I have a UV mapping question

[ACLOBO]

Hello all, I have recently been trying to do some UV mapping on a car that I have built and I was wondering if someone could help me out. I was using the bounding box / great box tutorial that can be found on Newtek's site to generate correct perspective UV maps. The trouble is when I make a right and left side UV map, the two look the same (overlap). What I was wanting is the ability to flip the geometry in the UV texture view so I could do a screen capture and have something that looks more intutive to paint on. I have included a picture to get my meaning across. If someone could point me to the tool, or the page number in the manual or anything, I would appreciate it!

Thanks

-Adrian

[prospector]

the tool is
FLIP UV POINT MAP

IMPORTANT FIRST STEP !!!

take off SUB'D and unweld FIRST.

In doing my stuff, I take the right/left side and cut and paste to a new layer first.
Then I unweld
then I do the 'flip UV point map'
then bring other layer as background (other half of car)
highlite polys in layer I am working on and move the points (IN THE UV WINDOW ONLY:) ) so they are side by side with the background (as flip UV tool flips them but dosen't move them, and they will be piled ontop of the previous layer).
When that is all set then I cut and paste and merge back into the original layer.
Done

[ACLOBO]

I thought it was something like that - but I was hoping for an easier (one step solution). lol Anyway, I appreciate your suggestion and I will give it a try!

Thanks!

Adrian

[mkiii]

I can't see the point in cutting & pasting to another layer.

All you need to do is select the correct polys, unweld, Flip UV Point Map in U direction, and move the still selected polys in the UV Viewport.

No need to de-Subd them, cut, paste, or copy them elsewhere.

Once you deselect the bit you moved (or add the other half to the selection), and do a merge, the thing will be back as it was.

There *is* a one step way to flip *and* move them too BTW, and that is to use Transform UV instead.

Same procedure. Select, Unweld & run the tool, and enter -100 in the scale U channel. You will still probably need to move the selected polys on the grid though.

The only time your selection won't move, is if it it positioned exactly on the centre of the UV Grid.

[prospector]

Thanks mkiii
I didn't see that

Probably cuz I didn't put into menu :D

And I did know about just highlighting, but sometimes ya miss a poly being highlighted, so I mentioned to him the foolproof way to get them all;)
Just to be on the safe side

[mkiii]

I'ts very easy to overlook a good many of the tools in modeler, especially if you tend to do the same thing day in & day out like I do at work - I tend to learn about new stuff all the time when I try to answer questions here...

[ACLOBO]

And I thank you for your input as well. After doing a little experimentation, I did find that you didn't have to do the extra cutting and pasting. The only problem I have now is avoiding the seams on a high poly model. I have a car that is almost perfectly mapped with the UV - I will post a picture later to show you what is going on.

Thanks again for the help everyone...

-Adrian

[trentonia]

Go to this link http://www.respower.com/page_superuv and download the plugin. They have a lite version and a pro version. The lite version is free, but gives you the pro fuctionality for 15 days. The lite version will allow you to scale and rotate your UVs. One of the pro functions will allow you to export your UV map as an EMF file. You can pull this file into an illustration package. It gives you a more refined and accurate UV image to start painting on. Infinitely better than doing a screen capture of your UV.

[prospector]

Another little tip ya might not know.

In the UV window, if you unweld and highlight 2 or more points that should be connected, then all ya gotta do is 'STRETCH' them and they will merge together so no part to the mapping overlaps or is spread apart.
This usually happens in the center where you try to put the 2 halves together, and all the points don't quite meet right.


To really clean up a UV, I usually highlite a point on real model. and in the UV window I hit 'Stretch' and make sure all are connected there.

And it's Always down and to the left with mouse after hitting 'stretch'

[mkiii]

Grid Snap is also very useful in the UV editor.

[ACLOBO]

Thanks again for everyone's help - most useful. I have messed around with UV's a littl ein the past - but mostly got by with planar and cylindrical mapping. HOwever, the stuff that I building for myself and my current client requires the useful and cleanliness of UV's. You have all been a help in teaching this old dog some new tricks...

-Adrian