UV Wrapping tutorial?

homey_jay

Can anyone please help me - I'm looking for SIMPLE UV wrapping tutorial of something like a cube so I could learn how to do it!

I was sure that I saw one here ages ago but I just can't seem to find it anywhere!

otodomus

Hi, in the thread I have started some days ago Tim posted the way to unfold a cube, here's what we had:

This is the primary image that you need to obtain a similar effect like the above image:

 

Tim (Tango Alpha) said that you needed to put seams as its follow to get the properly layout:

 

And I have discovered that the 8.5 version of Carrara doo the unfold by default:

 

The way I did it was to create the cube in the assembly room, convert it to "other model" as vertex object and when I selected the UV mode I could have the layout ready to UV map.

 

If you want you could take a sight to that thread:

http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/72057/uv-mapping-and-unfold/p1

 

Cheers

Otto

homey_jay

Thanks!

I did read the thread. I created the cube in the vertex modeller but I then had to manually add the seams to get that cross shape - I just couldn't get Carrera to do it automatically!

Problem is that after I 'unwrapped' the cube, I didn't know how to export to Photoshop to add graphics to different sides and then import it back into C8.5!!

3DAGE

The simplest way to UV map a cube is to use the "Box" UV mapping Preset,. and select a Layout option (in the "operations" tab)

you do not need to create seams when you're Uv mapping a simple object which already has a "preset", and alternative layout options.

To export the UV map as a wireframe template,. go to the "Display" tab,. click the "export" button, then select a Size,. and a format

Hope it helps

otodomus

3DAGE said:

The simplest way to UV map a cube is to use the "Box" UV mapping Preset,. and select a Layout option (in the "operations" tab)

you do not need to create seams when you're Uv mapping a simple object which already has a "preset", and alternative layout options.

To export the UV map as a wireframe template,. go to the "Display" tab,. click the "export" button, then select a Size,. and a format

Hope it helps

Hi Andy! :) yes that would be the best way, what was cool to me was that Carrara did the unfold to me.... weird.

otodomus

homey_jay said:

Thanks!

I did read the thread. I created the cube in the vertex modeller but I then had to manually add the seams to get that cross shape - I just couldn't get Carrera to do it automatically!

Problem is that after I 'unwrapped' the cube, I didn't know how to export to Photoshop to add graphics to different sides and then import it back into C8.5!!

That's weird, I did it just before to post it, its perhaps that Carrara is an intuitive that followed what I have done before??

 

 

otodomus

I have tested it again and is still working for me, in the assembly room select > Insert Cube once the cube is created > Coverted to Other Modeller > Vertex Object > In the Model Room I did remove the triangle by >Untriangle Polygon and select the UV Mode and you can have the layout of the cube, can someone confirm if can do the same please? This way you can save the process in to unfold the shape.

 

Regards

 

Otto

3DAGE

When you create a Cube (primitive) in the Assembly room,. Carrara knows it's a cube primitive,. and it's given the cube "box" mapping automatically,.because normally you can't edit a primitive,. to extrude or chnage it's shape,...unless you change that pimitive by " edit / send to other modeller".

So, when you convert that primitive object to a vertex model,. it's already UV mapped as a box.cube.

But.

When you create a cube in the vertex modeller,. it's usually given a default spherical UV mapping,. because, as a vertex model,. carrara doesn't know what shape it's going to become until you're finished modeling that cube into a a cow, or a block of cheese.

homey_jay

Ok, I guess I'm missing something painfully basic here!

I create a simple cube in the Assembly room (Insert Cube)

If I click the spanner to get to the Model room, I have a mainly blank screen and the only option to 'convert to other modeller'

If I click to go to the Texture room, I can only edit the cube texture (colours etc)!

Where's the UV unwrap option ?

EDIT:

The ONLY way I can get to this option is as otodomus suggested - convert to other modeller ---> un triangulate --> click UV Editing mode button (which appears after converting to other model)

TangoAlpha

Unwrap only applies to vertex objects. Either convert a cube primitive, or create a cube in the Vertex Room (Insert a vertexx object. double-click ot or select the spanner tool, then create cube...)

otodomus

3DAGE said:

When you create a Cube (primitive) in the Assembly room,. Carrara knows it's a cube primitive,. and it's given the cube "box" mapping automatically,.because normally you can't edit a primitive,. to extrude or chnage it's shape,...unless you change that pimitive by " edit / send to other modeller".

So, when you convert that primitive object to a vertex model,. it's already UV mapped as a box.cube.

 

The which is great, because when I did the first try o unwrap a cube I had to separate each face and place them where the edges coincide, then Tango Alpha pointed in the way to unfold it, but now I know it can be done automatically.

 

I have said before that in some cases I am following Maya tutorials to do what I want in Carrara, I did search for unwrap a cube in Maya, if you have the chance take a look to the following YouTube video, this is the way you can unfold a cube in Maya:

3DAGE

Yes,. it's almost the same in Carrara,. but easier,...in carrara (IMO)

in Carrara ,. in the vertex modeller,. if you drag out a rextangle,. and extrude it to maket a box,. then go to the UV mapping,. select the "Operations" tab,. Select "Box" mapping, and click the little layout icon for "no cover" and click "apply"

that will automatically layout each side of the box on the uv grid.

If you click in the model view,. and select a polygon,. that will also be highlighted in the UV grid,. if you Right Click in the UV grid, and select "Move" from the pop up menu,. you can move that polygon,.oir any of the sides of the box

no need to create seams and unwrap,. or get too technical and complicated, ...this should be simple,. it's a box :)

each polygon is automatically detached in the UV grid and can be moved around and placed or scaled or rotated to suit your texture maps

so it's the same process,. but slightly different , and maybe better,. or easier :)

otodomus

Yes I am agreed that is much easier in Carrara, if you saw that video tutorial, you have noticed that the process is to have separated squares and align them by coincidence edges, something like my first try, ands you said the Carrara presets works pretty fine with much less of work.

homey_jay

I've managed to unwrap an object and extracted a UV map in the form of a .tga file. I'm assuming that I now need to position the graphics that I need on the .tga file. I've added some basic graphics to the .tga file but how do I get it back to the object on Carrara?!

 

3DAGE

Hi Homey_Jay :)

You should be able to select any format from the Export dialogue in Carrara,. I'll normally go with PSD (photoshop) or just a JPG,. it really doesn't matter much, since you're using that as a template to lay out your images or paint onto another layer, and hide the UV template layer when you export your final texture map.

In your image editor,. you can export the targa TGA file as any other format,. EG:export as JPG, (smaller file size and decent quality)

to get that texture map back into carrara, and onto your model. you'd load that image (Texture map) into the "Colour" channel of the shader for your object

You can save that image wherever you want to,. but if you''re working on a project,.. it's a good idea to organise the textures into a folder, so you know where they are,.

you could create a new folder on your Desktop,. and save your texture map there,. then open carrara, open your scene,.. and load that file into the models shader.

Hope that makes sense :)