#3dmg tutorial

[nimbus-makes-shit]

Nimbus Cosplay

A gigantic picture spam post (100+ pictures!) showing step by step how I made my SNK cosplay from jacket to harness to 3DMG. The link goes to my FB Cosplay page

[moonlitmilo]

3DMG Tutorial Part something~!

I glued, cut some smaller pieces, added details and finalized the plans for the gas cans!

I used a regular glue gun for the gluing process. It was pretty sturdy! I couldn't rip it off on the test piece when I tried. Don't use anything expensive though, mine was super cheap and thus, didn't get hot enough to burn very badly or melt plastic(or foam). 

I took more progress shots this time.

Reindeer table cover is necessary for the process. xD

After gluing, I cut some more littler parts. I'm using glue sticks glued to the end of regular water bottles are the gas cans. I'm just going to cover them in craft foam. 

My boxes are short enough that two is enough. There will just be a space between the two.  

I glued craft foam around the edges of my glue sticks for detail. There will also be foam pieces on them.

The wooden texture pieces on the waist. The silver part will be craft foam wrapped around it :)

I also sanded the bigger pieces before gluing them. It's worth it, just get a soft grit sandpaper, it's a few dollars and though it takes effort, it's worth it. The pieces were sooo much better after. Just wear a mask or something because it was flying everywhere and I doubt breathing it in would be a good idea.

Next I'm going to cut the pieces for the sides of the gear boxes(or most) measure out the blades and paint some rope for use as wires and details.

Here's a blurry picture of my gear boxes~!

[moonlitmilo]

3DMG update!

Arggg! With Colossalcon only 23 days away, I've started cracking down on making my props. So in this post I'm updating my list of tools I'm using with explanations and pictures, plus some other tips and such. So yeah!

ONWARDS!

This list has grown...and so has the cost, I didn't really guess that I'd need more than I'd originally planned, even though I was a total noob. Wow, I feel so stupid now.

I'm going to end up using about five 20 x 40 boards of foam core...which isn't too bad I guess, especially since I had to recut some stuff because i measured wrong.

My family used to do a lot of home stuff so we had a knife lying around to use. I suggest a utility knife, or anything similar to that. Make sure the blade is sharp and new too, it really helps.

Oh! And I just taped two large cardboard boxes together to protect my kitchen table. It really works if you can't afford a real work space!

I got a sheet of plywood big enough for my blades(and handles) for only 10 bucks, it's pretty big too, I think over 40 inches long for sure.

I also bought some paperclay, a 16 oz. from Walmart to cover the edges of the foam core and to add detailing. I haven't used it yet, so I'm not sure if this will be enough(I hope so) but I'd guess so. 

Then I bought three different sprays for the painting.

All through recommendations. I tried everything on a test piece and it works great! Did 2 coats of Mod Podge, 2 coats of spray paint will be needed, and I'm thinking only one of the ultra cover.

I got a sponge with some texture for a buck. For adding worn detailing.

I have some older brown and black acrylic paints and brushes for other stuff later(the thing around their waist!).

Some craft foam for details, which was super cheap and I got giant white sheets.

I'm going to use an old belt, just cut the ends off and spray paint it silver.

Spray paint some rope from Walmart, seal it up and you've got the cords! 

Old Bolts and such are going to be glued for details.

A PVC pipe cut to size will be the gear box thingy on their back. I'm also thinking of using a computer fan for the fan!

The rope will be used to hold the thing around my waist and the boxes on my sides, through my belt loops :)

Urggg, I haven't decided what to do about the gas tanks. The PVC pipes were too heavy and I don't have any smart water bottles lying around. I might just search around.

Two cheap glue sticks, for the part on the end of the tanks.

Sandpaper. Mine is soft, yours can be harder through I'd guess. Just be careful!

So far, this is it. I'll update this if I add anything else.

So overall cost! For most of everything, I got it at Walmart for 60 bucks. That includes the foam boards. And for the rest add on about 20 bucks. So overall, still way cheaper than buying it off eBay.

Okay so now, tips and random shit.

Just...go slow when you're cutting the foam, if you don't, it'll come out horrible, trust me.

Make sure you have good measuring tools. These are vital, I had really shitty ones and it hasn't paid off.

Test out your spray paints and such on leftovers so you know whether or not it'll warp the foam. Kind of commonsense, but I wanted to make sure I said this XD

Also, I know this might sound negative, but if this is your first project, you're going to learn A LOT after the first few pieces. So take into account you might decide to redo like I did.

Pick a size for the gear that fits you, don't use some generic size. I'm really short and small(4'9" /dies) so My blades will be about 21 and a half inches long, and the handles 7 inches. So about 25 total. The gear boxes on their sides are about the length of the blades, so they're 21 inches. And...well, you get the idea. Just scale it to yourself. For instance, if you're 6 foot, you might wanna make your own measurements lol.

Here are my patterns up for download on Photobucket.

The handle, and the gearbox, covered side. Just print these to the scale you want.

So...yeah! I think that's mostly everything. I cut all the main parts to the gear boxes on the sides and even part of the blade!

[mangapuffincosplay-blog]

Time to make blades! (Sorry for the wait!!) All you need here is your knife and foam board. BUT I HIGHLY SUGGEST USING A STRONG MATERIAL LIKE WOOD FOR THE BLADES! Mine bent quite a bit at the convention. 1. Take some scrap foam board and even the edges in the blade's shape. This is the easiest part of the 3dmg. 2. Cut them out 3. We'll need to use the blade holder piece in the next steps, so draw slots using a ruler first. Please note: 6 slots was a little wide, so I cut two off and made it 4. It is a really simple fix because everything is measured out! SPECIAL NOTES: make sure you like the length of your 3dmg. Mine were a bit bulky and I should have made them a little smaller. Just keep that in mind!

[robotsweater]

The (hopefully simple) guide to how I made my 3DMG. For cosplayers on a budget or just incredibly frugal like me.

What you will need:

Cardboard boxes

Cardboard tubes (Or something of the like for the gas tanks)

Hot glue gun & lots of hot glue sticks

Scissors and/or X-acto knife

Painters Tape

The first thing you may want to do is check out this super helpful set of diagrams. Usually before I start on a prop I like to try and stare at screenshots of it for a bit to get a good mental image of how it should look. In this case I got quite familiar with a series of photos highlighting Corporal Levi's rear, to look at the gear of course.

   If you are in an area that happens to have a recycle depot or the like, where locals drop off their old cardboard boxes then this part should be relatively easy. You can never have too much cardboard so I recommend grabbing whatever you think looks sturdy enough to hold it's own in a convention setting. Those places are a disaster zone for delicate props.

  What you should be looking for:

Cardboard that is relatively large in size, and a thickness of at least half a pinkies width. Mind you, watch out that it isn't too thick. You will have to cut a lot of shapes out of it and you don't want to kill your wrists.

If you can, find a box that is roughly the size and shape of the 3D gear boxes, that may be asking a bit much of the selection but it never hurts to keep your eye out. What you need is a good base, if it's the right shape but the material is too thin that is completely fine, you just need to get a couple long wide pieces of cardboard to cover them with. A friend of mine, recommended using long pop boxes, or even two pop boxes end to end. Those could definitely work as a good base.

On my treasure hunt I happened upon a set of hardwood flooring boxes, long and thin boxes that when cut in half and sat beside each other look a bit like….

This! Neat, right?!  As you can tell the weight of the cardboard is not sturdy, so this is where that extra cardboard comes in.

 For the gas tanks I happened to have heavy cardboard tubing laying around that I was able to cut to fit the length of my completed boxes. You may be able to find cardboard tubing at art stores, they are usually used to store rolled up canvases or papers so they may be listed as "portfolio tubes". Or, in place of the tubing I have seen cosplayers use pool noodles, paint cans or bottles glued end to end. For the top of the tanks, I have yet to complete this part but I have heard of using the tops of paint cans. This part I leave to your own creativity, I'll make sure to add how I will do it later!

  You are going to want to glue your base together, in my case glue all the thin boxes together, to make the shape of your gear. Once it's dried off and cooled down, use the base to trace and cut out the panels that you are going to be gluing onto it on the extra pieces of cardboard.

You should end up with something like this…

  For the front panels you will have to do a bit of guessing for the cut out's, looking the diagram I mentioned at the beginning really helps with plotting out your cuts. Drawing it out before cutting is a good idea though, make sure to account for the thickness of your swords if you intend to be able to store them in your gear. 

Note: With the amount of gluing to do I really suggest getting a bunch of glue sticks ahead of time, they run out surprisingly quickly.

Once your gear is all glued together and it's cooled off, grab your painters tape. I swear to goodness painters tape is the propmaker's ducktape. Since it's made to be painted on it makes for an excellent repair and seal for the rough edges where the cardboard lines up. I liberally applied painters tape to every edge of the 3DMG, resulting in this:

  The blue may be a bit daunting but I can assure you that after painting it's invisible:

Congratulations the boxes are complete!!! At this point you deserve a sugary snack and a rest. Next, you will have to make the straps for the gas tanks. This part is a bit complicated, I hope I describe it all right.

You are going to need to cut strips of cardboard long enough to fit around either side of the box itself and the gas tank on top. This will require a mixture of measuring and guessing. I suggest cutting a strip as long as possible and folding it over the top of the gear and cutting off the excess on either side. Once you have the first one made the rest as are a cake walk, tracing the first one will help you make the second one quickly. Repeat the process for the second box. The cut out's in the straps can be done pretty quickly with an x-acto knife, use the fold lines (or the point where the strap lines up with the side of the box and make the cut out about a finger's width away from each point. Again, once the first cut-out is done you can use it as a stencil for the next one.

Note: Sadly, I did not take a lot of photos of these steps, my apologies! I do have another set of gear to work on so if people find it helpful I may do a video tutorial of the entire process!

After the measuring and cutting all that is left to do is glue it all on! Resulting in something a bit like this: 

The rest is just a matter of finishing touches and painting! I left out a couple of the extra aesthetics and additional panels on the interior facing parts of the gear, this was more to save me some of the weight that it was already starting to build.

At this point, I hope that I have at least given you a better idea of how you should tackle your own gear! Thank you for reading, if you have any questions or suggestions on building your own please feel free to send me a message!

[bakugo-katsukii]

working on making 3DMG the Ash way. I know there are tutorials and stuff out there already, but I guess it doesn't hurt to add my own??? maybe?

[my-name-means-christmas-blog]

Time to make some 3dmg with Noelle! Part 1: Hello Tumblr, I'm making my own props for my Attack on Titan cosplay, so I'm going to do my best to document my adventure, even if it ends badly. This is the biggest project I've done, and I'm getting a lot of help from my dad when it comes to construction. So! The gear. I went material shopping today, and I found it hard to find a lot of the materials most of the tutorials used, or they were really expensive. So this is what I bought at a local craft store and Home Depot: 1 Tri-fold poster board (about $10.50, for the boxes/sheaths) 2 Mailing tubes ($5.60, for the gas tubes) 1 small, 1" diameter thin PVC pipe (for the ends of the gas tubes,$0.90) 1 foot-long PVC pipe, 4" diameter (for the cylinder on the back, $3.50) 2 hose clamps (found in the plumbing aisle, about $1 each, used on the cylinder) 2 pipe clamps (also found in plumbing aisle ((they have metal off the end of them, you have to cut it off)), about $1.50 each, used for the rims on the cylinders) So that's part one of my material shopping. I'll get to the rest of the shopping next week. I hope this was helpful! This might end up being a long series of posts. I look forward to more cosplay tutorials!

[nimbus-makes-shit]

3DMG Tutorial - Measurements (Part 1)

These days there are a LOT of tutorials for how to make 3DMG, and there are really about 234823 ways to go about doing it, but I get a lot of requests for the measurements I use to make mine.  In the end, the correct proportions can make a huge difference.  I'm not very good at making tutorials, but I gave it my best shot, and I hope this helps out a few people at least in making their own gear.

The anime itself isn't always consistent with the sizes of the boxes.  Sometimes they're thin as hell.  In the shot below, the boxes are barely wider than the gas tanks, and a bit longer than usual.

In the next shot, shown from more of a front angle, the boxes are wider than the thighs, and drawn as noticeably larger than the gas tanks it supports.   

So honestly, there is no "exact" proportion for how those things are supposed to look.  

But generally, I think it looks best when the boxes are juuust a little bit wider than the tanks.  It looks more sleek, and it makes more sense for them to be slimmer and less bulky.  And because my box measurements are based on the gas tank, the tank is where I start.

These are cardboard shipping tubes (already filled, gessoed, and sanded).  When you order them, they're marked as 2" because that's the diameter of the inside space.  The outside diameter is actually 2 1/4".  The lengths are 24 inches.  To cap them off later, I use a 3/4" T-connector.  So my boxes are going to be 2.5" max width, about 6" high, and a little less than 30 inches long.  

These are the pieces that secure the tank to the box.  I cut them out of wood as mentioned in an earlier post.  The short ones are 6 inches long, the long ones are 8 3/4".  Everything is 1 1/4" wide.

So let's assemble one.  Here are two of the 8 3/4" strips, the rectangular top piece, and the half circle tank stabilizer.  Because the tank is 2 1/4" outside diameter, the half circle stabilizer should also be 2 1/4".  

Ooh look how pretty!  But does it fit?

So it does!  Test fit everything as you go.  You'll thank yourself later.  

Now for that cursed back vent.  I could compile another few anime screenshots that show you how the animation team could give fuck all about how those are supposed to be sized and proportioned, but let's not waste too much space.  Here are my pieces.

So the dowel is important.  The dowel gives a lovely center of stability as we build upon it as you'll see in later pictures.  The dowel I used was 3/8" thick, so 3/8" holes were drilled.  It's ok if the fit is a little tight, that just means more stability in the long run.  

So the little funny looking shapes get to be attached to the flap with the dowel in the center.  The shortest side attaches to the flap, the longest side to the circle that'll be attached... in the next picture.

As shown above, the circle is 5 inches in diameter, and the slits are sized appropriately to allot for the 3/8" hole in the center, and the actual radius of the circle that they attach to (which is 2.5").  That's why the long side comes out to 2 1/4" and not 2.5".  

So when I hold them against each other, we've come full circle to the preview image!  And you can see the slits go just to the edge of the circle.  

These are a lot of measurements to keep track of, but a lot of them repeat themselves in little ways here and there.  Just do your best to write it all down, draw out how you'll attach things together, and mark your pieces.  You'll see I've written various notes on certain pieces so that I can keep track of what they're all supposed to be when finally assembled.  

The focus of this tutorial was measurements and proportions.  You don't have to use wood, you can use foam core, cardboard, whatever materials you have at your disposal so long as you take the time to measure when you cut.  I eyeballed the first few pieces, wrote those numbers down, then repeated over and over again.  Remember, the difference between screwing around and science is writing it down!

If this tutorial helped you in any way, I'd love to hear about it!  And if there are other measurements you guys want help with, let me know!