[Grug]

So I'm using the max exporter and thus have my ship made in max and am ready to start texturing.

After this detail level is textured I will proceed onto the high poly detail level.

So, what techniques would people suggest. I'm probably going to try and avoid UV tiling altogether and just go for a UVW unwrap.
In the past, the texture's been there for me, and it was just tweaking of the current one.
I plan on starting from scratch for this new un-wrap however.

So I'm wondering what techniques people use to make an unwrap.
Would it just be render from different angles in wireframe or whatever, and then draw it out in a suitable image program?

Or are there other ways to accomplish such things?

[aldo_14]

Uv-map, extract template, draw on template, apply template to model, tweak UVs to fix any errors.

[Grug]

extract template how? Rendering the views?
Or is there an option in edit uvw's?

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Grug
extract template how? Rendering the views?
Or is there an option in edit uvw's?

Max has a uv exporter tool (IIRC you need to find a plugin for max v4, though).  Set up the UV's with the uwrap uv modifier, then extract when done; you get a nice template output.

[Grug]

I'm using max5.1, and I can't see this tool. Under which menu is it located?

BTW, what's the best size for a fighter's texture?

512x512, 1024x1024, or other?

Oh and will I need another texture for a transparent cockpit?
Will it have to be a tga with an alpha channel? Or just an all green image?
What if a tint is wanted?

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Grug
I'm using max5.1, and I can't see this tool. Under which menu is it located?

Um... 'tools', IIRc.

Originally posted by Grug

BTW, what's the best size for a fighter's texture?

512x512, 1024x1024, or other?

I use 1024*1024 with a 512*512 map for the cockpit and a 256*256 map for the pilot.... I would suggest 512*512 as a bare minimum for the fighter texture nowadays, cockpit and pilot texture sizes are really a matter of preference; I use a fairly high res simply for the in-cockpit view, albeit it has to be said that 512 isn't massively sharp-looking.

Originally posted by Grug
Oh and will I need another texture for a transparent cockpit?
Will it have to be a tga with an alpha channel? Or just an all green image?
What if a tint is wanted?

Yes; use a TGA, or DDS.  You can use partial opacity settings for a DDs (not sure on TGA) apha map, so you can have tinted glass.  i.e. this - http://www.sectorgame.com/aldo/media/gtxf_selkie.jpg - has a red tint around the borders of the canopy.

[Grug]

Kewl, thanks.

I still cannot find any uvw map extracter in any tools or other menu's, but meh.

Thanks again.

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Grug
Kewl, thanks.

I still cannot find any uvw map extracter in any tools or other menu's, but meh.

Thanks again.

What version?

Look for a plugin called - IIRC - textporter, then.  I'm not sure which versions of max have and don't have an exporter, I thought most had it, though.

[Grug]

As I said above max5.1.

I found textporter at http://www.cuneytozdas.com/software/, just in case anyone else wishes to find it.
I don't think it comes with max, as it is a 3rd party programmer.

Anyway, it works now.
But how to use it with a ship is another question. It just makes a pile of overlapped junk.

Do you still have to select each area's faces in order to get something that will make sense?
What settings?
UVMap- Planar?

Thanks for the help btw.

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Grug
As I said above max5.1.

I found textporter at http://www.cuneytozdas.com/software/, just in case anyone else wishes to find it.
I don't think it comes with max, as it is a 3rd party programmer.

Anyway, it works now.
But how to use it with a ship is another question. It just makes a pile of overlapped junk.

Do you still have to select each area's faces in order to get something that will make sense?
What settings?
UVMap- Planar?

Thanks for the help btw.

Select faces in groups, then apply planar uv to that group, then goto the unwrapper modifier (not the exporter) and move the vertices of the map; repeat until done, for each group of faces (it's best you prep it beforehand by assigning faces to group numbers).

i.e. you map the model in bits, moving the uv created about, and at the end take that UV map and arrange it to fit into the texture area, then export a template from that uv.

I'll try and diddle up a very quick tutorial tonight when I finish work.

EDIT; whoa, timewarp.  I had thought Max 5.1 had the exporter tool, guess not.

[Grug]

Ah k, I see what you mean now.

I'll probably work on it over the weekend. I think I will call it a night now though.

Thanks for the help aldo, much appreciated.

[Grug]

Look at all the timewarps weee!

Anyway, I know what I'm trying to do now, and it seems easier than the render-draw version I was trying to do, but I'm having issues with the mapping - unwrap process.

Steps:
1-Select faces of model -> UVW Map (Planar / Z)
2-Apply Unwrap UVW -> Adjust vertices in Edit UVW's
3-Select other faces of model -> new UVW Map?
4-Edit Unwrap UVW -> isn't updated.

The UVW's are overwritten by the next uvw map.
Do I need to apply material channels or something?

Sigh, this is what I get for not using max for over a year...

[aldo_14]

You need to use edit mesh to select the faces IIRC.

[Grug]

Tried, makes no difference.

Ok the idea here is to add faces to edit unwrap uvw's piece by piece so as not to start with a whole pile of polies which would take forever to manage, yes?

How do I select the faces, apply a map, then adjust the unwrap uvw's, and then select more faces, apply a map, then again adjust uvw's?

[Grug]

Eureka!

Ah k, found a way.
Apply uvw unwrap to whole model, edit uvw's then goto mapping -> Flatten Mapping
This lays out a flattened map, from which you can edit it and rejoin it.
After all this it was in the max tutorials that come with the prog.

Thanks for all the help anyways.
*hits head on desk*