Set thickness and form foam in 3D

Use Edit Foam to set thickness, form a piece, choose preview detail, and refresh its costume attachment.

These instructions are for Armorsmith Designer 2.1.1.0. Earlier versions, including 2.1.0.10, can show different panels and labels.

Use Edit Foam → Pattern in Workbench Edit to turn a flat cut pattern into a 3D design. Promote the closed outline first.

Match the foam stock

Thickness and forming affect the 3D preview; the flat cutting outline remains available beside it.

Select the foam pattern and enter Thickness in millimetres. Each pattern keeps its own thickness, including members of the same layer. Choose stock thickness before judging edge depth and physical layer height.

Enable Foam in the pattern tools if its preview is hidden. The outline must be closed, valid, and visible through its parent layers.

Choose a form

Form	Use it for	Control
Flat	A flat plate or a reset to the cut shape	No bend.
Horizontal Bend	Wrapping across the pattern’s flat X direction	Bend (Degrees).
Vertical Bend	Wrapping across the pattern’s flat Y direction	Bend (Degrees).
Spherical Form	A dome or shoulder-like curvature	Radius (mm).

Use the numeric field or slider to adjust the form. A smaller sphere radius gives tighter curvature; a larger radius makes the piece flatter. Stay within the displayed valid range. Use Advanced Forming → Reverse Forming Direction when the piece bends the wrong way.

The flat axes belong to the pattern. Rotating its 3D placement does not change what Horizontal Bend means in those local axes.

For a layer member, forming belongs to the base. Use Edit Base Form to change the shared form instead of treating each raised pattern as an independent bend.

Choose 3D preview detail

Triangle Budget controls the maximum triangles for that solid, including front, back, and sides. The field accepts 64–64,000. Increase it when curved forms or rounded edges need more detail; lower it when many pieces make editing slow.

An unusually complex boundary may still be invalid at a small budget. The cutting outline and layer containment retain their precision independently of this 3D setting.

During a bend/radius slider gesture or placement drag, the preview can temporarily use less detail. Release the control and inspect the finished result before judging smoothness.

Place a base or a raised member

Select the base to place its whole stack in 3D; cutting layout stays independent.

Use the editor’s 3D Placement Translate/Rotate controls in the 3D view. Selecting the base moves its whole stack. A raised member uses local X/Y movement across its base and local Z rotation; see Move a raised pattern.

Paper layout is saved separately. Moving a template in 2D arranges it for cutting; it does not move its raised assembly placement. Resizing or changing the outline changes the physical piece and can make it stop fitting its base.

For several independent armor plates, leave them as separate bases so each has its own forming and placement.

Read the displayed dimensions

The 3D view’s width, height, and depth can describe the combined visible foam geometry, including raised pieces and their spacing. Those formed bounds are different from the width and height of a flat cut outline. Check the measurement you actually need before changing scale.

Attach and refresh the costume

Enable Attach As Part for a base when you want its foam geometry available in Costume. Use the workspace’s Attach To Costume action to fit it to an avatar slot when needed.

After editing foam patterns, use Refresh Costume Meshes to rebuild generated costume geometry. Its existing placement is preserved; mesh edits are replaced. Save a copy before refreshing a part with further mesh adjustments.

Inspect the refreshed part in Costume and save the project. A correct Workshop preview alone does not confirm that the generated attachment is up to date.

Forming does not simulate foam heating, stretch, glue, or springback. Make a physical test, especially for a spherical form, before cutting final material.