First-Time Maya 6.5 User Needs UV/Texture Help
 

Well, I read the "How to ask questions the smart way" thread, and feel that I am ready to ask my question to you experienced Maya users. First let me say that I only started using Maya yesterday, so I am EXTREMELY new to 3D graphics and such. I watched the free tutorial video from this website dealing with creating textures in Photoshop through the use of UVs, and that piqued my interest. I want to attempt to create a texture for the temple I created in the Maya 6.5 tutorial, but I don't really know how to get all of the UVs for this temple into one set or how to extract the UVs to Photoshop. I scoured the help section of Maya, but couldn't really find what I was looking for. I also searched for tutorials dealing with this type of thing, but with no luck. If any of you could assist me in this matter I would be extremely grateful :bow: .

I just want to say that so far this has been an excellent resource in learning a little about Maya and I hope to hang around here as I gain more experience and learn more about the program through both gained experience and help from ya'll.

*pants after writing a very long first post*

I needed to learn more about playing with UV's and watched mr mkinleys UV video tutorial at:
http://www.mtmckinley.net/

Go to tutorials, modelling, polygon texturing, download and have a watch.

Basic concept which I didnt realise was that each time say, you do a planar map, it doesnt make copies of the uvs in the uv editor, it uses the same ones. Simple fact but till I realised I was confused...
Good luck :)

Hey, thanks! I'll take a look at that video later today. Thanks for the help :)

If anyone else wants to add some more tutorials, however, that's fine with me ;)

Ok, a few things. Great video, really explanatory, I just hope isn't too obsolete considering I have Maya 6.5 and it was done on Maya 4.5 (I believe he said). I am now trying to do some UV mapping, but whenever I try to do mapping with Planar Mapping it is stated: "Warning: subdProjection works on subd faces. Select them and invoke the command." When I try to use Automatic mapping, it states: "Warning: Subdiv Surfaces Texture projection works only on subdiv surfaces or subdiv surface faces." I don't know why it is doing this.

A second question I had was, "How do I UV map half spheres and the like, since I can't display faces on them?"

Thanks!

Edit: Oops, I forgot. I have one more question. In the video by McKinley, it shows the wireframe, but not a see-through wireframe, but a wireframe with a grey surface on the model. On my version of Maya I can either have wireframe or smooth shade, but not both. Is this OK?

maybe there are different techniques with sub-div modelling (I've only used polygon modelling at the moment).
Though it might be wrong I know you can covert sub-d to polygons and back but I haven't tried it :(

I dont fully understand the last question. Do you want the wireframe to be a different colour even when viewing the filled in model? There are some settings in the general preferences somewhere that allow you to colourise the edges but I dont know exactly where - anyone know?

Hi there, welcome to SM.

It sounds like you are trying to map your polygons using sub-d mapping tools rather than polygon ones. To map your polys, just use the projection tools under edit polygons -> texture .

About the sphere question, if your can't select the faces of your sphere it sounds like you have made a NURBs sphere, rather than a poly one. You don't use UV mapping for NURBs surfaces, you use different texturing methods.

I think you mean that Mike was using wireframe on shaded option, so that you can see the wire frame of your object whilst still being in shaded mode. To turn this option on, make sure you are in shaded mode (press 5 on your keyboard), then (in Maya 6.5) go to shading under the panel menu, and turn on wireframe on shaded .

Hope this clears up a few things, good luck :D

LisaG

Thanks for the welcome :)

Quote:

It sounds like you are trying to map your polygons using sub-d mapping tools rather than polygon ones. To map your polys, just use the projection tools under edit polygons -> texture .

OK, that was my problem. I was going to subdiv surfaces --> texture instead of edit polygons --> texture. I thought, though, that Mike used subdiv surfaces in his tutorial. (After watching the tutorial again I can see that he actually did use edit polygons --> texture.)

Quote:

About the sphere question, if your can't select the faces of your sphere it sounds like you have made a NURBs sphere, rather than a poly one. You don't use UV mapping for NURBs surfaces, you use different texturing methods.

Yes, I have half a NURBS sphere squashed down to make the roof of the temple, and I couldn't map it. Is there an easy way to map NURBS surfaces?

Quote:

I think you mean that Mike was using wireframe on shaded option, so that you can see the wire frame of your object whilst still being in shaded mode. To turn this option on, make sure you are in shaded mode (press 5 on your keyboard), then (in Maya 6.5) go to shading under the panel menu, and turn on wireframe on shaded . Hope this clears up a few things, good luck :D LisaG

Ok, so I turned on wireframe on shading, but I still cannot see the wireframe when the object is shaded. I mean, when I turn wireframe on shading on, I can see the slightest change in the edges of my pillar cubes, but not enough to do me any good.

I think I can answer your questions.

Firstly lets deal with most simple one - the wireframe on shaded.

In your window that you want to see the wireframe on - open shading then click on wireframe on shaded. There is also a smooth wire frame function that makes it abit cooler if you want to use that.

As a further little option to all this - If you are in wireframe mode but it all looks alittle messy and complex then go to DISPLAY>CUSTOM POLYGON DIPSLAY and click the little box. When the menu pops up firstly click on OBJECTS AFFECTED>ALL, then move down to the bottom move the Backface Culling option box from OFF to ON and then at the top under where you selected ALL before make sure BACKCULLING is selected. This makes it look kinda like shaded mode but wireframe aswell.

Next question. NURBS are not like polygons and they are generated with their own UV coordinates already unwrapped and you place textures on like decals on a model.

So firstly open up the Hypershade which is in WINDOW>RENDER EDITORS>HYPERSHADE and create a material which ever one suits your purposes i.e LAMBERT/BLINN then assign it to the piece of geometry that you are wanting to map? I think you said a Dome. You can do that by dragging it with your middle mouse button onto the Dome. Then back in Hypershade click on the material you just made, this will bring up its attribute editor in Maya - if not in Maya press CtrlA once or twice. Then next to the colour (I am english (color)) slider is a checker box click it. The create render node box appears, click on the file tab. ****before you do this it gets abit more complex on the top of the create render node box there is a selection you need to make, whether you want your file you use the inherent UV coordinates of the NURB surface (normal) to cover the surface, or (projection) if you want to make your own one much like how you to polygon UV projections kinda. Find the 2dplacetexture node then mess with this until you have the placement of the texture on the surface you want. I suggest using the interactive placement button and doing it that way. If you cannot find the 2dplacetexture node in Hypershade click on it if you can see it, if you cannot click on the file node then in the attributes box the tab should be there. Their are other ways but thats not the question.

Sorry if this seemed too simplistic for you, I am not sure what level you are at.

Gtea
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fear is the mind killer
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Well, the wireframe on shaded option didn't work for me, but I will try the second method you reccommended later today.

As for the NURBS texture render information, it definitely wasn't too simplistic :p I am a complete noob so tiny words are good hehe. I will try to implement that information later; thanks very much.

EDIT: I managed to use your advice to put a texture on my dome, but was wondering, what do I do if I want to design a specific texture with certain details in certain areas? How do I get these specific things to show up exactly where I want them?

I have yet another question (sorry to be a bug but I'm a slow learner). How do I UV map a cube? I first did automatic mapping and without linking anything, transferred the UV to photoshop and created a texture. When I applied the texture however, it didnt fit properly (which I am assuming is do to me not linking all of the sides in this one object - the cube). Next, I tried to link all of the sides, but found that to be a difficult task with results that would be hard to manage in photoshop. Is there an easy way to UV map a cube, or any other polygonal surface of that shape such as a rectangle?

Man, I can't believe it still wont work for me when I try to turn on wireframe on shaded. Such a simple thing, but without it working it is so much harder to do things.

the best way to map a cube is not to. When a shape is generated each vertices is assigned a uv coordinate - the reason for UV mapping by projections is to put order into complex model. - However a cube has perfectly fine UV coords already. So, generate your cube and assign it a material then select it and look in uv editor, you should have large UV's. Select UV picker overall the uv's and scale down so they all fit in the top right hand square, snapshot your uvs and paint away.

Nice and easy. I recommend buying Learning Maya 6 Foundation - you can get it from amazon quite cheaply, it is exellent for starters then move onto maybe doing some of the simplymaya stuff. Dont try to run before you can walk.

Thanks very much Gtea. So this book, Learning Maya 6 Foundation, it will teach me alot of useful information? I was going to buy Maya 6 Killer Tips, but if you think this book would be good, I guess I should probably learn the basics first.