Mapping a Character

This tutorial explains how to map a character model with the Unwrap UVW modifier. This modifier provides a wealth of tools that go well beyond traditional mapping techniques. You will use the character you built in the Modeling a Low-Poly Character tutorial to that effect.

You will use Unwrap UVW to map textures using simple methods like planar or cylindrical mapping. You will also use it to map textures using more elaborate methods such as Pelt mapping to map the camouflage texture seamlessly around the pants.

Skill Level: Intermediate

Time to complete: 1-2 hours

Features Covered in this Tutorial:

• Applying materials to objects
• Applying the UVW Modifier
• Using simple mapping techniques such as Planar and Cylindrical
• Working with Material IDs to separate mapping types

Tutorial Files

All the files necessary for this tutorial are provided on the program disc in the \tutorials\unwrap_uvw directory. Before starting the tutorials, copy the \tutorials folder from the disc to your local program installation.

In This Tutorial

Mapping the Shirt

Mapping the Helmet

Mapping the Pants

Mapping the Shirt

In this lesson, you use the UVW modifier to map a T-shirt onto a helicopter pilot. The materials have already been provided, you need only apply them to the objects and then use the proper mapping techniques.

Apply the material to the shirt:

1. Load the file pilot01.max found under \tutorials\unwrap_uvw.
2. Zoom in on the pilot’s shirt in the Perspective viewport.
3. Press M to open the Material Editor.
4. Find the material named Pilot_Shirt_Boots_&_Belt (it should already be selected). Drag this material and drop it on the shirt in the Perspective view. The shirt turns black.
5. Close the Material Editor.

1. Select the shirt and then go to the Modify panel.
2. From the Modifier List, choose Unwrap UVW.
3. In the modifier stack display, expand the Unwrap UVW modifier and then choose Face sub-object level.
4. Press Alt+W to switch to a four-viewport configuration.
5. Adjust the zoom factor in the Front viewport so that you see the T-shirt in its entirety.
6. Using Region Select, make a window around the shirt. Only those polygons facing the Front viewport are selected. Notice in the Selection Parameters rollout that face selection is set to Ignore Backfacing by default.
7. On the Map Parameters rollout, click the Planar button. In this case the planar gizmo was created using the correct orientation and the correct size.
8. Click the Planar button again to turn it off.
9. On the Parameters rollout, click Edit. The Edit UVWs dialog appears, displaying the selected polygons against a checkered background.
10. In the top-right corner of the dialog, from the drop-down list, choose the map that displays the texture of the T-shirt. This turns the checkered background into a tiled version of the map that is part of the material applied to the object.
11. In the bottom-right corner of the dialog, click the Options button.
12. In the Bitmap Options group that appears, set Brightness to 1.0. This makes the background image easier to read.
13. On the dialog’s main toolbar, make sure the Freeform Mode tool is active.
14. Place the cursor on the bottom-right corner of the gizmo surrounding the red area representing the selected polygons. The mouse is now in Scale mode. Click and drag to scale the selection until it is about the size of the t-shirt in the background.
15. Zoom in on that area in the dialog. You can use the mouse wheel to zoom and pan much like you would do in a viewport.
16. Place the cursor anywhere inside the area of the selected polygons. You are now in Move mode. Reposition the selected polygons over the T-shirt with the label “Army” on it.
17. In the Selection Modes group at the bottom of the dialog, choose Vertex sub-object mode.
18. Drag a region to select all the vertices that make the top half of the torso, including the arms.
19. Using Scale (corner boxes) and Move (cursor inside the selection area), adjust the vertices so they are all contained inside the t-shirt image.
20. Select the bottom vertices representing the lower section of the shirt. Adjust scale and position to equalize the flow of vertices on the 3D-object structure.
21. Continue selecting and adjusting groups of vertices to fit the wireframe structure to the image in the background. Always try to keep the flow of the vertices even to prevent any stretching in the texture, especially when the texture has patterns or labels on it.

Map the back of the shirt:

1. Right-click the label in the top left corner of the Front viewport. From the menu that appears, choose Views > Back.
2. In the Modifier stack, switch the Unwrap UVW sub-selection level to Face.
3. In the back viewport, drag to region-select all the polygons that make the back of the T-shirt.
4. On the Map Parameters rollout, click the Planar button once to reset the mapping coordinates of the selected faces.
5. Click the Planar button one more time to turn it off.
6. Using Scale and Move modes as you did earlier, position the back faces on top of the back of the T-shirt in the background picture.
7. In the Selection Modes group at the bottom of the dialog, choose Vertex sub-object mode.
8. Adjust groups of vertices as you did earlier to fit the wireframe structure on top of the background image.
9. Exit the Edit UVWs dialog when done.
10. Turn the Back view into a Front view again.
11. In the Modifier stack, exit sub-object mode.
12. Save your file as my_pilot_shirt.max.

Next

Mapping the Helmet

Mapping the Helmet

In this lesson, you use the Unwrap UVW modifier to map the helmet of the helicopter pilot. Unlike the shirt, the helmet cannot be easily mapped with a Planar projection. You will use a cylindrical projection instead.

Apply the material to the helmet:

1. Continue working on your file from the previous exercise or load the file pilot02.max found under \tutorials\unwrap_uvw.
2. Zoom in on the pilot’s helmet in the Perspective viewport.
3. Press M to open the Material Editor.
4. Find the material named Pilot_Head. Drag this material and drop it on the helmet in the Perspective view.
5. Close the Material Editor.

Map the helmet:

1. Select the Helmet, and then go to the Modify panel.
2. From the Modifier list, choose Unwrap UVW.
3. Expand the Unwrap UVW modifier, and then choose Face sub-object level.
4. On the Selection Parameters rollout, turn off Ignore Backfacing.
5. Drag to region-select all the faces that make the helmet. The whole helmet turns red.
6. On the Map Parameters rollout, click the Cylindrical button. A cylindrical mapping gizmo appears, but its size and orientation are incorrect.
7. On the Map Parameters rollout, click on Align Y to adjust the gizmo to the helmet.
   Note: Take a look at the vertical green edge at the front of the cylindrical gizmo. This represents the edge that will be used to unfold the map. You will need to rotate that edge to the back of the helmet to better fit the map assigned to the material.
8. From the main toolbar, click the Rotate tool and set Reference Coordinate System to Local.
9. Press the A key to turn on Angle Snap.
10. In the perspective view, rotate the gizmo 180 degrees on the Z axis (blue axis) until the green edge is at the back of the head.
11. On the Parameters rollout, click Edit to open the Edit UVWs dialog.
    The selected faces are unfolded against a checkered pattern, but it might not be completely symmetrical.
12. Rotate the cylindrical gizmo an additional 5 degrees on the Z axis.
    This fixes the selected faces into a perfectly symmetrical layout.
13. On the Map Parameters rollout, click the Cylindrical button to exit that mode.
14. In the editor, from the map drop-down list, choose the helmet map defined in the material.
15. Make sure the Options button in the bottom right corner of the dialog is active.
16. In the Bitmap Options group, set the Brightness to 1.0. This makes the background image easier to read.
17. On the dialog’s main toolbar, make sure the Freeform Mode tool is selected.
18. Position the cursor on one of the corner boxes to scale the selected faces, or anywhere inside the selection to move the selected faces.
19. Make a preliminary adjustment for the selected faces to fit the background image.
20. In the Selection Modes group at the bottom of the dialog, choose Vertex sub-object mode.
21. Adjust groups of vertices, as you did in the previous exercise.
22. Exit the Edit UVWs dialog when done. In the Modifier stack, exit the sub-object level.

If you have time, try to adapt this tutorial to the visor and the oxygen mask. Both present the same workflow (cylindrical mapping) as the helmet and they should be assigned the same material.

When you are done, save your file as my_pilot_helmet.max.

Next

Mapping the Pants

Mapping the Pants

In this lesson, you use the Unwrap UVW modifier to map the pants of the helicopter pilot using a camouflage pattern. The pants would be difficult to map using conventional mapping methods, especially when you use a pattern like camouflage, without getting smearing and stretching of pixels. Using multiple planar and cylindrical maps might work to keep the pattern equal but may give you problems with stitching. It is best to use Pelt Mapping in such a situation.

An added constraint is the belt, which is part of the pants object. Since the belt will be using a different material than the rest of the pants, you need to apply a Multi/Sub-Object Material and map the two elements differently, using pelt mapping for the pants and a simpler cylindrical mapping for the belt.

Adjust material IDs:

1. Continue working on your file from the previous exercise or load the file pilot03.max found under \tutorials\unwrap_uvw.
2. Zoom in on the pilot’s pants in all viewports.
3. Select the Pants object and go to the Modify panel.
4. Expand the Edit Poly modifier in the stack and go to Polygon sub-object level.
5. Activate the Front viewport and then press Ctrl+A to select all the faces that make up the pants object (pants + belt).
6. Scroll down to the Polygon Properties rollout at the bottom of the Modify panel. Set the Set ID value to 1.
   This sets all the faces to be applied with the first material in a multi/sub-object material definition.
7. Using a window selection, drag to select all the faces that make the belt.
8. On the Polygon Properties rollout, set the Set ID value to 2.
   The faces representing the belt will receive the second material in a multi/sub-object material definition.
9. Click an empty area of the viewport to deselect all polygons.
10. Exit Sub-object selection level, and then go to the top of the stack by clicking the Smooth modifier entry.

Apply the material to the pants:

1. In the Perspective viewport, zoom in on the pilot’s pants.
2. Press M to open the Material Editor.
3. Find the material named Pilot_Pants and select it.
   This is a Multi/Sub-Object material with two defined sub-materials.
4. Drag this material to on the pants in the Perspective viewport.
5. Close the Material Editor.

Create pelt seams:

When you use Pelt mapping, it is best to start by defining pelt seams. Pelt seams are like virtual “cut” lines that the UVW Map modifier uses to unfold the Pelt map.

1. Select the Pants object and then go to the Modify panel.
2. From the Modifier list, choose Unwrap UVW.
3. Maximize the Perspective view and press F4 to turn Edged Faces mode on if it is not on already.
4. Press F3 to display the view in wireframe.
5. Expand the Unwrap UVW modifier and in the modifier stack, go to Edge sub-object level.
6. On the Parameters rollout > Display group, turn off Show Map Seam. The green map seams will make the blue Pelt seams difficult to see.
7. Select the vertical edge at the back center of the belt.
8. On the Selection Parameters rollout, click the Loop button.
   The edges are now selected in a loop from the back to the front passing between the legs.
   At this point, you can convert this edge selection to a Pelt Seam, but you really only need the selected edges at the back of the pants. You can deselect the edges you do not want or use a different approach called Point To Point Seam.
9. Click a blank area of the viewport to deselect the edges. At the very bottom of the command panel, click the Point To Point Seam button.
10. Click a point on the belt where you want the pelt seam to start.
11. Arc Rotate to view the pants from a lower angle and click a point in the middle between the pants legs.
12. Right-click to accept the seam. You now have a pelt seam running along the buttocks.
13. Repeat the Point To Point procedure to create a pelt seam running along the inside of a leg.
14. Create a pelt seam for the inside of the other leg.
15. Press F3 to restore the view to shaded mode.
16. In the modifier stack, set the sub-object level to Face.
17. On the Selection Parameters rollout, turn off Ignore Backfacing.
18. Press Ctrl+A to select all the faces that make up the pants.
    They turn red in the viewport.
19. On the Map Parameters rollout, click the Pelt button.
    A planar mapping gizmo appears in the viewport.
20. Click the Align Y button to align the gizmo with the world XZ plane (that is, perpendicular to the Y axis).
21. At the bottom of the rollout, click the Edit Pelt Map button.
    The Edit UVWs dialog appears along with the Pelt Map Parameters dialog.
    Note: The display of the geometry in the Edit UVWs dialog is slightly different from what you have seen so far. A circular Stretcher is displayed. you'll use this to simulate Pelt mapping by stretching the geometry. You need to adjust it slightly so that it works properly.
22. From the Maps drop-down, choose the map that was defined in the Multi/Sub-Object material for the pants.
    The camouflage texture appears in the background.
    Note: Because the material applied to the pants is a Multi/Sub-Object material, all maps used in the material definition are automatically displayed in the map drop-down menu; in this case the camouflage and the belt map.
23. On the Edit UVWs main toolbar, choose the Scale tool.
24. Position the cursor on one of the Stretcher control points. Scale the stretcher up slightly until it reaches the boundaries of the camouflage map.
25. On the Edit UVWs toolbar, choose the Rotate tool.
26. Make sure Angle snap is off. Position the cursor on one of the stretcher’s control point, and rotate the stretcher to get a more symmetrical layout.
27. In the Pelt Map Parameters floating dialog, click the Simulate Pelt Pulling button.
    The faces are stretched out based on the pelt seams you created.
28. Click the Simulate Pelt Pulling button two more times for additional stretching.
    The end results are getting better in the viewport, but the mapping can be made better with a bit of “relaxing.”
29. On the Pelt Map Parameters floating dialog, click the Relax (Light) button three times. Keep an eye on the viewport to compare the results.

Map the belt:

Unlike the pants, the belt uses a simple cylindrical mapping, much like the one you used on the helmet in the previous exercise.

1. In the modifier stack, switch the Unwrap UVW sub-object level to Face.
2. In the Map Parameters rollout, click the Pelt button to exit this mode.
3. Click a blank area of the viewport to deselect the faces.
4. On the Edit UVWs dialog, open the face ID dropdown list.
5. Choose 2:Pilot_Belt (Standard) from that list. Only the faces that make out the belt are selected.
   Note: The background automatically switches to reflect the map associated with the faces that use that Material ID.
6. In the Edit UVWs window, drag to region-select all the faces representing the belt.
   The corresponding faces are selected in the viewport.
7. Press F3 to switch to wireframe display mode.
8. On the Map Parameters rollout, click Cylindrical, and then click Align Z to align the cylindrical gizmo to the belt.
9. Make sure Angle Snap is on and rotate the gizmo 90 degrees on the Z axis (blue axis) so that the green seam is at the back.
10. On the Map Parameters rollout, click the Fit button to fit the gizmo to the belt.
11. Click the Cylindrical button to turn it off.
12. At the bottom-right corner of the Edit UVWs dialog, click the Options button.
13. In the extended group that appears, set the Brightness value to 1 to get a better view of the background.
14. On the Edit UVWs toolbar, click the Freeform mode tool.
15. Make a preliminary adjustment using Scale (cursor on the corner control points) and Move (cursor inside the selection) to position the selected faces over the belt in the background image.
16. Press F3 to return to shaded display mode.
17. On the Edit UVWs dialog, switch the selection mode to Vertex.
18. Select all the bottom vertices on the belt line.
19. From the Edit UVWs window’s main toolbar, open the Scale flyout and choose the Scale Vertical tool.
20. Place your cursor on one of the selected vertices and then click and drag down to straighten the belt line.
21. Select the upper belt line and straighten it as well.
22. Select the vertices around the buckle.
23. Using Scale Horizontal and Move, adjust the vertices to get a better-looking buckle in the viewport.
24. Close the Edit UVWs dialog when done.
25. In the modifier stack, exit the sub-object level.
26. Save your file as my_pilot_pants.max.

You have used the Unwrap UVW modifier to apply various types of maps such as Planar, Cylindrical and Pelt. If you have time, continue mapping the rest of the objects that make the character such as boots, arms and neck. All materials have been already provided. Remember that you only need to map one boot and one arm, because you created the opposite limb as an instance.

A finished version named pilot05.max can be found under \tutorials\unwrap_uvw.

Summary

This tutorial has introduced you to several mapping methods using the Unwrap UVW modifier. You have used simple mapping techniques such as planar and cylindrical, as well as more elaborate techniques such as pelt mapping to seamlessly wrap textures around objects. These tools can be adapted to the task of mapping any object in 3ds Max.