UV editor

[Simon Edmondson]

Following some feedback. I'm applying some more details to the hair areas of my figures. As you may have noticed, mapping is not one of my strengths. Is there a guide to the UV editor and how to us it available that someone could point me to ?

thank you

simon

 

Working in V17 or V18

[robcat2075]

Short version: after you Apply the decal you can "Edit" the Stamp to get the UV view where you can move CPs around to apportion more or less of the image to a patch or to align parts of the mesh with the image.

 

Tell us more about what you want to do.

[Simon Edmondson]

Robert

Thank You.

What I want to do is to develop some maps to apply to my figures in Happy Families to age them a bit more and to vary the appearances of the faces. I've applied some hair maps I'm after giving them a few more wrinkles !

In other peoples models I've seen, they often have full face maps that appear to be shaped to the faces and applied separately ?

 

regards

simon

[robcat2075]

It's not required to have one all-over map. Separate maps for different things can be easier and more efficient. You can use an alpha channel to limit where the map shows up, so it won't be rectangle.

 

More questions?

[Simon Edmondson]

Robert.

Thank You.

You can tell I've not done this before !

Lots of adjustments to follow

regards

simon

[robcat2075]

That looks like Harrison Ford!

 

One tactic for applying a decal to something like that hair cap is to flatten it in a pose and apply the decal there rather than in the model window.

[zandoriastudios]

https://zandoriastudios.com/tutorials/uv-tutorial/

 

Here is a tutorial that I did several years ago that may still be helpful

[Simon Edmondson]

William

Thank you very much. I've been working on it today, without a great deal of success. I shall watch the tutorial straight away.

 

I tried to do it by flattening the model in an action but it produced some decal stretching afterwards.

 

Regards

simon

 

[Simon Edmondson]

Trying to follow up on William's tutorial but having trouble with Flatten.

In the V11 tech refence there is a guide to how to use flatten but, working in V17, that does not seem to apply ?

 

 

this was the view before flatten, but

 

this was the view afterwards

Has the process changed since V11 and, if so, can someone kindly point me to a tutorial about how to use it in V17 ?

simon

[robcat2075]

For reasons not clear to me, Flatten unwraps around the selection's Z axis

 

After you select your CPs, go to a side view, choose the traNslate manipulator so the axis gnomon will show, grab the red handle of the gnomon and rotate the gnomon so that the blue axis is vertical, then do Flatten.

 

My experience with flatten is that the last patches on the side tend to get distorted by the stretch. You should include one more set of patches past the ones you intend to decal in your Flatten selection, then hide them before you apply your decal.

[Simon Edmondson]

Thank you Robert.

I shall try that, straight after a much needed cup of tea.

regards

simon

[Simon Edmondson]

I've clearly missed something here but don't know what ?

I managed to get flatten to work, then started to follow through William's tutorial using the blank decal.

Unfortunately, this was the result in the editor, rather than the lines and patches shown in his work.

Could somebody kindly point out what I might be doing wrong ?

thank you

Simon

 

[robcat2075]

Does it still look like that if you got to Tools>Customize>Appearance and change the color scheme?

[Simon Edmondson]

Robert

Thank you. It didn't appear there but, if I changed the display to shaded and wireframe It did.

Now to try repainting it.

regards

Simon

 

on a (very) trivial note,

theres a village about 4 miles from here, called Shadingfield.

The pub, called "The Fox", is painted bright pink.

Pink houses used to be very common around here, less so now.

[John Bigboote]

Ha! I like the way the pink dots took reminded you of a little story for us, Simon. Maybe time to paint your house pink!

 

I feel your pain on this--- wish I could be more help. My approach to UV'ing has always been to simply apply a decal... maybe take a screen capture of the particular view I am looking at... take it into Photoshop and paint to that angle. I was very excited to start learning C4D with it's 'Bodypaint' feature for UVing... but found it quite convoluted and many other users feel the same way and recommend expensive 3rd party UV-ers... Lately, back in A:M, my approach is to use less imagery and more materials- tho that would'nt help you here- sometimes you need paint and imagery. I appreciate this thread and will follow-up on the knowledge here when I can.

 

Let's go for a pint at the Shadingfield Fox!

[robcat2075]

Simon,

You probably don't want yet another multi-part tutorial on decaling faces, but i have one. Perhaps portions of it will be useful to you....

 

It Can't Be Decaled!

[Simon Edmondson]

Need to do the hair and the hands next but, with some possible adjustments to the light pink sections, this isv06 of the face map

[Simon Edmondson]

Simon,

 

You probably don't want yet another multi-part tutorial on decaling faces, but i have one. Perhaps portions of it will be useful to you....

 

It Can't Be Decaled!

Robert

Apologies, only just saw your reply. Thank you.

I'm going to try doing the hands next, then the hair.

I'm painting the textures in TVpaint as I seeem to get on with that more than photoshop.

I would so like to get this whole thong finished so I can move onto something new bu, every time I think I get close, something else crops up.

The next projects grass is looking very green.

regards

simon

 

[Simon Edmondson]

 

 

 

 

 

Let's go for a pint at the Shadingfield Fox!

Not been in a pub for a long time but, I'll see if I can get a photo...

regards

simon

[Simon Edmondson]

Should add that, I liked William's suggestion in his tutorial abut namimg the decal groups and giving them a temporary colour.

[Simon Edmondson]

Still have to do the maps for the hair and position the hands more carefully but, this is it so far.

Any critical feedback very welcome indeed.

simon

 

[robcat2075]

Old hands will have lots of veins, bulging knuckles, thin bones

[Simon Edmondson]

Robert

Thank you, I've not put any bump maps on them yet but will try later on. There are some wrinkle lines but, I turned the colour down to about 40% on them and the face map.

regards

simon

[Simon Edmondson]

Doris gets some toon hair.

One of the comments I got thought she was wearing a scarf.

Hope this doesn't look like she is still wearing it?

simon

[robcat2075]

How about if the bottom edge were more ragged instead of cleanly cut?

 

How about if there were a visible part at the top?

How about if there were different shades of gray in the hair?

[Simon Edmondson]

Robert

Thank you for your reply and help. Much appreciated.

There should be about 6-7 tones in the hair,as there were in the map applied. It may have been smoothed out in the render (?)

There are two separate sides to the hair but the parting is not really visible, will try to adjust that later.

I did wonder about the bottom edge and perhaps using a cookie cutter map for that ?

Will give it some more consideration the next few days.

Regards

simon

 

 

These were the hair maps used

 

[robcat2075]

I did wonder about the bottom edge and perhaps using a cookie cutter map for that ?

 

 

I think that would be a job for a "transparency" map.

[Simon Edmondson]

Apropos of nothing substantial.

The Shadingfield Fox.

the sign on the edge of the village says Shadingfield and Wilingham

 

Sadly, no longer bright pink.

The local story goes that, they used to mix Bulls blood with the whitewash paint, which is why there were so many pink houses. They even have a commercially available "Suffolk Pink" paint in hardware stores. Or did.

best get back to work on face maps

simon

 

[Simon Edmondson]

Still working on the maps.

This is state of play on Bill. (non toon render )

Not sure why his right side beard comes out so different from the left. Will havea look tomorrow.

Need to redo the hair at the front and adjust colour and bump around the eyes.

Any critical feedback very welcome

simon*

 

[John Bigboote]

Hi Simon- Bulls blood. Really! Seems that might turn brown with time.

 

As far as criticism... Is there a reason the eyes are that blue? I usually use a decal on the eye... i'll send it along- feel free to color correct or not use. Have you considered using real A:M Hair on top of your hair areas to add a little extra shag? It could be groomed (brushed) in the proper direction and might help add realism...

beardoeye.tga

[Simon Edmondson]

Mat

Thanks for your reply and help, much appreciated. I shall have a look at the eyes later( pardon unintended joke there )

I wanted the hair to look drawn rather than cg generated on these two models, Bill and Doris. Because it, sort of, fits with the idea behind it all. The three generations are done in slightly different styles. Originally, the oldest generation, B&D, were hand drawn on paper but, that proved to be a logistical nightmare compositing it into the scenes and, most importantly, didn't look too good either, So, for the relaunch, decided to go all cg but using different render styles.

 

Don't know how I've managed it ( or mismanaged it ) but, having spent several days trying to get the mapping to work on the figures, I tried an animation test, only to find that I'd 'lost' half the rig in the process. Now working my way around that error. Onwards and upwards, pip, pip. !!!

 

I don't really drink but, I'm told there is a particularly potent wine called Bulls Blood.

That might be best for avoiding the brown ?

regards

simon