"Template For Cutting Doors Windows For 15mm Foam Buildings?" Topic

I seem to recall a video a couple of years ago that highly suggested using a template to overlay your foam board and make sure that doors, windows and even upper floors were marked, cut and done quickly, evenly and accurately.

Anyone know what I'm talking about?

I imagine they were using 5mm foam board, so the floors must have been marked at 25mm. Plus the 5mm, that would make a 30mm distance between floor surfaces.

I can't remember if they suggested using cardboard or something harder for making the windows and door templates. Or what the standard distances should be.

Thanks,

Dan

Maybe buy a cheap pre-cut foam core building and use that?

muggings could possibly laser up some templates|

regards

muggins

I'm not a construction contractor, so I'm not sure if these dimensions are realistic at all:

link

Of course, that means that I really have no clue if they translate into any practical use at all in 15mm model building applications.

With the 15mm figures set raised on washers and bases, I think that's equivalent to adding 3mm or so to the bottom of walls. But what do I know, right?

link

link

I haven't found any useful office or residential space cross section images yet. Still looking. Haven't given up the search yet.

Dan

So assuming modern standards of 6 feet 8 in for a door height, that is very close to 2 meters, so in 15mm (about 1/100 scale)[ 2m = 2000mm so 20mm (or 2cm) for a 15mm scaled door].

Widths vary, but typical for outside door is 36" = 914mm so you 15mm scale door is 9.14mm

Thanks! And then add another 3mm or so to the bottom of those walls, to compensate for washers/bases, right?

Would that work? That should keep the bottom edge of most windows right at around waist or crotch height to a based 15mm figure.

This is the kind of stuff I would love to make, but for 15mm figures instead of 28mm:

link

The goal is to use the "templates" for both foam core and styrene sheets.

Dan

Dan,
Check out the out "Major General's" page, he had a template for make simple buildings, the doorways as I recall were smaller than true 25mm.

15mm =1:100

1/8" architectural scale = 1:96… close enough to model within 4%

Either way a drafting supply house would have 1/8" architectural or 1:100 metric.

Note: 25mm Floor to Floor height is much too short. Use a minimum of 30mm or as much as 40mm for tall ceilings.

6'8" door head height is ok for more modern construction, but check Google Earth Streetview to get an idea of more common European pre-war construction. My current favorites are villages in the Alsace.

Have fun modeling.

Litko makes 1.5 mm and 0.8 mm thick bases IIRC.

Select material then you see the 6 (depth or material which includes the 3 base depth options (3 mm, 1.5 mm, and 0.8 mm) – I prefer 1.5 mm for 15 mm myself. I find 3 mm works for "bigger" stuff and 0.8 works for 3 or 6 mm basing

The add-on bases I use are pretty thin. The integral bases on the figures aren't always as thin as I'd like. That's why I was using the 3mm allowance as an average.

Dan
PS. In my on-going search, I came across these, downloadable in 4 different scales, in case anyone here is interested:
link

Guys,

I REALLY wish someone would sell an 8.5" x 11" PDF of this, for 15mm:

link

Hopefully something like this, but using the 15mm dimensions already discussed above?

More:

link

Dan

@Cacique, thanks for that link, very useful.

DEar Dan or anyone else

If someone provides the dimensions I can do a PDF for them, I would use same software I do to do my laser design.

Regards

MMG.

Dan you should start a blog with all this wonderful research you do. It'd be a wonderful resource.

Antoninus: "Dan you should start a blog with all this wonderful research you do. It'd be a wonderful resource."

Thanks! I've thought about doing that, a long time back. I don't know much about starting a blog or managing one …

But that would either limit my access to all the TMP wisdom I get here or, if I did post to both TMP and to the blog, that would be twice the work, right?

Dan

CC: I must agree, you'd have an awesome blog resource with all the quality ideas and research, you should really go for it! blogging aint that hard, and no doubt cross promotion with TMP would do wonders to gain you loads of readers and views too!
I'm sure if you needed any help or advice on the whole blogging thing there would be plenty here to lend you a hand!!

Not sure if this is applicable or not, but Irregular miniatures makes doors and windows etc to go with foam core or wood blocks to make your own buildings. These might save you a lot of time and I think are worth a look. You would not have to precision cut everything, just place them where you want them.

Allen

Is there any easier way to cut out the windows and doors from foamcore buildings, other than an Xacto knife and hard work?

Guys, check out some photos I took to compare a based 15mm figure to the windows and door of a plastic HO house:

TMP link

Dan