Some Pep questions...

[mousemuffins]

Okay, got me a full version of Pepakura. Now, the basic question is: can I choose which edges will remain together when I unfold? I'm sure you must be able to do this, but i've messed around abit importing files from sketchup, and it would seem that unless it's the most obvious and simple of pieces, it will just unfold all over the place. For example , a piece that I think SHOULD unfold into one piece, will come out in five or six, bisected in stange and unusual places.

More mucking about.......

Right. How do I tell it NOT to divide at a certain place?

[PaperMakeiT]

If the imported solid is "congruent" you can select the edges where Pep cut it (Find the icon with a cutter on it). After unfolding you can change the cut faces clicking on the icon with a zipper on it.

But if your imported solid contains adjacent faces with some incongruity (double vertices or double edges or opposite normals) you see red lines and they cannot be managed anymore. So, go back to 3d modeller, modify the solid, export to obj (or whatever), import to Pep.

[mousemuffins]

Arggg.. SO many red lines..... :P


Thanks for your help, it's much appreciated. Gone back into Sketchup, erased all the "red" lines and redrew them, but the still come up dodgy. Must be something I'm doing wrong.

Oh. another thing, how do I ensure that Pep uses the original scale of my drawing? Example: I draw something in sketchup that is 50mm x 50mm x 50mm, how do i make sure the printed design will be in the correct scale? Pep seems to have it's own ideas as to how big my models should be.

[JT Fox]

When you unfold it will give the assembled size at the lower left hand corner.

If the size is wrong unfold manually or use the rescale option from the drop down menu.

Cheers JTF

[mousemuffins]

Woot. fixed the scaling problem. The red lines that wont unfold are a different story. Going back into sketchup and redrawing them fixes some of them, but others are are annoyingly stubborn. Pep also adds it's own NEW lines where I've never put any. It's getting to the point where I have to simplify my drawing so much that there's nothing left to unfold. :'(

Any thoughts on red line removal?

[Barry]

To find the scale draw a box around your model if it is an aircraft around the fuselage and when you unfold in Pepakura print out the result and measure the box. Thank Maurice for that one not me.

[PaperMakeiT]

I am afraid to say that red lines are edges with no faces joint. Pep doesn't add them, even if not always chosen seamed lines are respected when importing the solid.

Send me the solid, if you like, and I see where the inconsistencies are.

[mousemuffins]

here's a picture of the solid. I know how I want it to unfold, but it dosn't want to.

http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/Mousemuffins1/FNP90/Sightframe1.jpg

Notice when imported into Pep, it creates a line accross the back of the part that does not exist on the original drawing. in addition, erasing and redrawing any or all of the red lines and re-importing the image does not seem to shift them.

http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/Mousemuffins1/FNP90/Sightframe1pep.jpg

I'm a little lost. Where would you like me to send the file?

[PaperMakeiT]

[email protected]

Export it in obj or 3ds, please. ;)

[mousemuffins]

File sent! Thankyou.

[Barry]

Pepa converts every rectangle to a triangle and takes account of the adjacent sides

[PaperMakeiT]

It was a doubled vertices and wrong normal orientation issue. I sent to Craig a new corrected solid. Let's see what it happens now. :)

[mousemuffins]

Ah well. a Much cleaner and easier to unfold item, but it STILL creates the unwanted separation line.

Pep didn't want to open the 3DS file either, kept telling me I had an error. Converted it to a Kmz in sketchup. maybe thats creating problems?

...and i thought this would be nice and sensible. :-\

How do I NOT create doubled verticies and wrong normal orientations? And what are they anyway?

..I'm a sad Noob.

[PaperMakeiT]

For example, if you put a face with 4 vertices near to another faces with 4 vertices and an edge of one face overlaps an edge of the other face, given that the two edges are equal in length, then you have a new figure with two faces but it is not seen as a new solid. You obtain in this way only two doubled vertices and one doubled edge.

Exporting this solid to Pep gets a red line just where the doubled edge is.

To remove the red line you have to remove the doubled edge, that is equal to remove the doubled vertices (vertices with the same coordinates).

Faces with wrong normal orientation, even if adjacent, creates cut lines and so again Pep sees them as red lines.

In your solid I need to check now if there are faces with an almost "zero area": where vertices are so near that you cannot see them and the "remove doubles" feature still doesn't act.

Last, wrong solids are created after many hours of manipulation, during the inspiration stage. After finding the final solid, it should be better restart from a fresh new mesh adding only the needed modification. This time the solid will be cool!

[PaperMakeiT]

Craig,

I think to have found the problem with your solid: the red line is there because in your solid that line is not built as part of the solid. Every line must touch only two vertices. Your line goes through a third vertex creating a "cut" just there.

A new correct release of the solid was sent to your email. Let me know your progress.

Cla

[PaperMakeiT]

Hi again, I sent a new file in obj format and pdo format (Pep). The solid has still many isolated edges that need to be joint when importing in Pep.

Cla

[mousemuffins]

Huzzah! that's what I wanted in the first place. now why couldn't I do that? Thanks heaps for your help, but I'm still a bit lost as to how to avoid all these problems. Is there a good tutorial on the subject?

[PaperMakeiT]

I don't use Sketchup but probably you can google for many tutorials out there.
It could be also the way solids are exported in 3ds or obj.