Complex UV Layout in Maya
Over the last couple of years UV layout in Maya has changed for the better. In this course we're going to be taking a look at some of those changes as we UV map an entire character
# 1 14-06-2008 , 03:33 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 29

is there a way to simply 'create' an edge?

im trying to make a castle, will probably have a slew of simply questions in the comins weeks. i wish there was a maya irc chatroom or something. anyways,

before: user added image
user added image

after bevel:
user added image
user added image

notice the diagonal creases? they arent visible from far away and on the one side, will they be visible once i texture? (i wont be used bump/displacement maps) how can i get rid of them?

i was thinking if i coudl just add edges so its as if there were cubes on top it would work that way. is this possible?

# 2 14-06-2008 , 09:39 AM
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You can use the Split polygon tool to place an edge from one vertex to another.
You should be aiming to model with 4 sided faces and not Ngons (faces with more than 4 sides) as this will help you keep your faces planar (flat) and avoid the diagonal shadows you are seeing.
If you select a line of vertices and scale them in a single direction to the center of the scale tool they will line up with each other.
Another tip is you can snap a vert in line with another but selecting a vert and then highlighting a direction on the move tool and then holding down V on the keyboard and middle mouse button dragging over the vertex you want to snap in line with.
Finally a better way to have created the battlements might have been to extrude them up out of the wall.

I would suggest that you get yourself a very basic tutorial (some are free for download here ) or work your way through the tutorials in the help files (F1 on the keyboard) to get used to the basic modelling tools in Maya.


hope this helps regards J.S.




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# 3 14-06-2008 , 08:28 PM
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thx for the reply, interesting about the scaling bit, is there a way to make it snap to the centre of the tool, or do you just do it by eye? (i tried it by eye, it looks even but im not sure if it is 100% straight)

thx for the snapping vert bit too. very cool.

# 4 15-06-2008 , 07:18 PM
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You can make snapping points with the split polygon tool. So if you had 1 snap point, it would be at 50%. If you had 2 snap points, they would be at 33% and 66%. 3 would be 25%, 50%, and 75% and so on. By changing the snapping tolerance, you can set how "magnetic" these points are - if you set it all the way up, it will only snap to these points.

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