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Armorsmith gives you two distinct ways to preserve your work: saving your project file so you can return and edit it later, and exporting your patterns so you can print or share them. Understanding the difference between these two operations will save you from frustration when you come back to a build weeks later.
Saving a project and exporting templates are not the same thing. Saving stores your full Armorsmith project — avatar, parts, layout, and all settings — in a format you can reopen and continue editing. Exporting produces output files (such as PDFs or print-ready pages) intended for construction use. Always save your project in addition to exporting, so you can make corrections later without starting from scratch.

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Saving Your Project

To save your work at any point:
  • File → Save — overwrites the current project file with your latest changes
  • File → Save As — saves a copy under a new name or location, useful for creating versioned snapshots before major changes
Your saved project file preserves everything: your avatar’s measurements, all attached costume parts, the generated pattern pieces, and your Pattern Layout arrangement. Reopening the file puts you back exactly where you left off.

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Exporting Templates

When you are ready to produce output for printing or sharing, use the export options available from the Pattern Layout editor or File menu. Armorsmith supports the following output paths:

Print Directly

Send your patterns straight to a connected printer from within Armorsmith using the File → Print dialog. No intermediate file is created — the patterns go directly to your printer at the correct scale.

Export as PDF

Export your pattern layout pages as a PDF document. PDFs preserve scale accurately, are easy to share, and can be sent to a print shop or opened on another device for printing later.

Export as Image

Export pages as image files for use in documentation, social sharing, or as a visual reference during your build. Note that image files may not preserve scale as reliably as PDF for actual printing — verify before use.

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Loading PDO Files

Armorsmith can open PDO files — the Pepakura papercraft format — directly. This lets you access the template patterns inside any PDO file without needing to go through the 3D avatar fitting workflow.
1

Open the PDO file

Use File → Import and select your PDO file. Follow the model import guide, then review the imported workspace and its pattern layout.
2

Review the patterns

The patterns from the PDO file appear in the layout just like any other generated templates. You can rearrange, add pages, and adjust the layout as needed.
3

Print or export

Use the standard print or export workflow to produce your patterns from the PDO source.
PDO files from the broader papercraft community can be a great starting point for costume builds. Loading them into Armorsmith lets you take advantage of the layout tools and accurate print settings rather than relying on a separate viewer.
For costumes you plan to revisit, refine, or rebuild, follow this habit:
  1. Save your project file at the end of every work session using File → Save.
  2. Use Save As to create a dated snapshot before significant changes (e.g., helmet-v2-2024-11.armorsmith).
  3. Export a PDF of your final approved layout before printing — this gives you a record of exactly what you printed and lets you reprint later without reopening the project.
  4. Keep your exported PDFs and your project files together in the same folder so nothing gets separated.

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Export fitted 3D models

For Costume to FBX…, use Export costume geometry. This exports 3D geometry rather than flat pattern pages.