Unwrapping UVs

[xgamer468]

So first of, i know that this is less modding related and more moddeling related, but i figured id ask here anyway. So im just trying to get started in making my own 3d models and hopefully bringing them into Fallout one day. Ive already made a highpoly and a low poly model of the helmet i want to bring in game and im quite happy with the result. Once i got to UV unwrapping i tried to find some good tutorials but prettym uch everything you can find explains it with a box and that just totally didnt help at all, as the model im working on is much more complex than that. So i ended up pretty much cutting up every object with the poinnt to point tool in max and planar mapped everything.

This is what i came up with:

http://i.imgur.com/IFsvzUm.png

Here are some pictures of my Lowpoly mesh:

http://i.imgur.com/RBIghQM.png

http://i.imgur.com/6upUvbu.png

Now i now that my UV Layout is pretty horrbile and it caused quite a few problem when i tried to bake the normal map for it.
So how would you guys do this? any tipps that make it easier or should i just use the Layout i currently have (I fixed as much as possible in PS)? Would love to here how you guys do this

[ad3d0]

Hmm. Never made it for such complex objects but "Unwrap UVW" modifier does the job for me.

Some example tutorial on how to use it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kfqLxlCTl4

There are many of them ;)

 

Btw, better place for such question would be:

http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/forum/319-3d-modelling/

[xgamer468]

Yeah, thats pretty much how i did it, i was just wondering if therer was a cleaner and maybe faster way to do it, because it took me ages and the outcome in my case unfotunately isnt too great, but thanks anyways :D

Thanks for hint, do you know if its possible to move a thread?

[TeamBacon]

That is the proper way to unwrap in Max.

 

However, there are certain things in hind sight that you could have done while modeling to make it easier for you. For shapes that repeat, unwrap them before you copy them over, that way they will all be unwrapped identically and can share the same UV space. If you built those wires as splines, unwrap them as splines as opposed to waiting till the end, all stuff like that needs is a simple trim section on your texture and not an entire unique UV space for the entire wire.

 

When working in Max it is best to think of unwrapping as you make low poly models, not as an afterthought.

 

I haven't used Max in a while though, so sorry I can't be more specific. I've been spoiled by having Zbrush... When I start making trim sheets again I will probably open up Max to unwrap them, as Zbrush doesn't give you the same control.

[xxdeathknight72xx]

when UVing you need to try to use as much space in the 0-1 as possible to get the most resolution out of your maps but you want to keep the texel density consonant
here is a quick image showing my M4 body and mag, highlighted in yellow are the most useful tools when UVing. If I have time later I'll explain upon what I mean in the statement above.

http://i.imgur.com/fxfB3UP.jpg

[xgamer468]

Yeah i just noticed that when i was trying to make textures for it in substance painter.... didnt really come out too clear in most parts unfortunately. I was using the costum pack tool to get them where they are at now, however there where no matter which setting i changed pretty big gaps and lots of space between the clusters, do you place them manually or do you tweek a setting that i dont know of?
Also when youre copying UV parts wont you get problems that they will all have the same texture afterwards?

[TeamBacon]

You always have to manually move them if you want the best results.

 

Two of the same object should have the same texture. That is how you keep the resolution sharp. Though I learned this stuff back in the days when a 512 texture was considered big, so I am by nature conservative with my texture space.