The Shop > Composites & Plastics

Fursuit Partial Video

<< < (2/3) > >>

S. Heslop:
Wowza I wrote an insane rambling post about my animatronic thoughts. Gotta try keep it somewhat concise!

I've been going in circles for a while thinking about this and reading increasingly esoteric stuff, including a bunch of scientific journals and patents. The main problems i've got is how to control the movements, and also that i'd ideally like to handle the eyes with some kind of thin display - and ideally a dome shaped one but i'd settle for a cylindrical section.

Flexible displays are a long time coming, so the two most promising angles I can think of are some kind of rear projected display using one of those laser picoprojectors, or a fused fiber faceplate ground into a dome - although those have viewing angle issues. With displays blocking vision out of the mask i'd also need some sort of alternative way to see out. Perhaps head mounted displays like the drone guys use, and cameras hidden somewhere, or some kind of character specific workaround like a cyborg. The cool kind -> :borg:, and you can wreck your eyesight looking through a semi-silvered window with one eye.

The other big issue is how to actually drive the mechanical parts. Various types of muscle wires all have their shortcomings, and the most available ones (as in they actually exist) all work on the idea of heating and cooling. The cooling seems like the tricky part, as well as not being too energy efficient. I think the more practical solution might be to just have an external unit full of servos, and PTFE capillary tubes acting as a kind of bowden cable along with music wire into the head. I've yet to test that idea though. But again you could make a feature out of that if you go full cyborg!

And the final big issue is how to handle the fleshy parts. Most movie prop stuff is interesting, but not very durable. It only has to last as long as the shoot! Latex foam starts to rot fairly quickly, and the most promising long lasting alternative might be silicone foam. But being silicone there's of course problems with adhering to it. I figure solid rubbers would be hard work for the servos to manipulate. Plus the 4 way stretch furs that are available aren't too durable either. So maybe some kind of reptile instead of a hairy mammal. Cyborg lizard! But really i'd like a more versatile solution that can work with almost anything.

It all sounds very expensive but then these costumes tend to be. Some time last year a mere comission slot for one... artist... was auctioned off for $70,000 if I remember right. But really that was a special case. I think some people try buy their way into popularity and i've met people who've bragged about getting a suit made by an EXCLUSIVE maker, as if its proof of their standing within the community. It's kind of disillusioned me a bit.

vtsteam:
Well, you could think of it like the more traditional men's suits -- there are expensive and society tailors for them, mass produced suits and outlets, as well as people who sew their own, probably. It is in some ways, no different. It is clothing, just not conventional clothing. There are all kinds of people in every kind of society.

PekkaNF:
I don't get the fursuit part, but I really liked your video and this thread. All those soft castings and materials are completely alien to me, very much new information and processes to me.

Thank you very much

S. Heslop:

--- Quote from: vtsteam on July 11, 2018, 07:12:03 AM ---Well, you could think of it like the more traditional men's suits -- there are expensive and society tailors for them, mass produced suits and outlets, as well as people who sew their own, probably. It is in some ways, no different. It is clothing, just not conventional clothing. There are all kinds of people in every kind of society.

--- End quote ---

Suits are a good analogy. If you made your own outlandish and ~innovative~ business suits then most people would think you looked like a clown. Suits are about blending in but just ever so slightly signalling your societal status. I'm starting to sound like a misanthrope!

Speaking of suits though, one of my future project ideas is trying to make the most garish suit possible. The 90s was a great age for wild suits on TV. Richard O'Brien on the Crystal Maze, Cat on Red Dwarf, Quark on Deep Space 9... they always catch my eye.

I think African fabrics are the way to go. There's some truly nauseating patterns on that page.



I also like the cat tapestry fabric. Tapestry fabrics are a whole genre.

Sewing is a really underappreciated skill. As in, I can barely do it and i'm amazed that anyone can. So i'm in mind to get better at it.


--- Quote from: PekkaNF on July 15, 2018, 09:07:35 AM ---I don't get the fursuit part, but I really liked your video and this thread. All those soft castings and materials are completely alien to me, very much new information and processes to me.

Thank you very much

--- End quote ---

Thanks for the kind comment. I'm not sure if I really understand it either.

WeldingRod:
It turns out that silicone is easy to bond!
Either use silicone caulk (if you want fully flexible) or rubber toughened superglue (loctite black max).  You MUST use a heptane based primer with copper Sulfate in it.  Allow the primer to dry, then glue it.
I had to do some measurements of silicone bonding strength on Aluminum, and I needed a way to attach the pull test dollies.  Worked like a charm, and the rubber would either come off of the plate I was testing, or it would tear the bulk rubber.  A superglue failure was really rare (just a couple in 50 or so tests).

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page