[magatsu1]

Yup. Time again for much Lith induced head scratching.
So I've applied a checker map to my model and I can see where textures are stretched. I can see in TS too but now I'm sure.

So, is it a case of applying whichever type of mapping to specific faces to "unstretch" 'em ?
The other thing is if I scale down the whole map to fit into the UV grid the checkers are so big I can't tell what the hell I'm doing.

Help, anyone ?

[Taristin]

If a face is stretched, it's because the amount of texture isn't enough for the width of the poly. You can usually fix it manually by moving one side or point out a little more. It's mainly touch & go though.

[KARMA]

??? if you use Lith you are already supposed to use specific UVs and materials for different areas....so....

[magatsu1]

I was a little hasty posting this thread, I think I've almost got this sussed.
Got another prob though (*insert groan here*)
After mapping, I try to paint in TS but the texture looks awful, more like a block of colour at super low res. than an actual texture.
If I texture before hand Lith doesn't like it.
Any ideas where I'm going wrong ?

[Unknown Target]

Don't texture in TS? Try doing all the junk you have to do in TS, export it as a cob, edit it with Lith, and then export it as a pof

[magatsu1]

Originally posted by magatsu1
If I texture before hand Lith doesn't like it.

and usually runs supa-dupa slow, if at all.

[karajorma]

Magatsu. The problem is that you're using Lith as a UV editing tool. I can understand why you're doing that cause the UV functions of TS3.2 suck big donkey bollocks compared to those of TS5.0 and  later versions but even so using Lith in this way isn't the best way to use it.

Lith isn't really a UV editing program. It's a UV mapping program. The idea is that you export the entire UV map as a series of coloured templates which you then colour in using PSP or PhotoShop.  Have a look at the maps for any of the [V] fighters or bombers and you'll see what a Lithed map should look like.

If you simply want to get a better UV map to apply tiles to (which lets face it is much easier for newbies to Lith like me and you) then you'd be better off using TS5.0 instead.

[magatsu1]

As it happens I've just ordered TS v5 a few minutes ago.
I thought the maps you describe kara were all donw with box mapping, as apposed to decal, planar etc.

Won't matter soon hopefully though.

Ta.

[IPAndrews]

You'll find you still have to get your head around what karajorma just told you, no matter what program you do your uv mapping in.

[magatsu1]

I'm quite happy with what I'm doing in Lith, it just appear to be appropiate when applying tiles.

I'll see what I make of TS5.

[karajorma]

With TS5.0 you won't need Lith just to edit a UV map. Hoever learning how to Unwrap will result in a much nicer looking ship than simply adding tiled textures in TS.

[KARMA]

Originally posted by magatsu1

I thought the maps you describe kara were all donw with box mapping, as apposed to decal, planar etc.

 

no way.
you just select a group of faces (usually a group of connected faces sharing the same orientation) and apply a planar uvmap to them, then scale/move the uvmap in the uvspace. Do the same for many group of faces until you cover all the uvspace.
If you need more uvspaces, you can add more materials.
Continue untile you assign an uvspace on a texture to each single poly of your ship.
Once finished export the uv templates and use em to draw your textures and apply the texture using either lith or TS.

You can use lith to make tiles, select the group of faces that will use the same texture, assign a texture in the material properties (the texture will be applyed to the model in lith and you will not need to use TS for this), to decide the amount of uv repetitions just scale up the uvcoordinates of the polys, if a uvcoordinate is double the vert size of the texture, the texture will be repeated twice on the vertical axis

[magatsu1]

I'm actually quite happy mapping in TS 4 now, using the Claigari "brick" texture as a guide, the interface feels really clumsy though.

I hope v5 is better or this is gonna take ages.

[Taristin]

v5 will allow you to do real UV mapping, like on Volition fighters.

[KARMA]

doubt so, since there isn't an unwrapper in ts5. There is an unwrapper in ts6, but it suck.
Well you can do it without an unwrapper (I did it once) but you increase by 10 the time spent in it

[Taristin]

...I did so. You select which faces you wish to work with, and then hit the edit UV button. It's more work, yes, but you can do it.

[magatsu1]

but right now I'm not interested in fighters. I'm more into medium cruiser/covette size craft.

[Taristin]

Then the UV tools and texture tools are basically identical. What is it you're trying to do?

[magatsu1]

I'm correcting texture stretching like this.
The tools can do it, but the Lith interface is much better.

[Taristin]

It's usually easier to just use a cubic map on the whole mesh, and then work from there. I usually make a cubic map with a size of 1^3 so that it's uniform all the way around.