From VRChat to IRL: Adventures Fabricating our Furry Avatar’s Pawsome Head Base!

Despite the creativity, innovation, and camaraderie within the furry creator community, a top-notch fursuit can still run into the thousands of dollars! Curious to uncover a more affordable approach, my friends and I embarked on a journey to craft a high-quality fursuit without breaking the bank, with plans to share our discoveries with the wider community.

So, what did your friendly furry IT worker end up doing? We became completely absorbed, plunging into a deep dive that consumed countless hours as we figured out how to craft these intricate costumes. Much like any tech exploration, we stumbled upon simpler and more effective methods along the way. Now, I’m excited to share our insights and techniques with you!

The first post #

A quick aside: this is my first post on this brand spanking new website. I want to grow a little community here around costume/figurine fabrication, 3d printing, VRC, furries, fursuit tutorials, and friends. So if you’re down, join our Discord or pop your email into our subscription system so we can poke you when new stuff is posted. Otherwise you’re just going to forget about this!

• https://discord.gg/DNufnwcJqK - Chat with us, share your projects, and get tips!
• https://www.instagram.com/0xcybermancy/ - Keep up with our work-in-progress photos and updates!

Let’s Get Crafting! #

This post is just going to be an overview of the entire process. We’ll make more posts breaking down each step in much more detail. Here’s a breakdown of our very WIP process so far:

3D Model Re-sculpting #

We begin by taking a target 3D model of the head and modifying it to make it printable. This involves removing complex geometry like internal structures in the eyes, tongue, and hair, and then remeshing the model to solidify it. This ensures our final print is both stable and detailed.

Mold STL Development #

Next, the cleaned-up model heads back into Blender where we inflate it by a few percentage points. We then apply a boolean difference operation with the original model to create a thin shell that retains the intricate details on the inside. The model is then sliced into strategic pieces to facilitate clean printing and easy demolding.

Printing #

Each piece of the mold is individually printed using our Anycubic Kobra 2 Max, with the inside surface facing upwards. This positioning ensures the smoothest possible internal surface, crucial for the next steps.

Fitting & Taping #

Once printed, we apply several coats of Mann Release 2831, a solvent-based wax, to ensure the polyurethane doesn’t stick to the mold and to smooth out any layer lines. Each mold piece is then carefully fitted together and secured using clear tuck tape.

The Pour #

We then measure and mix a specific amount of Smooth-On Flex Foam IT 14. The mixture is poured into the mold and as it begins to expand, we insert pre-set chunks of upholstery foam to fill the greater internal volume of the cast.

Demoulding #

After the foam has fully cured, we cut the tape and gently pry each mold piece away from the foam, shaving off any excess material or sprue that formed along the seams.

Washing #

The foam is washed with soap and water to remove any residual wax, preparing it for further detailing.

Tape Template #

Once the eyes are installed, we cover the entire foam head in masking tape. We then draw the fur patterns, indicating the direction, length, color, and fiducial markings which aid in assembly later on.

Patterning #

The tape pattern is carefully removed, laid flat on the fur, and traced. This process often involves cutting “darts” to accommodate the curvature of the model, similar to UV mapping techniques.

Duct Tape Dummy #

For full-body suits, a duct tape dummy is essential for achieving a tight fit. We plan to create our own tutorial to simplify this process, making it accessible for everyone.

Body Padding #

Once the dummy is ready, we apply foam to enhance the body’s shape according to the character design. This too can be 3D printed and cast for consistency.

Eye Blanks #

We measure the outer curvature and size of the model’s eyes, inputting these dimensions into a program we developed to generate custom eye blank models. These are then 3D printed in white PLA plastic.

Printing Iris #

The iris designs are printed on thin PVC sheets with 0.5mm perforations, balancing vivid color with optimal visibility.

Cutting and Stitching the Fur #

The fur pieces are labeled according to length and grouped by color. We pre-shave the fur inside a controlled environment to prevent microplastic release. Each piece is then clipped together using the fiducial marks, and test-fitted to the foam base.

Gluing Process #

The fur, once stitched, is meticulously pinned to the foam and glued from the nose backward using a mix of low-temperature hot glue, contact cement, and superglue.

Finishing Process #

Finally, all fur is glued and a last shave is given to tidy up and ensure uniformity. The fur is also stitched to the internal liner to reduce sweat ingress, completing the transformation.

Conclusion #

There you have it! From a digital avatar to a physical, wearable work of art. Please chime in and let us know if you have any methods you would like to share, or questions you want to ask us! Join our community and let’s innovate together!

Remember, we’ll dive into each technical area of this project with a blog post, so I hope to see you all checking back for the next episode soon ^{.^}

chow!