Lowpoly Stingray

there really isnt much difference from the last model pic you have seen
im currently making texture coordinates
next pic you will see is probably with my first try of making a texture

now that i looked it up my last picture post is indeed a while back
k you got me will post one

 

http://img341.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=botxx.png

render from bottom, top and the uvmap for the hull i made

just in case you are interested
thats how a flattened uvmap looks when just created:



so thats basically what i am doing right now: doing jigsaws

 

If you want to save yourself some headache, Headus UV is a pretty good program which allows you to set up your UV coordinates in 3D space from expoted .OBJ files, and it's free: http://www.uvlayout.com/

 

Looks very much like blenders edge loop/seam approach. 3DS must have something similar? It should make the puzzle bit a tad easier.

 

now that you mention it i think ive seen an option to build a uvmap out of smoothing groups...

 

That UV layout above is totally wrong but I guess it's obvious anyway.

 

you did open the link and did read the text yeah?

 

Top of the stingray needs some detail tbh, across the main wing. But other than that, looks nice.

 

gets added with POM

 

Bake down every map possible. Look up on what you need for POM-map.
Use a lightmap for base texture.

 

You may find it easier to make/UV map half the craft and then simply mirror it, then do a central section at the end to get rid of the mirrorlike texture effect.

 

Is that the UVmap? It's terribly wastful on space.
A trick to good UV layout is when you consider the layout done, and everything fits neatly inside the positive UVspace, select all UVs and scale them up 5-10%. Then try to fit them in again.

 

yeah i know
more pixels on one poly
btw currently i got seperate UV maps for some parts
is it better to make one UV map for the complete model with all its components?
if so is there a way to unify them so i dont have to do it all over again?

 

There is no "best" way really. It's all trial and error if you don't know what you are doing.
If you do know, and know what result you are after, the workflow becomes easier.
Look up some tutorials on UVmapping. Look at how other artists make their UV maps.

 

yeah
what i mean in particular is:
i got a UVmap for the hull and another one for the engines (not the rotors)
since the engines wont be animated in any way they are immobile thus can be one model with the hull
so far so good
since every UVmap needs a different texture (at least when it doesnt show the same thing), i would end up with multiple textures (every map) for one model
and thats the question
should i do that?
or shouldnt i? and if not is there a way to bring those UVmaps together without making them all over again?

 

If you are going to be making the object one model it HAS to use one texture, source cannot assign multiple textures to one model, at least not as far as I know.

Therefore, you need to use ONE UV map for the entire model.

If you UV map a bit of the model then copy it, it will simply make a duplicate set of UVs and place them in the same place, that's fine, and is important for efficient UV mapping, but it does mean that both bits of the model will have to use exactly the same bit of texture and will look the same.

If you want to make multiple textures, you need to use multiple models, and unless mootant is making the engines separate models and animating them codeside like the turrets on tanks, that isn't going to be the case.

 

i was afraid that exactly that is the case

now how to fix it?
is there any way to copy the UVs (on the map) of one part of the model to the UV map of another part of the model?