My finger hurts

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

                <dripping red...>

Ok. I consolidated the 3 tgas I was using for textures. Cool. Got to fix some things I've been meaning to get to.

Part of that is adding a bit of snow to the top of horizontal surfaces.  Well, that means I have to remap nearly every element on the model. Ok. <you're OCD, don't panic. You'll enjoy this> Heh. I *did*. For the first few hours.

But when I finally got one element vertex-perfect and saved the uvw map and applied it to the next... What?!

*Some* of the tris were flipped.


Any help on an easier way to map textures?
I'm getting a bit behind schedule :-(

Oh, and I fried my <really nice> mouse, so I'm using a trackpoint nub that makes my finger hurt.
<that's because you're pressing *really* hard... calm down>
Calm down? I *AM* calm, Bird! Where're you going?! Get back here!

<...ink all over the ledger>
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Rolo Kipp, 24 septembre 2011 - 09:11 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Bannor Bloodfist]

               Sometimes, you have to add the "UVWMap Clear" modifier to the object, collapse it into the object, then add the "UVWMap Add" and collapse that down, then finally do the "UVW Unwrap" so that you can apply your UVWMap that you saved.

This does not always work, and sometimes you have to add the "UVWMap Clear" and collapse it more than once for it to actually wipe the old mapping data.  You also may or may not need to add the UVWMap Add modifier at all.

UVWMapping is a member of the trickster family, and will drive the most sane person bonkers in minutes sometimes.

A couple other things you might consider:

1) copy some of the faces (the ones you want snow on for instance) into an overlaying object, and apply a snowy alpha texture to them.
2) Clone ONE of the ribs, and make "Instance Clones", then move the instances where you want them.  Then you only have to map the first one, and the others (if cloned instances) will auto-map, regardless of how you turn them.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Bannor Bloodfist, 24 septembre 2011 - 10:52 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <grins...>

Will instance clones export properly? I've been avoiding them.

Trickster? WooHoo! UVW & me should get along great, then! <being a bit bonkers, anyway>

<...like a fox>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Bannor Bloodfist]

               Instances SHOULD export ok, as long as they are not individually animated.  
By using an instance, you save on poly counts too I think.

If the instance clone worries you, you can also do a clone - copy, which will auto name the copy for you.  The move/rotate them as you please.  

There are some caveats though, by rotating/inverting a copy, your UVW map would now be upside down or moved etc...

Another option is to create the ribs on one side, get them mapped correctly, then attach them all into a single object.  That object, you can then clone/copy and apply a "mirror" to it, so both sides would look the same, but mirrored image.  I think that saves/converts, the UVWMap accordingly.

Most of this I am pulling from memory, and not something I have done recently, so I may not be remembering it all correctly.

But it should give you enough clues of other things to try that may save you some time.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <checking the vats...>

Thank you BB :-)

I've been mirroring clone copies. But the resulting maps had spotty tris that were flipped. I mean in addition to flipping the map. Weird.
The instance thing worked... haven't tried exporting it, though (only remapped ribs, so far. She's not decent :-)



Most of the excessive tris are in the hands, hair and face :-P Can't do a lot about the latter, but Her hands (500+ faces each!) are gonna get a manicure... They're already soaking in palmolive =)

Well, back to the lab =)

<...to see how Things are coming>
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Rolo Kipp, 25 septembre 2011 - 12:03 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <tightening his belt...>

Bannor Bloodfist wrote...
Instances SHOULD export ok, as long as they are not individually animated.  
By using an instance, you save on poly counts too I think.

Just in case... is there an easy way to convert an instance into mesh?

The rib-fingers *are* animated... they twitch with the heartbeat.

<...and tucking his thumb under his suspenders>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Bannor Bloodfist]

               Yes, there is, I think.  But I can't remember it right off hand, and I can't reload 3dsmax right now as my pc is busy doing some other stuff and doesn't have enough memory to allow max to load.  I will try to remember to check it when I can though.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <shakes his head sadly...>

Well, mirroring a clone didn't work (facial weirdness).
Instancing looked good, but freaked out when I reset xforms.

Using the mirror tool instead of clone to mirror elements *did* work.  That is, I could clone elements on one side (keeping orientation) and then mirror a copy to the other side.

Now, how was that different from cloning it and mirroring it? I musta done something wonky the first 3 times :-(

Oh, well. It works and exports now. :-)

Thank you.

<...and rolls up his sleeves>
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Rolo Kipp, 25 septembre 2011 - 06:55 .