Aligning edge-loops in the UV editor?

[Skalman]

Here's what I'm doing:

http://i40.tinypic.com/2ll0cc5.png

(ignore the painting I did. I solved that problem :) )

To make me feel comfortable painting this in photoshop later on I'd like to have my uv-map straight, i found the align uv's to maximum U/V value, and I could be going through every edge-loop in the U-direction and just align all of them, but that would be a pain in the ass to do, especially in the future where I might have more polygons. So is there a way to select all of my UV's and just make them all straight? (i tried to do a planar mapping (X/Z direction) and then unfold them horizontaly but that did not make them all straight..)

I found some dude with the same question as me: http://forums.cgsociety.org/archive/index.php/t-708600.html

But i can not quite seem to get the script that jaydru posted in the comments to work .. this is an old topic so i guess this script would be outdated (?).

[Skalman]

should have named the topic "aligning multiple edge-loops in the uv editor?"..

[Jay]

Not al uvs behave as you want first time you unwrap them. For starters its an awkward shape. Select the offend ing uvs and then use the lattice tool as much as you can to align them then keep jumping back and forth between the lattice and the unfold command, it will get there...just dont expect it to be perfect on this sort of object

Jay

[CollinBishop]

Ninja UV will straighten them all horiz and vertical. Can get it on CreativeCrash. This is the easiest answer to your problem. You can do it the way Jay has stated. But this tool will get the job done and free up time in your day to do other things besides staring at a computer screen.

I am not here trying to sell this product. I get no money in saying this. Just telling you what I use on a daily basis to create straightened UV's. It also comes with a function to equalize spacing on the map if you are worried about pixel perfect stretching and want to fix it fast. This is a tool I use constantly with Roadkill (Free Program/Script). I hope this helps you and makes you a better artist.

Ninja UV Maya Script - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rgQ1bdbRc0)

[Jay]

I will just state, that despite all these cool tools that are available, not even all the big houses in London use these types of tools, Im at Framestore right now and its day to day Maya. We do have an in house unwrap but its swings and roundabouts so its not all wine and roses.

So my point is to get your head around the fundamentals of unwrapping uvs in Maya, especially if its all new to you, then you will understand whats happening and why. Once you learn the hard way you can get onto the scripts and plugins way and everything is easier, you will know how to fix stuff if it just happens to go wrong -which it can sometimes do.....


as you were....

also with alignment there are the alignment icons in the uv editor. for left, right, up or down

Jay