After UV unwrapping: export flattened mesh image with wireframe?

[Spinland]

Once I have a model unwrapped and ready to send back to Lightwave, I see a myriad of choices for writing out texture maps of various types. My concern is none of those output textures seem to include the flattened wireframes, which I rely on for painting a texture and for placing image detailing where it needs to go. The flyout help text for Save mentions an export UV function that sounds like what I want but the description of where to find it doesn't seem to match the interface (screen shot attached).

This is probably a simple menu item I've just overlooked but I couldn't find it: how do I export the flattened UV map image(s) with wireframes displayed?

Many thanks in advance!

[popwfx]

do you mean the textures? or the textures with a wireframe of the UV map?

What do you mean "flattened wireframes"? Do you mean you want a texture with the wireframes flattened into one png texture image?

Normally when you are ready to go back to lightwave after UVing and painting you could go File > Export Model and it will save the LWO and the images for color, normal & spec

But if you are asking for the color images with wireframes, then you could go to Layers > Export > Color and save a PSD which contains the wireframes of a particular UV map and the currently selected layer. I haven't found a way to export wireframes other than this.

[Spinland]

Apologies for any confusion; I'm still learning the 3DC lingo.

What do you mean "flattened wireframes"? Do you mean you want a texture with the wireframes flattened into one png texture image?

In the attached screen shot, the "UV Preview" window (left half of my screen) shows the exact image I want to export. It doesn't necessarily need to be just one: if I have multiple UV maps for a model I'd naturally want to export each preview as a separate file. If I need to resort to taking a screen shot of that window to work with, fair enough, but I'm hoping there's a better way.

you could go to Layers > Export > Color and save a PSD which contains the wireframes of a particular UV map

I'm looking at my current screen in the UV editor (as per the attached screen shot) and there is no top-level "Layers" menu item which I can select, so I cannot follow your suggestion. Do I need to change my configuration somehow?

Thanks for your response!

[AbnRanger]

If you are gong to paint your textures in 3D Coat, why not use the Texture Editor? It's practically the same as having Photoshop docked in your viewport. You can toggle wireframe on and off.

[alvordr]

I can see why you would want the wireframes, as you don't always want to do your texture work in either Photoshop or 3D Coat. However, I don't know a way to get that UV map directly from 3D Coat into an image file, at the moment.

[alvordr]

If you go to the UV room and click on the left side the 'Save' button, you'll get a .uv file...but I don't recall any image application that could open that file the way I think you're after.

[AbnRanger]

Try this thread. It will give you a technique to try. You can select which UV map/set to sync.

http://3d-coat.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=10794&st=0&p=83945&hl=+exporting%20+wireframe&fromsearch=1entry83945

[Spinland]

Try this thread. It will give you a technique to try. You can select which UV map/set to sync.

Sorry for the delayed response, but I'm under a posting quota and couldn't reply until now. After this response I'll be locked out again until late tonight.

Thank you for that link! That menu selection nets me exactly the sort of flattened map texture I was looking for.

That being said, reflecting on the responses here has helped me realize the whole thing could be moot. In this paradigm of painting directly in a 3D interface I suppose painting on flat texture tiles is pretty outdated. In my past life as a modeler and animator I'd unwrap an aircraft, block out the basic color scheme underneath the wireframe, then pass the textures to someone else to refine in Photoshop. That was a long time ago and I need to get with the times.

Thanks again! You guys are great.

[AbnRanger]

I like to keep the 2D Texture Editor open most of the time, when painting texture maps in the Paint room. I prefer to use it when creating graphics and such, as there is no perspective distortion to deal with. It's really nice to be able to go back and forth between 3D and 2D right in the viewport, and see simultaneous updates, live.

[popwfx]

here's another reason we need better exporting of wireframes: when I make game assets, often the game will need to color or customize with logos etc avatar clothing or whatever. Having easily exportable wireframes lets me create photoshopped masks which i can feed to the game software so the user can customize or personalize their character.

So, if 3DC exported not only wireframes, but layer masks and UV island masks as black and white alpha masks, this sort of thing would be much quicker to do and maybe not require Photoshop

[popwfx]

If you go to the UV room and click on the left side the 'Save' button, you'll get a .uv file...but I don't recall any image application that could open that file the way I think you're after.

as I said, Layers > Export > Color exports wireframes - but no other export under the Texture or File menu exports the wireframes.

[Spinland]

Is that something worth submitting a feature request for?

In the meantime, even though it requires an external editor like Photoshop to work, the sync to external editor method linked above by AbnRanger seems to provide everything needed to build all those masks from there. I'm content.

[AbnRanger]

as I said, Layers > Export > Color exports wireframes - but no other export under the Texture or File menu exports the wireframes.

You don't need it. How much easier can it get, when all you have to do is go to EDIT menu > Sync Layer w/ External Editor.

[popwfx]

didn't realize that Edit > Sync Layer w/External Editor creates wireframes also.

Is there a way to get multiple layers exported with the wireframes at once?

[Spinland]

The menu item says "Sync layers," plural. I'm not sure but it might send over all the layers you have open in the texture editor, wireframe included. When I use it with just one (diffuse) layer active in 3DC, I get two layers in Photoshop, that one and the wireframe layer.

I was confused when I first tried it, actually, because the wireframes were the same color as the diffuse (I didn't do any painting in 3DC, just an unwrap) so I thought at first the wireframe layer was empty.

[AbnRanger]

The menu item says "Sync layers," plural. I'm not sure but it might send over all the layers you have open in the texture editor, wireframe included. When I use it with just one (diffuse) layer active in 3DC, I get two layers in Photoshop, that one and the wireframe layer.

I was confused when I first tried it, actually, because the wireframes were the same color as the diffuse (I didn't do any painting in 3DC, just an unwrap) so I thought at first the wireframe layer was empty.

Agreed. It should be named "Sync Layer"...singular.