I am currently using 3ds max and photoshop for all of my art development. And I am wondering what the most efficient steps are to take for UV mapping and texturing of models.

There seem to be two opposite methods to this process. One is first doing the UV mapping and then painting a texture over it. The other is starting with the texture first. Which is the best method and why?

In addition are there any times when one method is preferred over the other, such as with many repeating elements? (wooden boards, fur, scales, etc...)

Also when it comes to reducing the detail of a mesh, are there any ways to reuse or automatically alter the same UV map without having to remake it for every detail level? (3ds max allows you to preserve UV boundaries in ProOptimizer, but it doesn't seem to perform anywhere near well enough for my needs)

Thanks for any help!

Just a rule of thumb:
For environment art you often reuse existing textures, in this case you model first, then fit the texture to the model by adjusting the uv accordingly.
For character art you often unwrap the model first to take up one or two textures with texel density, stretching and use of texture space in mind. After that you will paint the texture.

There seem to be two opposite methods to this process. One is first doing the UV mapping and then painting a texture over it. The other is starting with the texture first. Which is the best method and why?

I have never heard of anyone starting with painting the texture first, particularly if you are using 3ds max and not a tool like Z-brush or Mudbox.

The advantage of doing UV mapping first is that UV coordinates are very easy to adjust to remove distortion. Adjusting the painted texture? Not so much. Don't get into the habit of doing textures first, then trying to adjust the image (stretching, etc) to get rid of UV distortion. It takes a LOT longer, and if you go professional a Lead Artist/AD/CD will rip you a new one for it, because it is a bad habit. I know I would ;)

Good habits now, will save you time and make you a more efficient artist later.

Remember, your efficient use of 3d space when setting up UV coordinates will dictate what portion of the model will get the most pixel-space, and therefore the most detail.

I have never heard of anyone starting with painting the texture first, particularly if you are using 3ds max and not a tool like Z-brush or Mudbox.

The advantage of doing UV mapping first is that UV coordinates are very easy to adjust to remove distortion. Adjusting the painted texture? Not so much. Don't get into the habit of doing textures first, then trying to adjust the image (stretching, etc) to get rid of UV distortion. It takes a LOT longer, and if you go professional a Lead Artist/AD/CD will rip you a new one for it, because it is a bad habit. I know I would ;)

Then it should be time to learn something new: example , this guy use one(!) texture for almost all the environment. Character artists are not the only one making textures and photo sources textures are still common in environment art.

[quote name='third_ronin' timestamp='1312491095' post='4844700']
I have never heard of anyone starting with painting the texture first, particularly if you are using 3ds max and not a tool like Z-brush or Mudbox.

The advantage of doing UV mapping first is that UV coordinates are very easy to adjust to remove distortion. Adjusting the painted texture? Not so much. Don't get into the habit of doing textures first, then trying to adjust the image (stretching, etc) to get rid of UV distortion. It takes a LOT longer, and if you go professional a Lead Artist/AD/CD will rip you a new one for it, because it is a bad habit. I know I would ;)

Then it should be time to learn something new: example , this guy use one(!) texture for almost all the environment. Character artists are not the only one making textures and photo sources textures are still common in environment art.
[/quote]

Not what I meant. I have made meta-tiles for a 3d engine (A windmill for example, complete with a tiling grassy hill, moss-covered stones, wooden crates and fencing that was all one object in Lightwave, with a single UV sheet ) and all that all fit on a single 512x512 texture. That was in 2001. It takes a lot of planning on your UV layout, but it can be done, and its not really a new technique.

When someone is new at something, you want to teach them the basics first. And nothing against the example you showed me, but look at it and dissect it. It LOOKS like it was made with one texture from a palette standpoint. And yes there is more than one way to skin a cat, but from my personal experience I have never run into a professional artist of any kind (environment, character) that works on the texture painting before doing UV work. Corrections, yes....but proper technique and planning will limit those in the first place.

EDIT> I see what you mean with photo-sourced textures, but UV layout still comes first. You can adjust them after to your hearts content to match different photo textures...but making sure you have clean, non-distorted UVs should be a priority before you ever think about color.