I'm currently using studiomax to build 3D models for my game.. My models aren't super detailed (in the range of between 1,000 - 2,000 polys each) but I need a practical method of setting up the UV co-ords for texturing them.. I've been through the tutorials on studiomax but they only really outline how to use the tools provided and dont give many tips on getting the job done quicker and more productively.. It seems to take a lifetime aranging all the geometry in a manner that's "texturable" and plus I don't even know whether I should create the texture 1st then try to map it as best as possible or if there's another way.. so I was wondering if anyone has any helpful techniques which could help me with such a frustratingly drawn-out task..? (Please excuse my ignorance to the topic, i'm just a programmer trying his hand at 3D artistry)

Hi.

I haven't used studiomax, but you may want to check out the UVMapper website. It has tutorials and I guessing some of the functionality must be the same. There's also a freeware version in case you want to do the texturing as a seperate step.

Thnx for that!

Ok i've got a couple of other questions also..:

- Whats the best way to develop decent textures for models?

- Whats a good texture size for a game character (say a human or an aircraft) with around 1,500 polys (bearing in mind I'd like to use it for a game..)

- Does anyone have any other texturing tips for me?

Thnx soo much everyone!!

The way to UV unwrap quickly? Get good at it. Right now, there is no substitute for practice and more practice, nor will there likely ever be (until perhaps we can program skills ala the Matrix). I can entirely UV map a simple 800 polygon character and his equipment in less than 5 minutes. My workflow when I use 3ds max is:
-Break geometry into the elements that will need to be mapped individually (arms, legs, bottom of feet, head, torso, etc.)
-Apply a UV map to a piece, and fix it for stretching... when you are in such a low-poly range, you eventually won't need to bother with checker textures, you will get a good feel for how far to move the UVs. Move the UVed piece away from the center of the UV grid.
-Repeat for the rest of the pieces.
-Unwrap UVWs for the entire model, and arrange the pieces so they make good use of texture space, with minimal waste
-Take a screenshot/UV snapshot, and use this as the layout for painting your texture. I use one underneath as a base to paint on, and keep one at the top of my Photoshop layers at a low opacity so I can see my boundaries.
-For models that low-poly, 256x256 should be fine for unimportant or undetailed items, or 512x512 for more detail (I wouldn't go higher than 1024x1024 on a 2000 polygon model ever)

There's no substitute or tutorial or teacher or tip that can substitute for putting in your time.

Quote:

Original post by Professor420 The way to UV unwrap quickly? Get good at it. Right now, there is no substitute for practice and more practice, nor will there likely ever be (until perhaps we can program skills ala the Matrix). I can entirely UV map a simple 800 polygon character and his equipment in less than 5 minutes. My workflow when I use 3ds max is: -Break geometry into the elements that will need to be mapped individually (arms, legs, bottom of feet, head, torso, etc.) -Apply a UV map to a piece, and fix it for stretching... when you are in such a low-poly range, you eventually won't need to bother with checker textures, you will get a good feel for how far to move the UVs. Move the UVed piece away from the center of the UV grid. -Repeat for the rest of the pieces. -Unwrap UVWs for the entire model, and arrange the pieces so they make good use of texture space, with minimal waste -Take a screenshot/UV snapshot, and use this as the layout for painting your texture. I use one underneath as a base to paint on, and keep one at the top of my Photoshop layers at a low opacity so I can see my boundaries. -For models that low-poly, 256x256 should be fine for unimportant or undetailed items, or 512x512 for more detail (I wouldn't go higher than 1024x1024 on a 2000 polygon model ever) There's no substitute or tutorial or teacher or tip that can substitute for putting in your time.

This is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping for!

Just a few questions though..:

- So when you split the model into elements, how do you do it?
- Does this mean you have multiple texture maps for a single model or do you squeeze everything onto one image?
- What file type is preferable for textures? (or does this really depend on the game engine..?)
- When you create your textures in photoshop could you give me a brief example of your workflow (i'd like to get to grips with creating my own textures to but in getting them to look good)

Sorry for taking up your time, I hope you can help!

- Select the polygons, then Detach and choose the 'Element' checkbox (I assume you are using 3dstudio and in Edit Poly mode)
- It depends... often, you will have different textures or a large texture sheet for a type of prop... for example, a 1024x1024 texture for helmets, another for boots, another for weapons, etc. But if the character doesn't change appearance, or always has a certain prop that no one else has, then you can have all of those on the character's main texture sheet. Look at how similar games have done their textures, or explain what type of game you are making, and I can help more.
- The most common file format for textures is .dds. You can get a plugin for it from nvidia to use in photoshop. Its probably what you'll end up using, that and a combination of uncompressed targa images.
- I could devote pages and pages to this. I'll try to keep it brief. When I was starting out with textures, I was working on small (256 and 512) textures, and used mostly photos. I suggest you do the same, it'll get you familiar with photoshop blending modes, layer styles, and image adjustments, which are your building blocks. Later on, you'll make your own textures from scratch, using photos as reference instead of copied and pasted material. But I'll give you a workflow of how I made a helmet for Mount and Blade a couple hours ago:
- Open my UV snapshot targa, place a copied layer on top and decrease opacity.
- Fill the bottom layer with a grey color, apply a noise filter, and then motion blur (gives a brushed metal look)
- Use the polygon lasso to select areas of different colored metals and adjust the hue/saturation.
- Dodge and burn the metal to make it look interesting (not to add highlights unless your models will be fixed in lighting and position or your engine has very simple lighting).
- Paint with a low opacity white brush to make embossments and whatnot for an alpha/texture channel in the Lighting Effects filter
- Create the alpha channels
- Add things like scratches, and apply some dirt maps

Obviously, I'm leaving out alot. But this gives you some idea. Oh, and get a tablet. Texturing is alot harder than modelling at this low-poly level. Don't be discouraged if things don't look good at first, use as many photos as you can, and work on your drawing/painting, if you're serious about getting good at texturing. But since you're a programmer, I wouldn't go further than photomanipulation and basic filters.