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Understanding Unwrap UVW

by Didik Wijaya
This tutorial needs you to understand basic use of 3dsmax.
This tutorial refer to Unwrap UVW in 3dsmax 8.

Understanding Unwrap UVW This tutorial is suitable for you who wants to know about basic use of Unwrap UVW. In this tutorial, we will texture a box, which front, top, left and right side textured using different image. Alternatively, you can texture this box using Multi/Sub-Object Material. Instead, we will use Unwrap UVW. With Unwrap UVW, we can texture sub-object level and then adjust its mapping coordinate to fit image we used.

1. First, create a new 3dsmax document or reset. In Command Panel, activate Create tab, and click Box button. In Top viewport, click and drag to create a box. Then left clik Modify tab and change its parameters to Length=80, Width=200 and Height=300. Left Segs values to 1.

2. Now, open Material Editor (press M in keyboard). Activate one of empty material slot. Click and drag this slot to box in viewport to apply material. Don't foreget to click Show Map in Viewport button to see applied material in viewport. In Blinn Basic Parameters rollout, click small square button next to Diffuse. Material/Map Browser window will open. Choose bitmap and use juicemap.jpg below. Juicemap.jpg is a single bitmap image that contain several map for front, top, left and right side of box. Now box has a material applied to it, but material appeareance is not right. We will fix that later.

Bitmap file juicemap.jpg. Right click to save this file.

3. In modifier drop-down list, choose Unwrap UVW to apply this modifier. In Parameters rollout, click Edit button. Edit UVWs window will appear.

4. In Edit UVWs window, change CheckerPattern (Checker) drop-down list to Pick Tecture. Material/Map Browser window open and choose Browse From: Mtl Editor. Finally, choose your previously create map (juicemap.jpg). Now you can see juicemap.jpg as background image, but it is tiled..

5. In Edit UVWs window, go to Options>Advanced Options. Find Display Preferences and uncheck Tile Bitmap. After that, click OK. Juicemap.jpg will not tiled anymore.

6. In Modifier Stack, click plus sign on the left Unwrap UVW row to open sub-object level. Select Face. In viewport, select box's front face. After we select face, we need to choose what mapping type for the selected face.In Map Parameters rollout, click Planar, and then click Align Y or Best Align. (Note: Usually Best Align is good for most condition.). As you can see, face selected in viewport represented in Edit UVWs window as rectangle with small grid.

7. Next step, in Edit UVWs window we need to adjust mapping coordinate by scaling or moving vertices. You can use several tool available in top left corner. The tool you may like for scaling rectangle is Freeform Mode. Scale rectangle to match front mapping image (look at image below). You may also change selection to Vertex and move verteices to the right position.

8. Repeat last step with different face and different image mapping. After all coordinates match with each image mapping, your box will look like image below.

Any question or comments regarding this tutorial should be sent to:
Didik Wijaya, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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