fit image non-alpha to UV

delfeld · 01-23-2009, 03:24 PM

Hello,

I am trying to take a portion of an image from Photoshop and bring it to fit a UV map in LW. I am able to get an alpha cutout easily, but there is no relation between the shape of that alpha map and the UV map.

The objects to be mapped are all 1/2 of a shell (that is, a half sphere). None of the objects have the same number of points or polys. None of the UV's are the same shape. The images coming in are not consistent in size nor shape.

Those are the variables. . . the goal is to have the non-alpha portion of the image exactly fit the UV of the objects. I am open to any options that involve morphs as well.

Any thoughts?

I am really new to Lightwave, though I have done 3D for many years.

JeffrySG · 01-23-2009, 05:14 PM

Can you post some images of what you are trying to accomplish? It might help people get a better idea of what you are trying to do and then offer suggestions.

Wopmay · 01-23-2009, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by delfeld

Hello,

I am trying to take a portion of an image from Photoshop and bring it to fit a UV map in LW. I am able to get an alpha cutout easily, but there is no relation between the shape of that alpha map and the UV map.

The objects to be mapped are all 1/2 of a shell (that is, a half sphere). None of the objects have the same number of points or polys. None of the UV's are the same shape. The images coming in are not consistent in size nor shape.

Those are the variables. . . the goal is to have the non-alpha portion of the image exactly fit the UV of the objects. I am open to any options that involve morphs as well.

Any thoughts?

I am really new to Lightwave, though I have done 3D for many years.

Use Photoshop to create an alpha channel for the image you're using, then save the alpha channel out as a separate B/W file like a tiff or png.

Sounds like the problem is that the alpha and the color are not the same size. To do what you want, they must be identical in pixel dimensions and they must use the same UV map. Extracting the alpha from the same Photoshop file ensures this.

In lightWave, I find it's best to have separate files for color and alpha channels. Don't ask me why it's set up this way. It just is. It's LightWave.

Hope this help.

W

delfeld · 01-23-2009, 08:39 PM

I have this problem listed on my blog here:

http://delfeld.wordpress.com/2009/01...-vector-shape/

And there are some pics I posted on this forum, though they are illustrator specific:

http://www.layersmagazine.com/forum/...57&postcount=5

Remember that I am new to Lightwave, and this may be a really simple fix that I just plain don't know about. (Ignorance - contrary to the idiom - is frustrating.)

delfeld · 01-26-2009, 12:28 PM

Wopmay,

I am aware of how to apply images to objects, and how to use PS. It seems you are only talking about getting an image onto the map, or how to create an alpha mask in Photoshop. Correct?

The problem I am having is probably different from that - and there does not seem to be a solution at Adobe. I am trying to match alpha channels, essentially, and I need it to be exact and programmable. I have to fit an image into a UV map - it is the fitting that is the problem.

Please see my blog for more details about my goal:

http://delfeld.wordpress.com/2009/01...-vector-shape/

Wopmay · 01-26-2009, 02:21 PM

Are you making the UVs yourself or do they already exist?
How many are there?
If not too many, perhaps you could put them all on one UV map and work from there.

delfeld · 01-27-2009, 11:07 AM

Wopmay,

I am making the UV's myself - that is, slicing an object in half, and unwrapping each object.

On UV map doesn't seem like a very programmable method, but it may make manual editing easier (if I have to resort to it). Thanks for the suggestion!

Still, I would like to find a fix for my problem. There are a huge number of images, and I may be doing this project again.

Wopmay · 01-29-2009, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by delfeld

Wopmay,

I am making the UV's myself - that is, slicing an object in half, and unwrapping each object.

On UV map doesn't seem like a very programmable method, but it may make manual editing easier (if I have to resort to it). Thanks for the suggestion!

Still, I would like to find a fix for my problem. There are a huge number of images, and I may be doing this project again.

I found these William Vaughn videos helpful with UVs.

ftp://ftp.newtek.com/multimedia/movies/w3dw/UVsize.mov

ftp://ftp.newtek.com/multimedia/movies/w3dw/UVHead.mov

There's another one I can't find. It describes something that was not very clear in the interface. There is a difference between the buttons "New UV" and "Make UV." New UV makes a new UV map. Make UV adds the polys selected to the current UV map (that you already made with "New UV").

I'm not sure what exactly you are doing. Just thought these might clear up things a bit since it sounds like you are having problems lining things up.

I don't think LightWave is gong be able to do programmable UVs. (Or not easily, anyway.) I could be wrong. It might be easy and I just don't know how to use LW scripting that well. I might suggest using Flash to create a programmable image that matches a static UV map. Just output a new image with the same name in the same place and LightWave won't know the difference.

On he other hand, you might need something entirely different.

W

(Oops. Seems like I remember that LW won't recognize that a file referenced on disk has been updated. You have to actually quit the program and reload the scene. I also seem to remember that was corrected in a newer version but 'm not sure. Thought I'd mention it just in case.)

delfeld · 01-30-2009, 10:11 PM

Actually, I have seen these videos, and they are not what I need. I can get the UV map, but cannot match some arbitrarily shaped image (such as an alpha clipping mask) to that UV map.

Something like Blender's shrinkwrap is another option, or (I think) softbodies as clothing, but I would need that to match not just the shape, but the entire shape, all the way to all the edges.