jpg spaceship.jpg

Very nice. Anyone interested in creating a paper Blender logo for on my desk?

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    • http://www.cuby.co.nr Cuby

      Fantastic! This looks awesome! I look foward to trying it out on something! Thanks very much for the tutorial Emu.

    • me yoda

      hui, this is really a cool thing

    • http://www.sciboy.com sciboy

      Pfft, this guy has you beat.

      http://www.bertsimons.nl/album/projects/paperworks/clone/index.html
      http://www.bertsimons.nl/album/projects/paperworks/harry/index.html

      “I hit the orange with Blender, a great open source 3d program. I used it to flatten out the skin into printable pieces of paper.”

    • emu

      Sciboy:: Wow, that’s so cool. I cannot imagine sticking such a big and complex model.
      Yeah, it looks that I’m beaten. But he didn’t make any tutorial >:)

    • http://www.marketiers.org/ shul

      emu, first, this is a blender, second, this is a very nice way of using baking, thanks man!

    • davidh7426

      Cooool… The only thing that seems to be missing are the papercuts… :)

    • Lasphere
    • http://silmq.blogspot.com/ Silvana

      But the Make’s paper turkey was planified with Pepakura.

      Wow, I didn’t know Blender can planify a 3D model too! I’ll make my own paper Suzanne to try this feature… :D

    • endi

      Can we print a sculpted model to papermodel? Maybe we can bake the hipoly mesh to the lowpoly? This will be very interesting!

    • Markus

      I couple of years ago I was looking forward to make a stuffed teddy bear for my son. I thought I maybe able to design the teddy in blender and than print out the pieces (copy it to fabric) ans sew everything together… at this time blender didn’t came with this script and I was not aware of any other planifing tools. Anyway I will see if this process also works with fabric…

      Markus

    • http://blendimation,ning.com Rolandixor

      Haha! Blender is not almighty. God is. Good stuff, though. If I had the time I’d try it!

    • http://www.rgbk.org Bmud

      @Lasphere: I was about to make the same comment, but on closer inspection (as I’m sure you’ve also found out) this is a little less about paper models and a little more about that AWESOME BAKING TECHNIQUE!!!! I really must try that out on something very soon! :D

    • Tynach

      I did this once for a math assignment. Except I used Blender internal UV unwrapping.

      Very nice, though! I’m going to make me a Dalek.

    • http://www.dev.com.br/dimy/ Francisco Ortiz

      Awesome! Thank you for your time at this tut Emu, your models are really cool, and this tecnic is very usefull.

      :)

    • http://www.quilibrium.nl Luc

      does it unwrap to uv too?

    • http://advanced-lemon.blogspot.com/ epat

      That baking technique could be useful – and is giving me ideas for a script/feature… now, if only it were possible to devise some logic to seperate the mesh and get the bake *just* right. . . just an idea if somebody hasn’t already thought of it though as I might never get the time (probably not until next year at least) and I need to finish my other projects before I embark on some wacky blender coding :/

      @Rolandixor:
      lol

      ~epat. :P

    • Lasphere

      Bmud and Silvnana:

      Yearh I figured :)

    • MAU!

      THANKS BART! awesome model, do you have the full quality jpg of the ship texture?
      THANKS
      MAU

      you can send me a mail with this

    • http://none lex

      Is there any way to make cross sections (slices) of the model.so it can be printed . put on other material cut and to make a solid 3d object?