Hi my name is Kay Pike, Pleased to meet you ^^ Heres some examples of what I'm screwing around with
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=699004110136756 I basically want to make a Model of my measurements (easy for me in 3dsmax also getting a scan done) then be able to draft pattern lines for near skin tight bodysuits, PVC patterns etc. More obvious image of what I want

Pretty much want an exactflat
http://www.exactflat.com/software-for-apparel-manufacturers without needing all the features or bulk. I've looked into the Rhino stuff that looks amazing (Particularly StiffBoundary on squish that will preserve the boundary lengths which is key for sewing) but upon trying it you cannot Squish, smash, or unpeel anything imported from outside of rhino

If I could convert on obj somehow to magic rhino BUT rhino is too awkward to even try to craft shapes in
Normal Pelt Mapping and UV unwrapping isn't cutting it in 3dsm as it will change the length of my edges for my planned pattern cuts. Im looking for a way to flatten and iron-out poly surface sections of the mesh (where I draw my patterns) with the exterior edges retaining their length for sewing. I havent done much of this in 7 years however and if Im missing some obvious settings let me now ^^
Working backward from a pattern or unwrap to a mesh would be cool to but its not really necessary, heres a pattern:
www.dropbox.com/s/9w1i4ajix6etshn/patternbodysuit.ai
Youd think there would be a fashion way of doing skin tight well but they are very barbaric and slow especially re-digitizing your paper patterns, also CG is way more fun. I Can fudge the model when I get my mad gains from the gym annually etc. ^^
If I could make my costumes go faster Oh what a dream that would be! Resources, things to try, ..Ironing out and compressing without changing boundary length. Any help! Any direction! :thumbup:

Replies
It's a very powerful piece of kit even if you don't get completely into its features.
In terms of having yourself scanned accurately... 123D isn't that great, i'd suggest contacting someone like Lee Perry Smith (http://ir-ltd.net/) about the possibility of getting yourself scanned there. (there are other scanners out there, probably some closer to you if you're not in the UK).
Yea.. MD blew my mind when I thought it was exactly what I wanted too....I screwed around in MArvelous designer for hours, you cannot get accurate patterns in 2d for it. Next time you feel like goofing off try building any crotch with a pattern you'll see what I mean. Its nice of you to respond and all And I suppose I havent listed everything I have tried. MD is Superb for making clothing for 3d characters (except form fitting) but complete waste of time for real life sewing ^^ Its a really fun program going from 2d roughly to 3d roughly though, kinda like playing with barbies or somthing.
123d was just for lols ^^ I'm getting scanned @Frog3d in calgary here on monday ^^ http://www.3dcutting.com/contact_us.html also modeling is easy for me (in real life and 3dstudio lol)
http://www.exactflat.com/ ExactFlat in simple form is what I need, or a way to get Rhino to squish/unroll/smash imported objects would be a good start. I've made no other progress today x.x Thanks for your input tho~
I've tried building flat plans from 3D before for fancy dress costumes (nothing as exacting as skin tight, either, was an HEV suit torso) and it's pretty damn hard to account for flexibility and/or stretch.
I was using Pepakura for the flattening. It's really meant for making paper craft plans from 3D models, but it did alright. Might work for you?
I concur^^ I have similar experiences.
This is why I need a dumb simple less bulky version of exactflat.
Yea... I've tried the pepakura programs out there! Great minds think alike ^^ it is unfortunately sooooo close but so far. It retains the seam length but cant handle warping for the curvature.. not to mention the poly count. I ended up with like ps1 quality bra cups :P Super low res is not sexy ^^
Can get some very beautiful and tidy unwraps done *sigh*
Just can not figure out how to retain the boundary length. Soon *shakes fist* soon