For Unwrapping do you use Hexagon or other software.
KimberSue
Posts: 353
Hi, on the shirt I am making, I am down to making the uv map to use on photoshop for textures. From what I understand I have to unwrap the shirt to make the UVmap.
I was looking at tutor online and saw other software recommended for unwrapping and wanted to stop in here and see if what software people used.
Thanks
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Since I use Blender for modelling, I use it to unwrap my models, too. It has some rather impressive unwrapping tools, that do a decent job in 'automatic' mode and a fantastic one with a little manual setup. So I can't really say much about other software's capabilities.
Any modelling software should be able to handle the unwrapping, without having to resort to other tools.
UVMapper is the only one I ever use.
http://uvmapper.com/
The basic version is free and will get all but the most complex jobs done. Planar mapping is just a click of a button.
The pro version is $60 and can handle anything you throw at it.
This year I was lucky enough to use Christmas/Birthday money to buy UVLayout. I am still learning how to use it. But it is so much easier than any other program. You basically tell it where you want the seams and then drop the pieces to a uv layout where you can flatten them and optimise. You can also play around with the points and do things to straighten them.
Would highly recommend it to anyone who has the cash to get it...it's not cheap unfortunately but it is one of the easier programs to use.
Ah! You've touched on one of my favorite gripes through the back door! :)
However, my gripe centers on programs that start off great, and end up becoming unwieldy "bloatware" when they start adding functions.
To me, modeling has 4 major components: Modeling, mapping, rendering and, if desired, animation.
Each of these functions are highly specialized and deserve their own programs. While any given application may include cursory abilities to do the other 3, it's their respective core purposes that should receive the vast majority of R&D from their producers to make them stand out among the others.
UV mapping may SOUND simplistic when all you want to do is create a plane on which to lay a texture map, but with a specialized mapping program you can do that and so much more. You can turn groups into materials and vice versa, you can create new groups and materials, merge groups or materials, move everything around, work on parts or multiples of groups or materials. Dedicated mapping programs can perform magic!!
Except...if it's Blender...as far as I can tell, Blender can do the same things uvlayout can.
Maybe...but I find Blender too hard...I open it and my brain melts out one of my ears. I've tried but I just can't fathom it out.
I can use hexagon (and zbrush when following a tute) but Blender just makes my brain ache...I know it's very powerful unfortunately it's not for me. UVLayout I'm still learning but can get reasonable results from following tutorials fairly easily.
No problem, Pen, if everyone liked the same stuff, it would get very boring, very quickly...
I really started using Blender because I could hack/edit/create nifs with it for Morrowind mods...
Head and body all custom 'sculpted' in Blender...skin is the BB-nord with a customized face...never did get anything 'release' ready, but I 'hacked' quite a few nifs back then. (I think I made her back in 2005 or 6...)
The nice thing was, as long as I was careful to not mess up the mapping things worked well. That's when I started learning about all the 'finer points' of texturing. And back then the UV tools in Blender were virtually non-existent to too cumbersome to use. It hasn't been until the 2.5 and now the 2.6 series that Blender's UV tools are really worth it. But seriously, they compare very well to some of the standalone UV apps.
By now, they are what I'm most comfortable with...and I guess that's what counts the most. If you are uncomfortable with the tool or interface it doesn't matter how good it is.
KimberSue: I guess that last line is the whole point of my rambling post...you aren't going to do a good job at it if you are uncomfortable with the tool.
UVMapper Classic is free,
http://www.uvmapper.com/
UVLayout has a trial...
https://www.uvlayout.com/
UltimateUnwrap (has a demo version)...
http://unwrap3d.com/u3d/index.aspx
And of course Blender is free...
http://www.blender.org/
LithUnwrap is another freebie...but I couldn't ever get it to run correctly on my system (Linux running Windows apps under WINE).
http://www.sharecg.com/v/5169/Software-and-Tools/LithUnwrap---Free-UV-Mapper-for-Windows
If you can't get a good grasp on Hex's included tools, give one or more of them a try. There's quite a few tutorials for both Blender and UVLayout around...make sure, though, that if you try Blender you stick with tutorials for at least the 2.6x series (there's a ton new features in the last two releases and some things have changed...the older tutorials won't cover all of it).
This year I was lucky enough to use Christmas/Birthday money to buy UVLayout. I am still learning how to use it. But it is so much easier than any other program. You basically tell it where you want the seams and then drop the pieces to a uv layout where you can flatten them and optimise. You can also play around with the points and do things to straighten them.
Would highly recommend it to anyone who has the cash to get it...it's not cheap unfortunately but it is one of the easier programs to use.
I bookmarked UVLayout and might start trying to save a few bucks a week towards it. Looks great but too high for my budget.
Thanks, I will look at these links tomorrow. These thread has been a huge help.
I got my first shirt done!! Nothing fancy but I have it done. BTW: I figured out to unwrap it in Photoshop cs5 extended. NOW, can someone tell me how to save it in daz for other to use.
Thanks
I don't think PS is capable if that. Are you sure you understand what "unwrap" means?
When you UV map a mesh, that mapping is displayed as a 2D representation often called a "texture template". IOW, the 3D mesh gets "unwrapped" and laid out onto a 2D plane.
Unwrapping a model is usually as easy as clicking a button, but the results may not be to your liking. In these cases, "unwrapping" also entails user intervention in which vertices, planes, seams and/or entire groups are resized or pushed around until the UVs are laid out to the user's liking, and then the model is saved which preserves that particular map.
My point is, "PS CS4/5 Extended" can USE these maps, but I don't think it can create them or manipulate them.
As far as I can tell, PS just uses these maps to either paint directly on a 3D model or to apply a texture to the texture template.
And given that, I have a gut feeling that what you mean is that you "figured out how to make a texture map in Photoshop cs5 extended".
This lines up with the next question you asked which was how to save it. I'm not familiar with the 3D utilities in the PS Extended series, but it seems to me that once you have an image developed for use as a texture map, you would just save it as a JPG file like any other picture.
That JPG now becomes your texture map which can be assigned to your model inside hexagon or DS4.
I looked it up and the correct term was UV overlays which is all I really needed anyway so I never thought twice about it. I wanted to do was open the 3d object and flatten so I could paint on the texture and export as png. I got a UV overlays made in photoshop. %-P
Yes ma'am. And the type of "UV overlay" you made in this case was a "texture map".
"UV overlay" is a generic, but descriptive, term which applies to any type of map you create for a particular model, whether it be texture, transparency, bump or whatever. In every case, they MUST match (overlay) the "texture template", which is the graphical representation of the mesh's UV map.
FWIW, I also use photoshop to create maps. Although my copy is an ancient CS v.8 from 2003, my 2D procedure would work the same as your 3D capable version.
First I create a hi-rez texture template using my UVmapper program. Then I load that into photoshop and use it as a background layer. Then I create the texture I want to appear on my model using the background template as my guide. I apply colors, shadows and textures in layers, and when I'm happy with it I flatten the image and save it as a JPG.
I download Carrara for a 30 day trial to see if I like that and I hope to get where I can do mapping.
Have a good evening