If you have imported a mesh for UV mapping, or if you need to change or edit your UV maps, the UV room is available with a full arsenal of tools to modify your UV maps. The UV map of a mesh is like the paper patterns used to cut out the cloth for your model`s clothes. As with any decent garment, you would try not to make your pattern from many small pieces and keep it as large as possible. The UV room provides the precise tools you need to create a balanced UV map.
Like a paper sample, each garment is separated from the others and designed economically to make room for the rest. The tools and features of the UV room are primarily designed for positioning, sizing, and aligning all pattern pieces. Since you can change your mind about the placement of pattern seams, all the tools in the Retopo room that deal with UV mapping are also in the UV room. There are also tools to help them prevent the stretching of sample parts – and how all parts are packed into the space of the entire UV map.
Since a model can have a variety of application, it is possible that you may need different maps. With 3DCoat, you can create and modify as many different UV maps as you need for each project.
Once you`ve completed your maps and placed your model in the Paint Room, you can use the Texture UV Editor to place details and labels that require precision that is difficult to achieve by painting in 3D Viewport itself. Use the Texture UV Editor to paint and position precise details directly on the UV map using all the tools available in the Paint Room.
3DCoat also supports the creation and editing of multiple UV maps (uDims) on a single mesh, but note that polygons cannot be shared across the UV Maps layouts.
Once you have finalized your topology and are ready to start texturing your model (by “Baking” your mesh into the Paint Room), the “UV Room” becomes available with a full arsenal of tools for modifying your “UV Maps”, themselves.
The UV Workspace work with Paint Objects.
If you wish to UV Map a Retopo Object, you can do so from the Retopo Workspace.
A Retopo Object must have a UV Map before Baking to a Paint Object. That said, note that the UV tools in both rooms are exactly the same, and this page contains all UV Unwrapping information.
The UV Workspace provides the precise tools to produce a “balanced” UV Map. The UV map of a model is like the paper pattern used to cut out the cloth for your model’s clothing (textures).
As with any decent garment, you would try to avoid making your pattern from scores of small pieces, but rather, a good piece of clothing tries to keep all of its component pieces as large as possible and as near the same size as is practical.
Like a paper pattern, each “clothing” part is separated from the others and economically laid out to make room for all the rest. The UV Room tools and functions are mainly designed to deal with positioning, sizing, and the orientation of all the “pattern” pieces.
Since you may change your mind regarding the placement of “pattern” seams, many tools found in the Retopo Workspace that deal with UV Mapping are also found in the UV Workspace.
Tools are also present that help you prevent the “stretching” of “pattern” pieces and how all of the pieces are “packed” into the space of the overall Map.
Since one model may have a variety of uses and may be viewed from various angles, you may find the need to have different Maps, each for its unique purpose in your finished production.
3DCoat allows you to make and modify as many UV Maps as you need for any project.
Once you`ve completed your maps and placed your model in the Paint Room, you can use the Texture UV Editor to place details and labels that require precision that is difficult to achieve by painting in 3D Viewport.
To unwrap an Object (Paint or Retopo), it first must have UV Seams. By marking and having UV Seams, 3DCoat will know where to cut the mesh and lay it flat for texture application via 3D and 2D means (3DCoat’s Paint Room, Photoshop, etc.).
Use the Texture UV Editor to Paint and position precise details directly on the UV Map utilizing all the tools available in the Paint Room.
Moving back and forth between the UV Workspace and the Paint Workspace allows you to make all of the Seam and Island adjustments to obtain the optimal set of Texture Maps ready for export to your external application of choice.
The UV Workspace is a duplication and an extension of tools available in the Retopo Workspace, made to work with UV Maps once your model has been “Baked” into the Paint Workspace. What you produce in the UV Workspace will represent the permanent maps you will use for export to 3rd party applications.
Retopo Room & UV Room
Many 3D specialists use only those parts of 3DCoat which help them do very specific jobs, like creating UV Maps or new topology. 3DCoat’s UV Workspace provides a very powerful set of specific tools for performing every type of UV alteration for existing models and maps.
In 3DCoat, the Retopo Room and the UV Room are closely tied together and most often are used together to produce final UV Maps.
When altering an existing UV Map, small changes to model topology are sometimes desirable, these adjustments are made in the Retopo Room first, followed by Unwrapping the modified mesh and bringing the new Map into the UV Room for final island placement and packing.
At any time in the UV Mapping process, new seams can be placed and new maps created, which vary from those layouts made in the Retopo Room.
Before unwrapping, you can specify which unwrapping algorithm you wish to use. There is the older LSCM unwrapping and the newer ABF++ unwrapping. When you mark a new seam, 3DCoat unwraps new clusters in real time and shows you the preview of the unwrapped clusters immediately so that you can see the degree of distortion for every part. Having this convenient function helps to keep you from forgetting the location of any seam or cluster.
Tutorials
The Basics of UV Mapping: This tutorial covers the basics of texture unwrapping, otherwise known as UV mapping, the process of wrapping a 2d texture image onto a 3d object.
Select UV-Islands directly: In this short quick tip video I show you how to select a uv-island directly in the viewport of 3DCoat.
How to swap UVs: This video covers one easy method in 3DCoat, to modify a model’s UVs after doing some texture painting work….without penalty.
Working w/ Symmetry (Retopo/UVs): This video continues the Introduction to working with Symmetry, focusing on the Retopo Room and UVs).