Nakharar's Basic Art: UV mapping

**Nakharar** · January 30, 2009, 06:41 AM

Hey this is the first of my new set of tutorials i got Photoshop yesterday and immeadeatly experimented and figured out how to UV map simply taking only a few minutes though i think without varients.

Its vital to have Gimp(free), photoshop or Paint.Net(free) all with DDS plugin(paint.net has it built in).

Milkshape is good but not completely vital but vital for part 2. Download KnightErrant's tool for UV mapping:

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/downl...o=file&id=1888

Make sure you have downloaded Python. Extract that to wherever you want i did to my desktop.

-------------Part 1-------------

1) Get a model any model you want in .MS3D format and copy it to your desktop(prefably its alot easier)

2) Now double click on KnightErrant's tool. You should get this:

Open select the model you want by double clicking it. Now let the tool do its work for a period of time(shouldnt be more than a minute).

3)Now wherever the model is there will be two new DDS files. One attachments and one figure. You know have your UV map for attachments and figure which is done.

-------------Part 2-------------

1) This part will explain how to see which bit is which. After you have opened the UV map in whatever program you want get your paint tool and on every part paint a small bit like this. Save that as a .png(make sure you do). Save that as a different name so it doesnt overwrite.

2) Open the model in milkshape3d.

3) Click on materials tab, click on figure and in the first spot where it says none. Browse for your skin in .PNG or .DDS and double click on your skin.

Then changed the model view to textured by right clicking the model in projection and press textured.

4) You should now see something like this:

5) Make another copy of the UV map figure not the clean. And label using milkshape what parts are what like so:

6) Then using that you know which parts are what and youve UV mapped the model now skin it or ask a skinner to skin it but make sure you do it on the clean, remember you should have 3 copies of the same UV, one labelled, one coloured, and one clean.

Finished Product:

The WIP Sughdian Lancer of the Sassanids for EOR by Daxter:

**Nevada** · February 10, 2009, 09:29 AM

nice tutorial, very helpful!

**impspy** · March 25, 2009, 04:50 PM

what version of python are you using?

**Dewy** · June 04, 2009, 11:39 PM

lol sorry nak, but you can use the UV map tool inbuilt in MS3D to UV map and find what each bit is

**EVYATAR** · July 19, 2009, 04:10 AM

thank!
i serch Tutorial like this something like 3 weeks!

Edit:

Then changed the model view to textured by right clicking the model in projection and press textured

i dont understand who to do it..

**IVIarkI2I** · July 19, 2009, 05:13 AM

Originally Posted by Dewy

lol sorry nak, but you can use the UV map tool inbuilt in MS3D to UV map and find what each bit is

yep lol all is in mikshape

**Nakharar** · July 20, 2009, 03:53 AM

That milkshape tool isnt very good ive tried it a few times and its very hard to use i think

**EVYATAR** · July 20, 2009, 09:41 AM

Editdosent matter

**IVIarkI2I** · July 30, 2009, 06:51 AM

Originally Posted by Nakharar

That milkshape tool isnt very good ive tried it a few times and its very hard to use i think

what

its the easiest uv mapping tool I have seen man

but will give a try to this tool also

**Dea Paladin** · August 15, 2009, 03:41 AM

Hmm.. when I run the python file a command line window pops up for a half second then it closes..

EDIT: Nevemind I tried downloading the version that was released just before this tut was written, now it works.

**tyler** · January 05, 2011, 04:11 AM

Hi. I downloaded the python program. But when i click 2 times on the .ms3d file. a prompt pop up start to work and then it close after 2 seconds without creating any file. I have installed the 2.6 version of python. Can you help me?

**Louis Lux** · January 19, 2011, 09:26 AM

-Make sure all of the models are assigned to a material
-Make sure none of the UV coordinates are outside the texture area

**Polycarpe** · February 02, 2011, 05:24 PM

I wouldlove to skin it myself. I get the UV from my unit but they are all in one pile. What can I do?

**Polycarpe** · February 07, 2011, 08:19 PM

Could someone could answer my question please?

**colonel bolgin** · October 19, 2011, 10:02 AM

no disrespect ; this tutorial sucks i dont understand the way you are explaining this without any explanation is there any other tutorial sir?

**Louis Lux** · October 23, 2011, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by St. Polycarpe

Could someone could answer my question please?

Nobody answered

Might be too late but well, you have to open milkshape's texture coordinator (ctrl+T) and move thing around so they do not overlay each other.

Originally Posted by colonel bolgin

no disrespect ; this tutorial sucks i dont understand the way you are explaining this without any explanation is there any other tutorial sir?

What do you want to do? The tutorial just explains how you can create a image file with the vertex coordinates so you can skin the model (it must be uvmapped already).

**Mr_Nygren** · May 21, 2017, 06:37 AM

Is there a tutorial for GIMP with pictures?

I can't get the UV-maping to work. Every time i move more than one part moves, it's always one part that looks messy. This happens when trying to merge other parts than those who have a different texture - like when trying to merge a new head to a different body. The hair of the new head has two UV-map skeletons and both move when clicking move..

Which means it get's messed up because the new texture have them placed differently.

Also, this guide has disappeared:

How-To: UV map merged models

Just what i needed.

**Mr_Nygren** · May 21, 2017, 07:49 AM

I do manage to get the face and upper part of the hair to look as it should. But the problem is that when i move the UV-maping of the hair one of the parts is "falling out of place" - alas i have no clue how to move one without moving the other?

**paleologos** · May 21, 2017, 07:51 AM

You know you can drag the cursor and make a selection box only around the red dots that you want to move.
And if you only want to move two of the "red dots" (vertices) that have other vertices between them which you do not want to move then you can select one vertice normally and then hold shift and select the other one.
Red dots are the vertices that have been selected and any action you perform will only apply to them.
White vertices are non-selected vertices of the selected group.
They will remain unaffected by your actions.

**Mr_Nygren** · May 21, 2017, 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by paleologos

You know you can drag the cursor and make a selection box only around the red dots that you want to move.
And if you only want to move two of the "red dots" (vertices) that have other vertices between them which you do not want to move then you can select one vertice normally and then hold shift and select the other one.
Red dots are the vertices that have been selected and any action you perform will only apply to them.
White vertices are non-selected vertices of the selected group.
They will remain unaffected by your actions.

Thanks, worked like a charm

- I guess now it will be easier to UV-map those Great Sea-units who hadn't been properly UV-maped before.

This Daenerys Targaryen body was made by a friend of Auc129, and the face i took from the other model i previewed in the GoT:TW thread - the old model had an ugly face/head compared to this one.