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Unfold a piece to foam templates

Flatten a layer or every layer into templates, choose how much distortion to accept, print at true scale with the ruler check, download cut files, project them onto your mat, and follow the build steps.

CosplayersUpdated October 11, 2026
  • ~8 min
  • Comfortable
  • Part 3 of 4

A curved surface can't lie perfectly flat, so unfolding is a trade: more pieces, or a little stretch. Foam forgives a little. Piece Forge says exactly how much it's asking.

Before you start

  • A shaped, fitted piece (see part 2).
  • Each layer's Thickness (cm) set to the foam you'll cut it from.
  • A printer, or a cutting machine, laser or projector.

Unfold it

  1. Open the tab

    Press Unfold to foam. The templates appear straight away.

  2. Pick the layer

    With more than one layer, choose it under Layer, or All layers, on one sheet.

  3. Choose the distortion

    Allow up to …% distortion (2.0% to start). Tighter means more pieces; looser, fewer pieces that stretch more.

  4. Set the paper and tabs

    Paper: A4 or US Letter. Keep pieces within one sheet across stops a strip running off the page. Glue tabs adds tabs to the seams, or set it to off.

  5. Choose the line to trace

    Trace along: Middle of the foam (best — it's the length that doesn't change when foam bends), the outer face or the inner face.

Check it worked

Under the preview: how many pieces, how big the piece is around and up, and …% distortion · … of seam · … of foam. Any problem shows in a list — a piece that curls back over itself, or one too wide for a sheet.

Print it

  1. Open the sheets

    Under Print at true scale, press Open print sheets.

  2. Print at 100%

    In the print dialog, turn off “fit to page” or “shrink to fit”.

  3. Check the ruler

    Measure the ruler at the top of the first sheet: 100mm — measure this before cutting. If it isn't 100 mm, print again.

  4. Trim and tape

    Each sheet is labelled with its row and column. Trim the margins and butt them edge to edge.

Reading a template

Every piece carries the design's name, its layer and the foam thickness. Seam numbers are printed on both halves of each joint with the angle to bevel; cut 2 · mirrored means cut it twice, turning the template over. Dashed lines fold, solid lines cut. More in Print and cut foam templates.

Cut it by machine, or project it

Under For a cutting machine, laser or projector, pick the Material width — a 12 in Cricut or Silhouette mat, or a 300, 400 or 600 mm laser — and press Download cut SVG or Download DXF. Cuts, scores and labels are on separate layers; set the score layer to score or draw, never cut. Project onto your mat opens projector mode: Calibrate by dragging four corners onto a rectangle you know, then Project.

Follow the build steps

Open Build steps at the bottom of the Unfold panel. It lists the order: cut the pieces, score the folds, bevel the edges, close the darts, join each band, lay each layer on, and try it on — by the piece ids and seam numbers on your sheets.

If something's off

“… curls …° when laid flat and will fold back over itself…”
Tighten the distortion, or use Choose the split myself to cut it into more strips.
“This layer covers no surface to flatten…”
Widen the layer's region in the layers panel.
“… is wider than … — the sheet grew to fit…”
Cut that piece from a bigger sheet, or split it narrower.
“Your browser blocked the print window…”
Allow pop-ups for this site, or download the SVG and print it at 100%.

Still stuck? Browse all help or contact us. To report someone or something, use the report action on the relevant profile, post, or session — it sends us the context automatically.