I tried PatternImage but couldn't get it to work. Any ideas? There Must be something out there.

Blender is a free 3D tool and there are lots of tutorials available online that teach you how to build a 3D model from your drawings. You can then take the 3D model and "unfold" in either manually in Blender (I don't recommend this) or use software like Pepakura Designer to build a pattern from it.

Here's an example of someone who did a project like that:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?-WBGxLB2NEg" target="youtube">YouTube Video</a>

Honestly though, there really isn't a good way to generate patterns automatically. In theory at least there are a lot of ways you could build a 3D model from your drawings and then flatten it, but I don't think the results will ever be as good as what you get from trial by error and doing it manually.

What type of shape are you trying to pattern?

I'd really like to be able to put in any design. I really don't have any problem working on a single head from scratch, I'd just like to streamline the process.

I am curious why Pattern Image did not work for you?  It is doing the same thing as Andrew mentioned above really.

Actually, truth be told, after I downloaded it, I couldn't get it to boot up. That's why I couldn't use it. Have you used it? Or do you know of anyone that has?

Well I am not sure about the current version offered in the link I posted, but I know when it first came out a couple folks played with it.  I spent about a day playing around with it but like Andrew said it just does not seem to take into effect the challenges of puppet making.   I think maybe it might be ok for figuring out simple shapes and how to pattern them though.

I'm not sure what your needs are but perhaps you're trying to reinvent the wheel a bit. Have you tried Project Puppet? They offer some great patterns that serve as an excellent launching point. But when it comes to making your own patterns the Play Soup series that Dave Privett put together are an excellent tool! In them he teaches you how to take ANY original design and bring it to life as a puppet, making a pattern along the way. Unfortunately I don't think there is an easy way to just take a design, plug it into software and have it generate patterns for puppet construction. But let me know if you find such a thing!

The Play Soup DVDs are a great suggestion. There really is no substitute for learning to pattern properly. I personally find Dave's methods slightly more complicated than they need to be, but his DVDs are probably the best tool out there for learning how to make original patterns.

Thanks, Andrew. I think the DVD is the direction I'll move in. Original designs mean original patterns, at least to me. I think the Project Puppet patterns are a goood idea and all, but I think I want to own the pattern and therefore the archetype.

I agree Andrew that Daves' methods can be a bit complicated (Man his eye mech is WILD!) but as you say a great place to start. And I wanted to add that Daryl over at StiqPuppets covers making a puppet from an original design in his video series. I don't recall if he's covered creating a pattern for an original design...yet.
http://playsoup.com/store/video.htm
http://www.youtube.com/user/StiqPuppets

The Foam Book also teaches you the basics without having a pre-designed pattern. In fact, a lot of the book is about you creating your own pattern and how to get shapes out of foam.

Yeah the Foam Book is great. That was one of my first aquisitions. I really want to be able to consistently produce the same character(s) and so a pattern is really the way to go. I know I could always create a puppet and then dissect it to make a pattern, but it's hard to bring myself to uncreate what I just created.

Jeff,
I know it can be hard to disassemble something but that may be the best way to get your pattern.   I normally try to pattern as I go but often I end up altering the final foam or fabric itself to get what I want. I try to translate those changes to the pattern I made but that does not always work out.

What I sometimes do is make the pattern as I go. Taking measurements where necessary or creating a paper pattern after the fact. That way I'm not going to need to dissect anything afterwards, and I still have something I can build from later. This is how I work with a lot of my tutorials on my site, because a lot of the time I don't exactly know what I'm making and how, and even more so, a lot of the time I need to go back and fix something so the instructions/results are better. Sometimes it's just a matter of remembering what I did, and not so much making a pattern; I always have a notepad so I can write down any instructions that would help me in the future.