Exdeath's Helmet

Exdeath's Helmet
http://www.mediafire.com/?zt2izzfdjne
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DIXKHL34

Sorry about the ridiculous amount of time this took to get done. It actually only took about 4 hours to build, going pretty casually, then a bit longer to make the instructions and release pack.

There's no point in lying about it, I just haven't been feeling it lately. I rushed to get some models ready for the convention in November, then I had to wrestle with the last four finals I'd ever have to take for my B.A. in Philosophy, then I raced through Jack Sparrow in about a week anda half for Christmas. After all that, I just wasn't in the mood to get back to anything. I took some time off, actually played some video games (anyone who's been reading for a while will notice a cyclical pattern between my gaming and my papercrafting).

Now I'm in my last semester of college, and I feel it's fairly important to take it seriously. I'm also going to be needing to find a real job soon, so as I don't have to move back to Houston once I'm done with my work here in Denton. The truth is, I've been procrastinating with a lot of stuff because I've lined up a handful of serious, work-heavy projects, and I'm just not up for sitting down and trying to get a pose done for something as detailed as Kefka or Cloud. As such, it's easy to get distracted, and given this year's video game releases, that isn't going to get better any time soon.

Meanwhile, some friends and I are finally getting serious about working on a new Steampunk RPG system. I'll be posting any appropriate work related to it on DeviantArt (already have the world map up), but for now the development is mostly taking place on Google Docs. Once we've got something to show for it, progress will be posted on another blog. I'll let you know when the time comes, if you're interested.

I've made some changes to the Fan Section. Since everyone who contributes original content now have their own blogs, I've removed that particular section. If a certain proprietor of Paperkraft.net is reading, he would be wise to keep an eye on two of the newest additions to the crowd, Aravin and Aaron.



Finally, and THIS IS IMPORTANT, I've been thinking, we have enough Final Fantasy oriented designers now that we could make a blog specifically devoted to Final Fantasy papercraft, ala NintendoPapercraft. I've already reserved a Blogspot URL in case anyone's interested, so let me know if the idea intrigues you.


Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some stuff to read for a quiz tomorrow.



Oh and for the record, I think he should've been called Exodus.

Cecil - Paladin

Cecil - Paladin
http://www.mediafire.com/?tyjgmnh5zjm
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QZS114T5

So, it's been over two weeks since the Dark Knight release, which means it's excuse time. I don't really have any this time. I just kind of wasted time for about a week, then school work got in the way. Anyhow, here it is. I'm happy with the result, but I'll tell you this right now: might be the hardest model I've released. That's not to say it's difficult, just that the hair is detailed to a ridiculous level. I'm sure you'll do better than I did.

So, it's been a while since we last talked, so here are some updates:

The blog's passed a year with Clustrmaps and we're almost to 100,000 hits. Nifty, eh?

I was planning to have a build competition with Chenille to see who could do the entire FFIX party (as per Chamoo's designs) fastest. The idea is still on, and I'd love to get some more people in on the race. However, this probably won't happen for a few weeks. I'll be doing a panel and a booth at Arkansas Anime Festival in a few weeks, and there are a few models I'd really like to have done before then. The contest is gonna have to wait.

So, it may be a bit before another update. I need to get the models done, and of course I'll go about them the same way as usual, but I may not take the time to get the releases out until I've actually had a chance to exhibit them (one of them is a super secret release).

Anyway, stay tuned, et cetera.

Cecil - Dark Knight

Cecil - Dark Knight
http://www.mediafire.com/?2j24tnfgmmc
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=FG43RH0Y

Decided to go ahead and release this on its own now for a few reasons. I've already released Cecil's Helmet on its own, so the big pack will be lacking its total completion no matter what. If I were to save both models for a big pack, it'll be well over 30mb. This way, I get the models to you faster. And finally, it takes the pressure off me to rush the last build.

Anyway, he's done, and I'm quite pleased with the result. The build wasn't difficult, but given the level of detail, I wouldn't really call it easy either. Included three textures for this, the normal costume, which I built, his alternate (which is sort of a red version of the normal), and the Manikin skin, which you encounter as a generic enemy in story modes.



So here's the issue: put him next to Terra, and it looks like I've totally butchered the scale. However, this is 100% correct. I present the following as evidence:



So, in FFIV, Cecil was listed as being 5'8" and Terra was listed as being 5'7" (right in range of my height, quite comforting being this short when some of your imaginary heroes are too). However, they're clearly not an inch off in Dissidia. I would say Cecil was scaled up and Terra was scaled down. She's gotta be under 5 feet now, and I'd say he's around 6.

So, the scale looks wrong, but It's right on (though whether that's good or bad remains to be seen). Now, the big issue (no pun intended), is that Cecil is a medium size model in Dissidia, whereas Golbez (pictured above) is downright massive. If you check out the Sandbox, I made a post about this issue, particularly as it regards Chaos, which I'd like to do eventually.



Anyway, we'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime, I'll get back to work. I might take a few days off before starting on the Paladin version of Cecil, just to give myself some variety.

Follow the progress on Ustream, if you're interested.

Chaos Burgeonet and Cecil's Helmet

Chaos Burgeonet
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=I1D2JR3H
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?gmxmmnylutn

I've got a lot of images here, so I'm going to break the text up in weird ways. Just thought I'd warn you.

Anyway, so here's the deal: It's my birthday (yes yes, woo, etc.).

Now, I've had these two models built and ready to go for some time (not too long on the Chaos Burgeonet, but I've had Cecil's Helmet ready for like two weeks), but I wanted to save their releases for when I finished working on the actual Cecil character models. That way you get a big ol' pack of Cecil related stuff (the Chaos Burgeonet is obviously based on Cecil's original helmet, so I figured it should go in the big release as well).



Problem is, I also wanted to release something on my birthday so I'd have an excuse to post. I tried just posting for the sake of it last year, and the whole affair felt really contrived. I wanted to get Fargo built and released, but I ended up sitting around a bar with some friends (don't ask why, I don't even drink) for several hours this evening, so I knew Fargo just wasn't going to get built on time.


Cecil's Helmet
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=S8R5LHB4
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?l0zlziqz5ze

So, since I had both of these models packaged up, ready to go, I figured I'd go ahead and release them for the excuse to post on my birthday, and to give you a present by not being a tease and keeping them to myself until I get the big stuff done (any of you who saw my posts on the paper hat rack I built will already have known about the Cecil mask). Also this frees me up to just kick back on my birthday and play some Katamari Forever.

Ugh...while posting this, I just noticed Ynger's comment in the shoutbox (and yes, that typo was intentional). You remember Yngar, right? The crazy-eyed man who conducted horrible experiments with caffeine and alcohol at Anime Fest?
You may not want to, but you remember...

Anyway, if you really want to show your appreciation on my twenty-third, you should consider pressing that shiny yellow button to your right. The one that says "Donate." Donations keep my paper plentiful and my printer full of ink.

Haaah. With all that said, I can finally address some of the important bits about the models. Namely, they're both full-head helmets. This means scaling is real tricky business. Now, I have a pretty big head, but, I shave it, so I am sans-hair. This means that my head is a pretty good rough estimate of the size of the average wearer. What I found with these is that, you need to remember the shape of your head: its widest circumference is around the temple/forehead, just above the eyes. The helmets will both fit, but you need to be careful about putting them on. Go slowly, and try to tuck your ears in as you pull down over the brow. That way you won't hurt your face or your fancy paper hat.


I'll try to get Fargo done in the next few days, then start on the Cecil models when I can. Going out of town for the weekend (Renaissance Festival in Houston with crazy-eyes; my mom's in League City, so it's also a chance to cash in on the birthday weekend).


With all that said, I think I'll relax a bit and roll me up some soul clods.

You know, eating a bag's worth of muffins with a big glass of milk is a mighty fine substitute for a birthday cake. I was never all that big on frosting anyway.

Video 8: Dissidia Process

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CXYQBPF8

So, people have been clamoring for this one since before the American release of Dissidia. Here it is. Stop bothering me about it. The process is more or less identical to the Crisis Core process, the only difference being that you swap the Crisis Core model extractor for the Dissidia one. There are also some interesting details regarding files that contain multiple models (EX Mode and whatnot), as well as some guidelines on how to handle different character incarnations. I ask that if you plan to make Dissidia models, use the prescribed scales.

Anyway, here are the links promised in the video:

USB SSS 1.00

http://www.psp-hacks.com/file/1008

UMDGen 4.0

http://www.psp-hacks.com/file/948

GitMO

http://www.richwhitehouse.com/index.php?postid=35

Mesh2RDM 1.81

http://www.richwhitehouse.com/index.php?postid=30

The sample .BAT's line of code

mesh2rdm FILE.gmo FILE.smd -texpre FILE - dissskip 0 -rotate -90 0 0 -scale 1.0 -smdout -flipuv

(remember that FILE should be replaced with the name of the file in particular, and that you can swap the .SMD suffix with .OBJ, but remember to also change the "-smdout" function to "-objout")

Dissidia model list

http://wiki.qhimm.com/Dissidia/GMO_Files/File_List

Remember, when unfolding:

If you're going to go with one of the "pre-posed" statues, don't alter the scale at any time (like in 3DS or Sketchup) and unfold in Pepakura at a scale of 1.50.

If you're using one of the unposed models and plan to pose it yourself, again, refrain from altering the scale at any time in the conversion/pose, and unfold at a scale of 0.90.

A cross-designer complete Dissidia set at the same scale would be the epitome of epic...at least in terms of Final Fantasy papercraft.

. . .

That may be one of the nerdiest things I've ever said...

EDIT:

Crap, I forgot, I already uploaded the Kefka fight a while back to show some people. Forgot to post it here.

Terra

Edited - scroll down

Terra
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=E1TR1ZIX
http://www.mediafire.com/?rzmdmmolkyg

First Dissidia model, and I must say it was an interesting one. Not to scare you (it's only scary if you've actually tried to build her), but the whole thing reminded me of Lady Luck. The models are of similar complexity and detail, both have crazy hair that consumes about half of the frustration of the build, etc. I would recommend 65lb for this one. Probably continue to build the Dissidia models on 65lb, just because they're detailed to the point that 110lb is going to make things more troublesome than they're worth.

The scale is set. She's big, but not "hueg liek xbox." I think it's a good scale. It's a bit challenging, but certainly not impossible, and looks good next to decently sized models on a shelf. All the rest of the Dissidia models will be at the same scale (meaning most of the models will be a bit larger, but you get the idea).

No lined version this time, because I'm doing some funny things with the parts. New system for double-siding things, which you may have already seen if you've done Genesis' Sword. Anyway, I don't think a model this detailed should be folded anyway. Both costumes are included, in case you're curious. I just prefer the green haired version to the classic Amano-blonde.

In mildly related news: I've been trying to update the Sandbox as frequently as is appropriate. You may have noticed that I re-did all the links to use icons instead of just text. If you're linked here and don't like the impromptu icon I made (had to just use screenshots of banners in many cases), then please, send me a link to the image you'd prefer I use. Briefly considered changing the layout to 3-column, but I think this works.

Also: Added a new Bonus Question, and it was answered quite rapidly (still nothing on the first question though). The reward chosen was that I bump Balthier up on my to-do list. So, no more distractions. Balthier will be the next release. If I get him done fast enough, I may have time to do something interesting for my one-year anniversary. Kinda scary, but in less than two weeks, I'll be hitting that marker.

Gotta think of something really awesome...

Anyway, back to it. No rest for the wicked, etc., etc..




Seriously, a billboard? The first time someone brought up the Greek word τέρας, I would've said "Yes, totally. That is exactly what I was going for when I decided on the name. Good show, nothing lame about it at all, certainly not like I was a windowless office away from naming her Stapler."

Ugh...



EDIT:
Startling developments...
(not the detective agency)



While altering the layout and scale of Steph's Fran, groaning about how scary the model is in general, it occurred to me that she has two right ears. On the left, you see the layout as it was originally released, and on the right is the PDO. The fact that the old release was done in single images suggests that the layout was altered in Paint or Photoshop to mirror that specific section, giving her a left and right ear.

The short version is, I'm not doing a new layout for Fran, it's just too much trouble, and without the original 3D model to modify, I can't guarantee that the finished product would be of any quality. So the question is, which scale should I go with for Balthier? I could try to match the original Fran to make them match, or I could make a giant model to match the version of Fran I built, or I could just stick with what I've already got laid out, which is comparable to the Dissidia models.

Even shorter version: I already have a layout I like, at a decent scale, and this project has given me so much trouble that I'm not changing it when I'm so close to the finish line. Maybe I'll do a brand new Fran when I can get back into the FFXII models after the viewer is modified.

I'll be starting the build tonight, and will try to do as much of it live via Ustream as I can. Expect the release in a few days.

Dissidia Enemy Icons

Updated, scroll down.




Dissidia Enemy Icons
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UR88QMO7
http://www.mediafire.com/?ozzwtmen0nz

This is maybe a half-release at best. Obviously the big news is Dissidia models are now on the menu. Anyone who's checked the "Official Request Policy" or "Working Project List" recently may already know this, as would anyone clever enough to recognize the images added as edits in my last post. Did these as kind of an introduction to Dissidia models. They're all small, page number-wise, only half a page in some cases. I've been playing Dissidia a lot lately, and this just seemed like a fun thing to do. Did some basic instructions and included PDFs and whatnot, just because there are a fair number of them. No fancy coverpage or anything though, these just aren't big enough for proper release treatment (also because there's no concept art of them, and I really didn't want to see a name as underwhelming as "Enemy Icons" on a coversheet).



Also made some simple stands, as I know plenty of you don't like going with the more awesome aerial display.




Perhaps equally important news: Crisis Core models unlocked. Did a good ol' Banora White as another "intro to a new game" sort of thing. This one I'm not even going to bother with a PDF. It's a single page, so I'm just going to stick the PDO in the shared Mediafire folder. It's approximately life-size to a real apple, and is simple enough that I don't think it needs any sort of instructions.

Enjoy your gift of the Goddess.

http://www.mediafire.com/?miztjmrkkzx


In other news, you may have noticed the fancy new banner. I've been wanting to make a banner for quite some time, but due to a complete lack of proficiency with the Photoshops, I never really got anywhere with it. Thankfully, a reader by the name of Chenille was willing to help me, and produced something of the highest caliber.



Asked her to inclued a PSD with just the title layer (with Usagi holding the P in Papercraft, how freaking awesome is that?), on a simple gradient (same gradient as my Pepakura Designer background, if you hadn't noticed, also awesome), for use as a link icon. So, if you're a reader and also a Blogger of some kind, and want to link to me (thank you for that), and want to use an image for said purpose, go ahead and use the above, scaled to whatever size you like. I think there were too many conjunctions in that sentence...

Anyway,

So Chenille offers to make me a banner as an act of charity. Little does she know, I pay back my debts. In return, she got a release of her choosing, and I said I wouldn't take no for an answer, so...



First proper Dissidia release will be Terra (or Tina, if you like). She was quite adamant about using the green haired version, so I'll be building in that (also because I prefer it as well), but the difference is just texture, so as usual I'll include the alternate for those of you who prefer blond.

(Larsa will get done eventually, it's just I can't get my hands on any new FFXII models at the moment. To the person to whom this is addressed: you know who you are.)



After Terra, I'll start working on my own character of choice: Cecil. At the moment, I'm using the pre-posed stuff that you see on the battlefield alongside the enemy icons, but to make the Paladin complement, I'll need to get into some other stuff. Don't worry, a Cecil release can never be just one model.



I've also jumped ahead of schedule with the order of my Chrono Cross models, and am nearly done with Glenn. This one's another request, for a friend who asks me if I've done it yet about every other weekend. So to get her off my back, and because it took all of about 2 hours to get him into Pepakura (honestly, if I was getting paid for this stuff, didn't have to worry about doing anything else all day? I could churn out models faster than you could believe), he'll be making an appearance fairly soon. If you're curious: the sword he's holding isn't anything from Chrono Cross. The model extraction method is still fairly experimental, so weapons are out of the question. I just did a custom texture for an Ancient Sword from FFXI. I figure it looks decent, the requester approved, so that'll be his accessory. I know nothing short of the Einlanzer is appropriate, but I just can't pull it off. If anyone out there is working on an Einlanzer from scratch, let me know, because that would be pretty God damn awesome.



And of course, Balthier is sitting at about the same level of doneness. This week is the last before final exams, and I've yet to find a job, so rest assured, he'll get done soon. I've just got a gauntlet to run first...

I'll try to get as many models done as possible before I find some employment. Give it about two weeks, and I'll make up for this dryspell. Promise.


In related news (related to school work, not papercraft): a few friends and I made fools of ourselves in public for an assignment in Japanese. I'll let you guess which one I am, for two reasons. One: if you're bored enough to watch it, you've also probably been bored enough in the past to watch videos I've posted here, and can probably recognize me by voice alone; and Two: if you don't recognize me, I'll be spared some shred of what remains of my dignity.

Enjoy
(video won't be up until this weekend, but I figured I'd get this all typed out now. Check back if you really want to see me make an ass of myself...)

Ahh college, this is money well spent.


EDIT:

Did these layouts while procrastinating about writing my papers. Built them after I finished the last paper today. Just some one-pagers thought you might enjoy.
(Oh who am I kidding, I did them because I'm nerdy enough to enjoy them.)



Zack's Phone
http://www.mediafire.com/?ymrmzm2fn2y

Texture's really low resolution, so it looks pretty blurry, but whatever. It's a gimmick model that takes all of 10 minutes to build. Decide how you want to glue it (open or closed). You may want to utilize my wire method, from the Treasure Chest instructions to make it a proper flip phone. It's roughly life size to a real phone.



Banora Juice
http://www.mediafire.com/?yznorhloxyz

Genesis' claim to fame. Sorry I couldn't make it closer to "life size" The volume/surface area ratio for cylinders isn't great when you want to keep the top and bottom part of the same piece. Again, it's just another silly gimmick, takes maybe 5 minutes to build, and that's if you're being really careful.



Buster Sword
http://www.mediafire.com/?mujzjn2u1ky

The Crisis Core version of the Buster Sword, another one-pager. Don't think it really needs explanation. I'll try to follow this one up with a two-pager of Genesis' sword later. I could probably try to make a life size version a bit later.

Stay tuned, I've been watching Doctor Who again, and I know a real simple build that would be kind of funny.


EDIT AGAIN:

Added a new page on the sidebar, calling it the Kaizo Papercraft Sandbox. I'll be using it as a regular updates page, just to give you a glimpse on what I'm working on. I'd rather not have to keep making edits like this, so I'll just use the sandbox as an intermediary between major posts.