UVW Trouble

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triplejx3

L1: Registered
Sep 11, 2010
9
0
I have no idea if this is being posted in the right place since i never really come on here but...

Im having trouble with a UVW map for a weapon I'm making.
in the past i have opened existing weapons from TF2 in 3ds max created a UVW map for it and it is always layed out nicley

For example: Wrangler UVW

Now for some reason when I do the same for MY weapon

This happens: My UVW

The only way it will make any sense is if i flatten map it which then just breaks it up into tiny little peices
Like this: Flatten mapped

I would really appriciate some help in solving this problem
 

Rexy

The Kwisatz Haderach
aa
Dec 22, 2008
1,798
2,533
The issue is that you're needing to learn how to unwrap an object properly. Automatic unwraps just don't do it the way you want, the most efficient way. When you unwrap an object, it won't just unwrap itself and be packed neatly into the UV space (just in the same way that a model won't build itself).

Here's a tutorial I ran across the other day that might help you, I see that you're using 3ds max:

http://www.screencast.com/users/nat...ng/media/c536ccce-4c8a-4fda-bd2e-94a138325353

Good luck to you, and if that tutorial didn't help, try googling: UV mapping in 3ds max.
 

triplejx3

L1: Registered
Sep 11, 2010
9
0
Nice video its definatly a big help but now i just need to know WHY the weapons unwrap perfectly first time but mine doesnt

Ill keep you posted on my progress
 
Jun 19, 2009
812
814
Nice video its definatly a big help but now i just need to know WHY the weapons unwrap perfectly first time but mine doesnt

Ill keep you posted on my progress

Decompiled weapons always unwrap perfectly because they retain their UV data, meaning that the "seams" that Valve (or whoever modeled them) are where they always were, and those seams will layout in the uv coordinate space in the same way the person who originally unwrapped the model made them.

Hope that helps. When you think of UVW, you should think of "manual".

You get the best results doing stuff manually because you always get things the way you want. You may also want to see if 3dsmax is capable (I'm sure it is) of projection unwrapping. Some things are nice and dandy to unwrap using that method.

@Rexy, thanks for that. I usually do my unwrapping in blender, but I'm trying to do more with 3dsmax now, and that was useful. Also, stop getting degrees. Those are for wussies.
 

Rexy

The Kwisatz Haderach
aa
Dec 22, 2008
1,798
2,533
Nice video its definatly a big help but now i just need to know WHY the weapons unwrap perfectly first time but mine doesnt

Ill keep you posted on my progress

Again, it's a misunderstanding of the process. Helljumper understands it correctly. Decompiled models have already been unwrapped (by hand, mostly) by someone at Valve. Models would not have texture coordinates without first being unwrapped. It's not that your software is unwrapping decompiled models perfectly, it's that they're already unwrapped, and you're viewing the result. Keep us posted.