[TUT] 3ds max once more about UV mapping

[tank1]

Hello !

 

This tutorial, or possibly some kind of review will be about unwrapping objects which need a straight UV, for example a road.

 

So first off all we need to open our model.

 

Here we have a part of a terrain:

 

To unwrap a road in that terrain, we will need to create a spline on the one edge of the road.

So select edge using edge mode:

Right mouse click and click on Create Shape

There will pop up another dialog window, "Create Shape" where you can name your shape and in the same dialog window you will need to tick Shape Type as: Linear, after that has been done click "OK", the shape will be created.

 

Now using Polygon mode select all our road polygons:

When you have done that, in Modifier List find: "Unwrap UVW", apply it and select Polygon mode (all road faces should be selected). As all faces are selected find "Open UV Editor" and press on that button.

The UV Editor will open, with a current UV layout:

 

As you can see UV's are not straight in line, so now we need to find Spline Wrapping tool, which is located under "Wrap", and click on it, another dialog box will pop up:

In that Dialog box you will need first of all pick you previously created spline (by the side of the road), secondly change mapping mode to "Planar" and apply your settings toyour UV map by pressing on "Commit".

 

So we are nearly at the end of this tutorial, now we need to Reshape our UV map, using Straighten Selection tool (UV faces should be selected !):

 

And by scaling and stretching our UVs we will find the best fit for them:

Scale:

Stretch:

 

Final:

 

Result with applied multi-material:

 

 

Few Tips:

When working with UVW Editor you can choose your texture or checker Pattern which will help you to realise how much do you need to change any UV position.

Use short cuts: to select multiple things(edges, faces, vertices) use ctrl + left mouse button, to deselect alt + left mouse button (note in 3ds max 2015 to select a loop of edge use left mouse double click), and use shift and select to select a loop or a ring of polygons, edges ...

To rotate camera use alt + mouse scroll + mouse movement.

 

 

The best idea would be to build road using spline method (loft) as by using loft complex shapes could be made + possibility to correctly unwrap your road and from that road make a terrain (everything low polygon), after low polygon version is done meshmooth to terrain could be applied with Parameters: materials (with previous material id assignment to an object), but that is another story and another topic.

 

 

Wanted to add, these pictures will be only for 30 days on a host, can someone suggest a good hosting web ... without registration ?

Edited August 29, 2014 by tank1

[Jinx.]

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