WIP Mansion - Page 2

pantsburgh · 28-01-2008, 04:41 PM

If I were you, I'd use a mixture of tiled and unique textures. Make 2 texture sheets, 1 tileable wall, and the other all your trim and windows and such (maybe use a couple sheets for this, but definitely not 10 - combine several modules onto each sheet). Set the green walls to the tileable, and then unwrap all the other pieces onto your 2nd unique texture sheet(s). This way you can still add lots of detail to your trim and such, but not waste your time with 4 different texture sheets of wall that will just get repeated anyway.

Bond394 · 28-01-2008, 06:12 PM

pantsburgh- I think I understand but let me just go over what I think you said. So what I should do is attach all the sections together and unwrap all the green sections together on one texture sheet. Then on a separate texture sheet have all the trim and either put the window frames on it too or put the window frames on maybe a smaller texture sheet. If this is right please let me know cause it this is right your a genius.

pantsburgh · 29-01-2008, 02:41 PM

Well, really you have two options.

1: You can unwrap each section individually, and try to intelligently combine similar sections onto the same texture sheets (so you end up with maybe 2 - 4 instead of 10).

2: You can use a tileable texture for your big open areas (wall, roof), and unwrap everything else onto their own texture sheets. This is what I mentioned in my previous post.

Advantages to option 1 are that it's more truly modulable (I just made that word up) because you can now use the same pieces to build other buildings without a lot of post-work, ie re-uv mapping the walls for the tileable texture.

As I think about 2, you'd still have to unwrap everything else before you weld, but after you weld you'd have to re-unwrap all the wall parts (just a quick planar) for the tileable texture. Advantages here are that the wall texture will look like it's being repeated less because you won't have 3 identical wall textures side by side, you'll have a tileable texture tiled 2+ times across 3 identical wall sections.

Either method should work fine.

And also, I'm very definitely not a genius. I'm trying to figure this out as you go along too. :P

Bond394 · 29-01-2008, 05:09 PM

Hey pantsburgh thanks a lot for all your help. I've been trying a few things out today and so far no luck. I tried attaching all of the side wall modules together and tried unwrapping the 3 different ids onto 3 different maps. The brick texture looks alright but when I try to unwrap the trim 3ds max goes all crazy. I'll try your first option but how could I unwrap and then combine the different modules without totally messing up the uvws. I figure if I use the first option and use tileable textures I could use UVW Xform so then it wont look to repetitive. Again thanks for your help.

pantsburgh · 29-01-2008, 07:56 PM

If you have 2 identical objects (ie 2 unwelded modules) you uv map the first with unwrap uvw (or turbo unwrap if you have that installed). In the rollout for the modifier, under the Parameters section go Save... and save the uvs to a file. Put a unwrap modifier on the 2nd object, and again in Parameters go Load... and load that uv file. Then collapse the modifier stack on both objects, attach, and weld the seam.

After you collapse the stacks the uvs are baked in, and attaching/welding won't mess them up. Alternatively, you could collapse the stack on the 1st and just duplicate it out and replace the other pieces. You already laid the whole house out, though, so save/load will be faster in this case.

To then use a tileable texture for the wall...this is sounding less and less of a good idea the more I think about it. :P But, you would collapse/attach/weld all the modules, then I guess select the wall polys (which are on their own id) in the editable poly modifier (it's not really a modifier, but w/e), or do the same in a mesh select modifier, then drop on an unwrap uvw/turbo unwrap, and do a quick planar on those wall polys and scale them out till the tileable wall texture is the the scale you want. Afterward collapse to bake them and do the same on the other 3 walls.

Man...I think I'm starting to confuse myself. It works in my head, but someone with a clue should probably correct the things I'm inevitably explaining wrong. I'm working on a similar project atm, so I'm trying to think through this for my benefit as well.

Bond394 · 30-01-2008, 09:12 AM

I came up with two problems when I tried to use tileable textures. The first was when I unwrapped a bigger section like number 1 and then unwrapped a smaller section like 3 or 4 the brick would always be smaller so then I would have to manually change the size of the uvws so that the texture would fit with all the other sections. The second problem was the seams. As tileable as the texture was your always going to see seams in the trim. So I'll try what you said and let you know the results, if I don't throw my computer out the window before then.

Bookmarks
Digg	del.icio.us	StumbleUpon	Google

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

28-01-2008, 04:41 PM	#11 (permalink)
pantsburgh Frequenter 115 - 29	If I were you, I'd use a mixture of tiled and unique textures. Make 2 texture sheets, 1 tileable wall, and the other all your trim and windows and such (maybe use a couple sheets for this, but definitely not 10 - combine several modules onto each sheet). Set the green walls to the tileable, and then unwrap all the other pieces onto your 2nd unique texture sheet(s). This way you can still add lots of detail to your trim and such, but not waste your time with 4 different texture sheets of wall that will just get repeated anyway.

28-01-2008, 06:12 PM	#12 (permalink)
Bond394 Frequenter 107 - 3	pantsburgh- I think I understand but let me just go over what I think you said. So what I should do is attach all the sections together and unwrap all the green sections together on one texture sheet. Then on a separate texture sheet have all the trim and either put the window frames on it too or put the window frames on maybe a smaller texture sheet. If this is right please let me know cause it this is right your a genius.

29-01-2008, 02:41 PM	#13 (permalink)
pantsburgh Frequenter 115 - 29	Well, really you have two options. 1: You can unwrap each section individually, and try to intelligently combine similar sections onto the same texture sheets (so you end up with maybe 2 - 4 instead of 10). 2: You can use a tileable texture for your big open areas (wall, roof), and unwrap everything else onto their own texture sheets. This is what I mentioned in my previous post. Advantages to option 1 are that it's more truly modulable (I just made that word up) because you can now use the same pieces to build other buildings without a lot of post-work, ie re-uv mapping the walls for the tileable texture. As I think about 2, you'd still have to unwrap everything else before you weld, but after you weld you'd have to re-unwrap all the wall parts (just a quick planar) for the tileable texture. Advantages here are that the wall texture will look like it's being repeated less because you won't have 3 identical wall textures side by side, you'll have a tileable texture tiled 2+ times across 3 identical wall sections. Either method should work fine. And also, I'm very definitely not a genius. I'm trying to figure this out as you go along too. :P

29-01-2008, 05:09 PM	#14 (permalink)
Bond394 Frequenter 107 - 3	Hey pantsburgh thanks a lot for all your help. I've been trying a few things out today and so far no luck. I tried attaching all of the side wall modules together and tried unwrapping the 3 different ids onto 3 different maps. The brick texture looks alright but when I try to unwrap the trim 3ds max goes all crazy. I'll try your first option but how could I unwrap and then combine the different modules without totally messing up the uvws. I figure if I use the first option and use tileable textures I could use UVW Xform so then it wont look to repetitive. Again thanks for your help.

29-01-2008, 07:56 PM	#15 (permalink)
pantsburgh Frequenter 115 - 29	If you have 2 identical objects (ie 2 unwelded modules) you uv map the first with unwrap uvw (or turbo unwrap if you have that installed). In the rollout for the modifier, under the Parameters section go Save... and save the uvs to a file. Put a unwrap modifier on the 2nd object, and again in Parameters go Load... and load that uv file. Then collapse the modifier stack on both objects, attach, and weld the seam. After you collapse the stacks the uvs are baked in, and attaching/welding won't mess them up. Alternatively, you could collapse the stack on the 1st and just duplicate it out and replace the other pieces. You already laid the whole house out, though, so save/load will be faster in this case. To then use a tileable texture for the wall...this is sounding less and less of a good idea the more I think about it. :P But, you would collapse/attach/weld all the modules, then I guess select the wall polys (which are on their own id) in the editable poly modifier (it's not really a modifier, but w/e), or do the same in a mesh select modifier, then drop on an unwrap uvw/turbo unwrap, and do a quick planar on those wall polys and scale them out till the tileable wall texture is the the scale you want. Afterward collapse to bake them and do the same on the other 3 walls. Man...I think I'm starting to confuse myself. It works in my head, but someone with a clue should probably correct the things I'm inevitably explaining wrong. I'm working on a similar project atm, so I'm trying to think through this for my benefit as well.

30-01-2008, 09:12 AM	#16 (permalink)
Bond394 Frequenter 107 - 3	I came up with two problems when I tried to use tileable textures. The first was when I unwrapped a bigger section like number 1 and then unwrapped a smaller section like 3 or 4 the brick would always be smaller so then I would have to manually change the size of the uvws so that the texture would fit with all the other sections. The second problem was the seams. As tileable as the texture was your always going to see seams in the trim. So I'll try what you said and let you know the results, if I don't throw my computer out the window before then.