[Starman01]

Hey there,

while working on my current or new models within the last few months, I realized (slowly) that my modelling-skills are now being limited again by my texturing skills (and the HTL-FSO), because I can only texture with tilling-method.

So I have to  face the reality and must learn how UV-Mapping works at all. Of course no one here can give me a "just do this"-explanation, but I need a point where I can start.

My Goal is to create combined map-files for rather complex models, but how should I begin, I have not really a clue how I should set the UV-Space in Truespace, when I have a complex texture-file (I'm already working with easy combined maps, i.e. a file where the upper part is the hanger-top, and the lower part is the runway, that's working fine).

I'm pretty sure, that no one draws the map-file first and then add it in truespace using the trail-and error-method (that would take ages IMO, and would cost me the rare rest of my hair).

I would appreciate any advice, and especially links to tutorials etc.

What I have currently available in Software is : TS 5.1 and Photoshop 5.2 (because I like it more than PS 7), do I need anything else ?

This may sound stupid, but again, I need only a good starting point and maybe some links, the rest I will somehow figure out myself

Thanks in advance.

Starman©

[Taristin]

I forget, is it 5 or 6 (of TS) with the UV editer built in?  I thik it's 6. But if 5 doesn't have it, you'll need a program that can do UVing, like Lithunwrap...

[Lynx]

EDIT: Damn!

[Lynx]

I don't know about any specific UV Editor, I texture all my models with TS5 with normal selecting faces and rotating the UVmap to make it fit.

As for the tiling it can be easily done with combining all tiles into one, you'll see it when I send you the revised Caernavon and Jutland.

Oh and if I were you I'd avoid Lithiumunwrap, it's the worst piece of feces I've encountered for some time.

[Starman01]

I'm already using some of your maps for reference, and the capship-maps are somehow logic to me, at least most of them(that way I'm doing our old hangar-texture). But your fightermaps seems to be awfully complicated to me, and truespace will certainly not be your friend in this, maybe I will annoy you a few times in the future.

But escpecially with our more complex hangars, I need special UV-Mappings to fight the textures with the hangar-boxes.

BTW, I have also TS 6.5 at hand, is this better ? I had some strange problems with crashing and corrupt object-files with it, so I'm currently using TS 5 again (seems like objects from 6.5 cannot be downgraded to TS5 either).

[Swamp_Thing]

Originally posted by Lynx
I don't know about any specific UV Editor, I texture all my models with TS5 with normal selecting faces and rotating the UVmap to make it fit.

That´s how i do it too, because i don´t know better!


If only someone would tell me how to then turn the resulting textures to a 1024x1024 map...

[Roanoke]

Look at this thread

[Lynx]

Originally posted by Swamp_Thing


That´s how i do it too, because i don´t know better!


If only someone would tell me how to then turn the resulting textures to a 1024x1024 map...

Heheee, it's so frigin easy. I take renders from top, aft, front and sideview and then cut whole parts like a wing out of that render and put them all toghether in one map. THEN  I'll start UV-mapping it.

It's very easy that way, it usually takes me twenty minutes or so to mapl a fighter like that, and to further make it easy I'll map just one side, cut the model ahalf, mirror it and glue it together, et vòila, a fully UVmapped model(select a few faces in the middle of the ship you'll have to fix manually but that's it).

[Col. Fishguts]

Originally posted by Lynx
Oh and if I were you I'd avoid Lithiumunwrap, it's the worst piece of feces I've encountered for some time.

Burn the heretic ! BURN HIM !  

Lith is your friend

If IP's tutorial seems too complicated to you, just make a simple model and play around with it in Lith and you'll see how it works very quickly.

[Lightspeed]

LithUnWrap is a great tool.

[KARMA]

just think that uvmapping is like peeling a potato and then stretching the pieces of skin over one or more planes:)

[Starman01]

Thanks for this nice mind-picture (potato-peeling), but I'm well informed what UV-Mapping is, I just don't know 100% how to to do that

Actually it works pretty well the way Lynx's doing it, even if it is the trail-and-error method about how to set the correct UV-Coordinates.

To be honest, my biggest problem is as follows : (those shots are only for explanation, the real stuff looks 100 times better )

1) This here is my theoreticall mapfile. The lower part is the hangar-wall


2) This is the hangar, you see that the hangar-wall thing is repeating 5 times, actually something you would normally use a tiling-texture.


Using some map-part, which can be drawn on a single face is pretty easy, but how can I do it when I have some sort of repeating texture like the hangar-wall below ? Can the UV-Space for the hangar-face (only 1 face) copied or multiplied, or must I have the face divided into several ones ? The button for the UV-Space in Truespace does not have any setup-features.

[Lightspeed]

GAH, my eyes! Those textures deserve to die.

[Starman01]

This wasn't very helpful.

I told you, this is only for explaining my problem, I have no intention showing off our cool hangarmaps to the public at this point of development

[Lynx]

Originally posted by Lightspeed
LithUnWrap is a great tool.

Yeah, it's great for me to poop on.

If you are mapping anything more complex than a cube you have to fix enough faces afterwards that it'd been faster if you had just done it in TS. I tried to like it, but it's just horrible.

Only women and wusses use Lith, real men texture in TS!

And Starman, I'll show you how to make a good hangarmap as soon as whoever creeps around at our server leaves.

Oh, and Lightspeed, those are just placeholder maps since fainthearted people would be threatened by the aweinspiring highres beauty of our real hangar maps.

[Lynx]

Hey Starman here's how to pack all hangar maps into one file(size reduced not to reveal too much of it):



You'll recognize most of the parts, but there's also textures for the fighter elevator ceiling, roof and(not yet) floors in it and that texture that looks like hangarwall but a bit different is for parts where the hangar wall isn't at full height for whatever reason.

[Starman01]

Originally posted by Starman01
Using some map-part, which can be drawn on a single face is pretty easy, but how can I do it when I have some sort of repeating texture like the hangar-wall below ? Can the UV-Space for the hangar-face (only 1 face) copied or multiplied, or must I have the face divided into several ones ? The button for the UV-Space in Truespace does not have any setup-features. [/B]

Thanks, I already learned that after checking out your way of doing things (you would be suprised what I already have ) but this quote above is actually my last big problem. How do you create these, for example for the hangar-floor and the hangartop ? Do you draw several faces and UV-Map each seperatly or can this UV-Button in TS can create some sort of multiplication (similar to tilling) ?

BTW, could you mail me the new floor and top-maps of the new jutland-hangar ? Creating a good floor-map is my biggest problems, since it needs much photoshoping

[Lynx]

First you'll have to select that part of the texture you want to have(in this case the runway, but since everythings on the same texture you can choose anything else from it), then select the face/group you want to texture with it, apply a cuvic or planar UV map an set the repeats(=how often the same part of the texture is repeated over the selected face)

[Starman01]

Hm, this is also clear to me, but how should I make a repeat of a texture-part, if there is something different in the detail-map besides it. The way you show here the example-texture is pretty simply, because you packed everything vertically, but when I have different part alligned together horizontal, I can't do it that way.

It is obviously hard to explain. I will open a thread in the internal, there I can show you what I'm working on, and we can also communicate in german, should make things easier in this case

On the other hand my question is also answered by myself, since
I used polygon-draw to create aditional faces which I can now UV-map seperatly, and by the polycount of our models a few additional faces wont hurt anyone

[KARMA]

bah, if you aren't able to use lithunwrap properly, then blame yourself, and not the program;)
if you are going to map anything more complex than a cube without an unwrapper you are going to make a weird job or you are going to waste your time.
And I tryed both ways already.
Using an uveditor (lith or any other) just mean to have full controll over the uvs AND the textures, without trials and errors.
Bwt I guess that anybody is free to choose the way he's more confident with.