How to create low poly plans?

[Munty Scruntfundle]

Hi folks.

I've been asked if I could weld up a couple of low polygon animals, "Yes" I said not really thinking it through.

I can model the animals needed in Blender which has some good low poly tools, I can also solidify the panels so I can account for overlap, but I'm then a bit stuck getting the plans of the shapes out.

Does anyone know of any software that can take a model and produce a plan of each polygon in a model from it's normal aspect? Blender can kind of do this with it's UV unwrapping, the problem there is there's no scale and I'm not sure if it's exportable at all.

Ideas?
Many thanks.

 

[MorrisWoodman12]

I don't know how many polygons you have, hopefully not too many, but can you place a feature of known size (for scaling only) on each polygon so you can scale it properly after you have extracted each one?
Hope this helps.
Martin

 

[ChaiLatte]

I wonder if it is worth looking at software for papercraft. In principle, the people who make paper models are doing the same as you, just your material is a lot stiffer and your glue is a lot hotter.

Pepakura Designer is a paid one. This page gives some alternatives:

https://alternativeto.net/software/pepakura-designer/
They will, by various means, produce a flat, 2D pattern from a 3D polygonised shape.

Later edit:

https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/addons/import_export/paper_model.html

 

[Munty Scruntfundle]

Thanks folks, looks like just the ticket. Interesting about the paper models in Blender, I've using Blender for years and I've never come across it.

Cheers.

 

[ChaiLatte]

Interesting about the paper models in Blender, I've using Blender for years and I've never come across it.

It looks like it is an 'add on' developed by a third party rather than a core part of the system so it could be one of those things you would never see unless you look for it.

In the video, the guy makes the point that each part of a triangular mesh cannot be anything but flat. If your polygonised animal uses shapes with more than three edges, they have to be planar for the add on to do its magic.