Some people asked me how I create my models.
It's not a difficult thing, but You need patience and some specific graphical software. With this page I just wish to give some guideline on how to create paper models. Maybe it's not the best or the fastest method, but for me it just works.

I must note that in this page I will not teach You how to use the softwares, as this would take many pages and this tutorial would go far beyond it's scope.

First of all let's see the software that I use:

• Blender - 3D graphic program - www.blender.org
• Pepakura designer - This is used to go from 3D to 2D - www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura-en
• GIMP - 2D graphic software- www.gimp.org

Actually the second software is not the one I use. I created a software on my own, but it' still quite buggy and I thought it just for my own use, so I do not wish to distribute it. Anyway I would have no time to give support, so please do not ask me to provide this program.
The one listed is a software I tried in demo version (You just cannot save or print the results), but it works really well and it's cheap, so I decided to suggest it.

Now let's look at a short description of how I proceed.

First I create the desired model using Blender. The model must absolutely be really simple and with few details. Remember that every detail in the 3D model will be built using paper!
The best thing is to create small details using textures that will be applied to the model. This way you will have a model simple to build, but quite detailed to look at.

After creating the 3D model, You should apply the textures. Actually You have to make every part of its own material.
On the internet You can find tons of images to be used for materials (this way I created walls and roofs for the Hagrid's hut), but nothing will stop You from creating them. For example for the flowers of the greenhouses I used some photos I took nearby my home and modified using GIMP.
Take a careful look at the results, because if a texture is not applied well, the final paper model will be of poor quality.

Now the 3D models is finished, so I export in 3DS format to load it in the software that will make the conversion from 3D to 2D. Actually the software will "open" the 3D model and flattens it on a plane adding the tabs to glue the cut parts.

The image below it taken from my software and it's a phase of the conversion of the Hagrid's hut. In a window I have the 3D visual that can be rotated and zoomed and in the other windows I have the 2D result. With my software (You can do the same using Pepakura Designer) You can specify where You wish to have cuts and where to apply the tabs for the glue.

From this software You can export the result to a graphic file (I use bmp, but jpeg or tiff will work as well). If You have to make some small change or if You wish to add Your name, You can use GIMP (or any other software made for image manipulation).

Now just print the result, build the model and see if everything is good or if You need to fix something. If there are no problems You can convert to a pdf file using some free tool from internet, so You can be sure it will not be modified.


Other models:

The greenhouses
Hagrid's hut
Corner bookmarks
Albus Dumbledore's Pensieve