Could UV unwrapping possibly suck anymore!

# 1 13-10-2007 , 07:09 PM

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God UV unwarpping is such a pain in the bloody ass!

I spent 15 hours today trying to unwrap the cabin of the mech I am working on and in the end it was all wasted time because I got the textures all warped and could not fix it.

I don't know what the hell to do. I want to texture my models but unwrapping is just too hard.

In a hard surface mech there are a ton of either beveled edges or edge very close together to knock off the razor sharp edges of the model but it then makes it impossible to unwrap.

There is no way I am going to sit there and click every single tiny face on each surface to unwrap. It's just retarded.

I could right the damn automatic mapping algorithm. Just make a UV shell for every single polygon in the god damn model!!!

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# 2 13-10-2007 , 07:40 PM

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CT , try using a planar map for each side of the body.Just select the front faces and map it then follow on with the two sides and top and bottom, you will end up with maybe a little unwrapping but with only about 6 pieces to sew together.
UV mapping is all about picking the best projection for the object you want to unwrap and you don't have to map the whole object at once if you just select the faces you need at any given time.
Hope this helps a little regards J.S.

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Last edited by jsprogg; 13-10-2007 at 10:55 PM.

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# 3 13-10-2007 , 07:48 PM

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How many time are you going to post this stuff up about how you hate UV mapping.

Look into the seletion tools, Shells etc etc, then converting these selections try to learn what to do on a more simple model, maybe get a tutorial on it.

Or, as you said, write a script that does what you want it to

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# 4 13-10-2007 , 11:11 PM

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Originally posted by jsprogg
CT , try using a planar map for each side of the body.

Originally Posted by

JS the thing has sides nested within sides nested within side so what 'side' do I map is the problem. Plus look as the highlighted edges, They are all beveled so trying to pick the faces of one 'side' takes hours.

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# 5 13-10-2007 , 11:14 PM

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Originally posted by gster123
How many time are you going to post this stuff up about how you hate UV mapping.

Sorry if my dislike of UV mapping upsets you.

Look into the seletion tools, Shells etc etc, then converting these selections try to learn what to do on a more simple model, maybe get a tutorial on it.

I have been looking for tutorials and all I am finding is pelt mapping on orgranic shapes and NOTHING that really explains maya's UV editor.

Originally Posted by

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# 6 13-10-2007 , 11:19 PM

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F1 does a good job.

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# 7 13-10-2007 , 11:29 PM

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Yeah gster, like it had not occered to me to read the manual. I guess if you like reading 3 pages of techno-babble that could just as easily be explained with one or two simple examples. Half the manual help pages read like...

UV fold - Used to unfold uvs. The selected uvs are unfolded. ... and fifteen more sentences that says uv unfold unfolds uvs. Okay, that's great I just read 20 sentences and I now know uv unfold unfolds uvs. But I still have no freaking clue how to use it or its 50 option properties! I don't need to know what a tool does! I need to know HOW and WHEN to use it!

Also, F1 explains each tool independently and says nothing about workflow and how they are used together.

Read the help on "uv unfold" with no prior knowledge of uv mapping and it may as well be written in ancient sumarian.

Last edited by ctbram; 14-10-2007 at 01:09 AM.

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# 8 14-10-2007 , 12:19 AM

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The help manuals always a good place to start, so what it if goes on, if it didnt I bet people would complain thats it too dumbed down etc etc, also the techno babble might be of some use if your wanting to understand how things work and why they do what they do, for scripting purposes??

I dont think its confusing, not if you read it top down (why would you jump to one section without any prior knowlage of the subject, you dont jump in a car and start driving without knowing what the pedals and the wheel does...)

If your also really confused have a look in the tutorials in the help files, its all there you just need to look and think about each tool and what to do with them.

It is infuriating when it dosent go as amootly as what you think it will, you just need to stick with it taking it one step at a time building up understanding.

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Last edited by gster123; 14-10-2007 at 12:24 AM.

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# 9 14-10-2007 , 01:23 AM

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Personally, I would do as jsprogg suggested. Because, really, how close are people going to get to this thing when you display the final? I would imagine most of the shots you use would show the full body, right? In that case, planar mapping each major side is very valid. Yeah, it'll be stretching in a lot of small crevaces. But if people can't see it, then that really doesn't matter.

Good luck.

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# 10 14-10-2007 , 02:03 AM

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I could swear I tried to planner map the sides but got all wrapped aroudn the axle. The model has a lot of beveling on all the hard edeges and each side has lots of faces extruded out so there are "sides" nested inside sides. So I am finding it difficult to select the faces on the "side".

I also need to figure out how to hide stuff I have already mapped because it's getting majorly confusing. It does not take long to have a jumbled pile of mappings all stacked on top of each other and then its a mess trying to pick them apart.

But I'll keep banging at it.

I still hate it though. I would not mind if UV layout was horrible, and tedious, and labor intensive, if it took a reasonable amount of time. I can deal with a certain amount of pain. But for me I want to model and texture. I see UV layout as drudge work and the fact that I have to put significantly more time in uv unwrapping compared to the time I spend modeling and texturing is just getting me down.

Last edited by ctbram; 14-10-2007 at 02:06 AM.

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# 11 14-10-2007 , 02:17 AM

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Just read your re-edited post, just a little thought on the matter on your part might help, if you know what they do, then think about their applications, or maybe give them a test, rarther than wanting a hand in hand walkthrough of everything.

If you want to hide selections then select the faces that are not mapped in the uv texture editor then goto panels view selected, I would move the comepleted parts outside of the 1:1 area just for ease and then move them back in when everythings finished.

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# 12 14-10-2007 , 05:51 AM

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what I do is add a numbered mapping texture just to the parts selected as I map each part but leave the unmapped parts on the default lambert thus making it easy to see which parts are mapped and which are not .

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# 13 14-10-2007 , 07:03 AM

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Jsprogg,

how do you do that? I'm uv mapping just now too, and sometimes it is assigning the UV to the default shader when I uv (the black and white check). Be good to know how you choose this.

How do you choose which faces are assigned to what surfaces?

thanks,

gubar

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# 14 14-10-2007 , 08:23 AM

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Gubar probably whats happening with you is that under the Create UV's menu you have Assign Shader to each Projection checked, if you uncheck that then it will keep the shader that is currently assigned to the object.
What I do is first create a numbered texture (you could use the checkered shader if you want )in the hypershade, then select the faces on the object I want to map then right click and assign that shader just to those faces and then uv map them.Continue selecting faces and assigning the texture and mapping as you go , because it's the same texture as you UV map the pieces of the same object the texture will just continue seamless, once you have all the pieces mapped sew them as best you can to make a complete UV map, it might be necessary to mabe leave one or even two pieces unsewn but on the same map but genrally you can sew together pretty much everthing leaving seams where you can see them too much.

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# 15 14-10-2007 , 08:57 AM

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I textured the sides I plan to planar map. I have attached screen grabs. Is this a good plan?

For the most part I am only concerned with the seem between the front and side (red/cyan) and the front and botton(red/yellow) and the side and bottom (cyan/yellow) only up to the first corner.

On the side and top extruded bits (I have indicated) I am going to get an unacceptable amount of stretching. How do I deal with those areas?

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Last edited by ctbram; 14-10-2007 at 09:01 AM.

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Could UV unwrapping possibly suck anymore!

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