Pelting Tool
 

Has anyone here ever used the Maya Pelting tool? I can't figure out how to use it. The videos and the tutorials seem kind of hard to understand and the pictures are too small.

I am surprised no answer yet, well the pelting tools are a great set of tools to do UVs. Although you will run into tweaking the UVs sooner or later. Haha:p

First try to read the documents. And pause and see what he is doing in the videos. They are very simple to follow. But to get a full character pelt right is not that easy.

Ok enough blabble. Here is how you do it.

First select the mesh and create a pelt grp.
(just give a name)

Then start to cut the edges that will be the opening.
(Open the menu to find more options cut edges , merge)

Here is where i start to seperate the parts that i want to pelt.

But for easy sake.. i will go on first.

Then start to add contigous edges.
(this is where the border edge color changes)

Select the reference vertex and enter it.
(you can actually ignore this part, but if you want accuracy or better pelt then enter it)

Now you set the walklenght and other attr.. and click on pelt.
(you should see a circle created)

Adjust the circle by the pelt tools. If you are pelting in the y or x axis.

Now make sure you are running play every frame in your timeline prefs.

Give an end val of 1000 frames or more.

Click on play to see the skin pelting.

Adjust some more.. UV tiles and shader and more....

Then once you are happy click remove pelt complete

I would then export the mesh and reimport it into a new scene.. For clean sake.

-------------------------------------- Thats all
:attn: :attn:

Ok now if you are pelting a creature or some full character.. then click on select shell and then move the body parts to a different location.

Once you have done that, click replace list to work on the parts.

Ok i find that i work on the smaller parts first and then go back to the parents.

If you dont find your uvs in the texture editor,, try zooming out,, cause new UVs are placed in sequence...

Ok i have attached an image of a creature which i have pelted..

Hope this helps.

Ohhhhhhhhh the play button. I was wondering how the heck he got that thing to pelt. IT's completely outside of the video. Looks so cool. Thanks man, I'll be playing with this agian. :)

oh and what's reference vertex and walklength?

You got AIM or msn?

Sorry, dont have either,, busy with production as it is now...

Oh well i dont really texture that much,, i more of a modeller and VFX person that texturing...

But to my understanding,, the walklenght is a kind of a calculation that happens. Its like the cpsovler scale you have in maya cloth...

Haha... told you i am not into UVs and texturing,,

The reference vertex is more for a center or 0 axis point of reference that it takes. Dont really need one. But its there,,, I have tried both with and without it... And in many times it just helps in giving my no flipping problems and gives a better pelt.

Ok good luck with the pelting...

But somehow not all things that are free seem good,,, Hahah

You will end up thinking,, i need to re UV this guy according to my style that i texture....

Oh well thats another story,
Kumar