PolyUnwrapper
Version:
4.4.0
Date Updated:
04/15/2023 PolyUnwrapper is a complete set of professional tools designed for the texture artists, especially for the architectural and game industries.
It contains plenty of features that will greatly help you improve your unwrapping workflow.
Main Features Features
- Multi Stitch. Stitch Multiple Shells at once
- Custom Packing algorithm and tools
- Tool for matching the Shells Width and Height
- Easy Grid Spacing
- Render UV Tiles (UDIM)
- Cycle Checker map
- PolyUnwrapper Toolbar now keeps on top of the Unwrap Editor
- Render Open Edges
Version Requirement:
3ds Max 2016 - 2024
Comments
Great Ideas
Hey headd,
I think all your ideas are very good, but unfortunately, I don’t see a way they all could be implemented via MaxScript.
1. AFAIK, there is no way to modify this.
2. Here, the only thing I see possible is "Constant UV edge color regardless of the object's wire color". That could be implemented by simply switching the models wire color when you open the UV Editor, and restoring them when you exit. One problem could be if PolyUnwrapper crashes, then the wire colors would not be restored, so error handling would need to be much solid than what it currently is. The same could be used for checker maps and default materials.
As far as the transparency, again, I don't know any way to get access to this. Not the same, but you could use something like "Cross Hatch Diagonal" to see thru the shells.
3. Grouping could perhaps be achieved, although I doubt there is an efficient way to handle it using MaxScript. For example, if you group two shells, and then detach one of the shells faces, the group would be broken, and all the information regarding the other shells should be rebuild, because there is no fast access to that kind of basic information, as shells, open edges, edge vertices, etc. Even if you could get updated the UV information, there is no control, for example, over the Pack function. The good news is that the grouping feature was implemented in Max 2012.
4. Shortcuts.
I definitely will have to include some macro scripts in next version. The reason I didn’t include them in previous versions was to simplify the install process. But since version 2.4 there is an installer, it will be no problem to add them.
Thank you so much for your ideas. Perhaps someone at Autodesk read them and decides to improve the archaic Unwrap Modifier.
Hey, I thought of some
Hey,
I thought of some improvements, that would be usefull:
1. One of them regards face distortion, and NeilBlevins explains this very thoroughly :
http://www.neilblevins.com/cg_tools/cg_wishlist/3dsmax/wishlist_show_fac...
2. Can you alter the way 3dsmax shows the UV's inside the editor? I'm thinking of:
- Seam thickness
- Constant UV edge color regardless of the object's wire color.
- Solid fill for shells but with transparency, so you can overlap them. Right now they get solid only when selected.
I'm thinking of the possibility of tuning these to match, for example, Maya's or UVLayout's ones, because they have more readable UV's.
3. Grouping.
I'd want to overlap some UV's, group them, and if i repack, they should stay overlapped, even if moved across the UV space. Also there could be an option to keep them fixed on the UV space even if repacking.
This will be very useful on lightmap mapping because you can have overlapped LOD's that use the same UV's, or have a custom area that you don't want to be repacked.
An extra variation could be repack selected inside the selection bounding box.
4. Shortcuts.
Can we add shortcuts to your script functions? For example the Align Shells with NumPad would be very usefull.
What do you think about these :) ?
Thanks
Jorge, indeed, your methods
Jorge,
indeed, your methods should do the trick. :)
thank you very much for taking the time to elaborate.
Thank you mewbrrj, The
Thank you mewbrrj,
The feature you describe would be selecting a group of contiguous faces in the UVW Editor, and then get the edge selection of its perimeter to convert them to Map Seams (green) or Pelt Seams (blue) ?
If so, it is currently possible, even without PolyUnwrapper.
To create Map Seams, just select the groups of faces you want, and apply a Quick Planar Mapping. This works with multiple faces groups.
To create Pelt Seams select the faces and apply a Pelt Mapping, or Quick Pelt Mapping in PolyUnwrapper. Even if you cancel the Pelt Mapping, it will still create the Pelt Seams. This only works well for one group of faces at the time.
If you need to create Pelt seams from multiple Faces Groups, you can do the following:
1. Select the Groups of faces (by group I mean faces that share some edge).
2. Apply a Quick Planar Mapping
3. Use the PolyUnwrapper “Select Open Edges”, and then the “Convert Selected Edges To Pelt Seams”. The Select Open Edge will select all Open Edges, so before converting them to Pelt Seams, remember to deselect the edges you don’t need.
That should give you Pelt Seams from multiple faces groups in a few clicks.
this tool is getting better
this tool is getting better and better. :)
would it be possible to add a button to get a outline selection from a poly selection?
might be useful for creating seams.
let me know what are your thoughts about this suggestion.
thank you a lot for this great free tool.
haha, In that case I'm doing
haha, In that case I'm doing everything right :) I'm self taught so sometimes I doubt my abilities, but I agree, the end result is what matters.
Thank you asymptote, I agree
Thank you asymptote,
I agree a video would be nice, though it wouldn’t be about unwrapping but showing how the different features work.
There are many free and commercial unwrapping tutorials out there, and there is really nothing new I could bring in this regard.
In fact, the process of unwrapping is quite personal, and it changes with every different model you do. Although there are certain routines for objects like heads, every artist has its own technics, and as long as they give you the results you are after, all of them are good.
random pos x or y...in the
random pos for face x or y...in the uvw editor....
Wow now that's what you call an update!
I consider myself the worst UV Mapper in the world, so this tool makes my life much easier. Everything is clear and concise, much better than the standard UI in Max 2010.
Thanks a lot, loving the nudge feature.
It's not a request, but I'd love to see all these features in action on a video sometime, purely because I'm so bad at UV mapping ;) mind you there's so many features it would need to be a long video :)
Thanks headd, Yes, the Align
Thanks headd,
Yes, the Align Shell to Edge could work on multiple Shells. I will try to implement it.
As far as the “auto-straighten” idea, I am not sure to understand what you mean. Would you develop de idea further?