eclark1894
Visionary
There's a thread in the Hivewire Blender forum that may help you get better UV maps from Blender.
-
Welcome to the Community Forums at HiveWire 3D! Please note that the user name you choose for our forum will be displayed to the public. Our store was closed as January 4, 2021. You can find HiveWire 3D and Lisa's Botanicals products, as well as many of our Contributing Artists, at Renderosity. This thread lists where many are now selling their products. Renderosity is generously putting products which were purchased at HiveWire 3D and are now sold at their store into customer accounts by gifting them. This is not an overnight process so please be patient, if you have already emailed them about this. If you have NOT emailed them, please see the 2nd post in this thread for instructions on what you need to do
ImagineX Products at HiveWire
Thank you! I knew you all would have answers!
eclark1894
Visionary
I'm no great UV expert myself, but I do know that the secret is how you place the seams. You want to try and cut it so that you can have the flattest layout possible.
I haven't done any cutting, and I think that might be part of the problem. Hexagon is supposed to do a flattening/cutting on its own, and it's not doing a good job. One thing is that it's SO TINY! So, maybe importing the obj to Blender and then following the instructions from there, might help. Thank you for the extra hint!
Glitterati3D
Dances with Bees
Sorry, but that's just not the case. Hexagon will flatten, but you must cut the UV seams yourself in Hex first.
There's some good Hexagon UV tutorials on Geek at Play here:
Yep...Traci's right you need to mark wher you want the seams. Even UVLayout requires that...the only program i know that doesnt is zbrush it will place the seams where it thinks they should go. You can change that by painting in the areas you want to attract the seams to though.
Glitterati3D
Dances with Bees
I'll add to this.......the flattest layout possible with the least visible seams. For instance, you may want to cut a seam down the center front of a dress to get a nice flat layout, but you certainly do not want a seam there.
If you have ever done any sewing, I found thinking in terms of clothing pattern pieces helps a great deal. You could even go to some of the pattern web sites and look at their pattern layouts to get an idea where to place cuts.
Tons of sewing! Including noble's Renn Faire clothing and designing my own outfits and my daughter's wedding dress! lol. Okay, I can visualize that. I've looked at several Geek at Play videos and really like them, but hadn't found the one above. Will give it a look see. Thank you for the answers.
Glitterati3D
Dances with Bees
You're welcome. Since you've done sewing, think of 3d modeling/UV mapping as sewing "backwards." First you assemble (model) the outfit, then you create the pattern pieces (UV map).
I wouldn't have thought of it that way Traci, but that's the perfect way to think of it.
My mother was a professional seamstress, so I always think of seams for clothing, as she would have when cutting pattern pieces.
Glitterati3D
Dances with Bees
We "sewers" have a leg up on modelers who don't have that experience - we can model with an eye toward how we plan to cut it. I look at a piece I want to create and think, I can model it but can I UV map it?
Good point.I look at a piece I want to create and think, I can model it but can I UV map it?
I should probably start with something smaller/easier than a spaceship, too. lol.
Probably...I always found that was my problem when learning to model. I would want to do things that I wasn't ready for. When I worked on doing the basics first and just learning to use the program I made quicker progress. I used the Geek At Play Tutorials...I'd been struggling for a while and getting nowhere and then I started using their tutorials and it started to come together. Still learning though...
quietrob
Extraordinary
Is that DAZ only too? I am a Poser user and am thinking that would be nice as lace gloves or stockings.
CajunBeauty
Adventurous
As far as I know it's Daz only. You may be able to do something in Poser, but I don't know anything about that so I can't help, sorry. Maybe someone here who knows Poser can help you. I'm still a Daz only girl.
I love your work, your store promos and products are magnificent!