FSX mapping in 3ds max?

[STEW]

Hi guys

I would like to know from you guys how do you know what typ of mapping to use ie flatten mapping ,normal mapping and unfold mapping is there some sort of a guide line you can follow or something?

Thanks guys

 

[Aviasim]

Flatten mapping, default value will be on 45, can try changing it to a higher number such as 60, 65, 70, 80 etc

You may have to flip the unwrapped texture horizontally and vertically, play about with the scale, layout etc

 

[Tejal Bernardo]

flatten mapping is a very detailed mesh of all the sides of the objects. Normal mapping is like a snapshot, from different angles, from left side from top side etc., it's a very basic explanation sorry, the unfold mapping not quite understood the concept.

 

[STEW]

Flatten mapping, default value will be on 45, can try changing it to a higher number such as 60, 65, 70, 80 etc

You may have to flip the unwrapped texture horizontally and vertically, play about with the scale, layout etc

Hi

Thanks Darren but what i dont understand is there mabye some guidline to follow for example mabye a basic object will require a flatten mapping or so on

 

[STEW]

flatten mapping is a very detailed mesh of all the sides of the objects. Normal mapping is like a snapshot, from different angles, from left side from top side etc., it's a very basic explanation sorry, the unfold mapping not quite understood the concept.

Hi

Thanks Tejal

Will look into this further

 

[lionheart]

If you have a new version of Max, try out Pelt mapping. This is mainly used for characters (pilots) where they are quite rounded and sophisticated shapes.

 

[bob5568]

what type of models are you making? It determines the best uvmapping strategy.

 

[STEW]

If you have a new version of Max, try out Pelt mapping. This is mainly used for characters (pilots) where they are quite rounded and sophisticated shapes.

Hi Lionheart

iv got the 2013 and 2009 version i dont see pelt mapping in 2013 though

what type of models are you making? It determines the best uvmapping strategy.

Hi bob

im busy making terminals for airports that arnt to sophisticated and not very big

 

[jan]

There's not much to UV maps in the way you puzzle together your UV shells. Really try all the tools AD bought into 3ds and see which returns you the best result (When you apply a checker map material to your mesh, the checkers should be perfectly square and of an even size across the whole mesh). The various tools Autodesk offers in the UV editor's Map Parameter flyout menu should be taken with a grain of salt though, they really only yield usable results with the most simple geometry and even then might mess with texel ratio. Lately and for technical low-poly stuff, most of the times I find myself just flattening everything with an angle threshold of 0.0 and then stitch together what needs to be connected (Select edge in the UV editor, right-click, Stitch). It's not exactly time-efficient but guarantees an even texel density across the map.

Pelt mapping is not the prime solution for 'technical' meshes as it tends to produce significant distortion within the pelted UV shell, ie uneven texel density across the shell and even skewed texels. And that's something you want to avoid at all cost as not only will the distortion make it more cumbersome to work with that UV map in Photoshop/Gimp later on, it's also a known source of mipmapping issues.

 

[lionheart]

Hi Lionheart

iv got the 2013 and 2009 version i dont see pelt mapping in 2013 though

When you open 'Unwrap UVW', you'll see a round brown icon under Peel, one of four different round icons. This will bring up the Pelt control panel and Pelting window.

I use so many different versions of Plannar technology for all the various things that I make, from AC vents to wrap around panel edges to pilots body parts to cabin interior struts. Sometimes a plane ole flat Plannar works, sometimes a cylinder, sometimes a Flatten, sometimes a Pelt... Just depends on the parts.

 

[STEW]

There's not much to UV maps in the way you puzzle together your UV shells. Really try all the tools AD bought into 3ds and see which returns you the best result (When you apply a checker map material to your mesh, the checkers should be perfectly square and of an even size across the whole mesh). The various tools Autodesk offers in the UV editor's Map Parameter flyout menu should be taken with a grain of salt though, they really only yield usable results with the most simple geometry and even then might mess with texel ratio. Lately and for technical low-poly stuff, most of the times I find myself just flattening everything with an angle threshold of 0.0 and then stitch together what needs to be connected (Select edge in the UV editor, right-click, Stitch). It's not exactly time-efficient but guarantees an even texel density across the map.

Pelt mapping is not the prime solution for 'technical' meshes as it tends to produce significant distortion within the pelted UV shell, ie uneven texel density across the shell and even skewed texels. And that's something you want to avoid at all cost as not only will the distortion make it more cumbersome to work with that UV map in Photoshop/Gimp later on, it's also a known source of mipmapping issues.

Hi Jan

sounds like using the flatten mapping will be the easiest i guess i will just have to play around and see what works and what doesnt thanks for the help

When you open 'Unwrap UVW', you'll see a round brown icon under Peel, one of four different round icons. This will bring up the Pelt control panel and Pelting window.

I use so many different versions of Plannar technology for all the various things that I make, from AC vents to wrap around panel edges to pilots body parts to cabin interior struts. Sometimes a plane ole flat Plannar works, sometimes a cylinder, sometimes a Flatten, sometimes a Pelt... Just depends on the parts.

Hi Lionheart i am one of those people that use the plannar technologys and sometimes it can be a little frustrating and limites you when it comes to advanced featues such as texture backing shadow backing as i would like to learn all the diffrent techniques in 3ds max mapping so i can take my scenerys up to the next level by using shadow backing etc

 

[lionheart]

Hi Lionheart i am one of those people that use the plannar technologys and sometimes it can be a little frustrating and limites you when it comes to advanced featues such as texture backing shadow backing as i would like to learn all the diffrent techniques in 3ds max mapping so i can take my scenerys up to the next level by using shadow backing etc

Roger that. I am in the same boat. I just got 3DS Max, so I am learning all I can.

Ambient Occlusion was one of the main reasons I got it for. I burn an Abient Occlusion (AO Map) to a Targa to Desktop, then copy it into a 'Layer' in my texture, set its layer blending as a 'Multiply'. With a white background, the white disappears in Photoshop, so only the shading of that part shows. Very cool technology. I did a pilot yesterday, got him all done with mapping using Pelt, then burned the AO map and man, did that guy look good. I then remembered to put him in the plane with all the interior around him, took the windows out, then burned the AO again, and it was 10X better.

AO maps are brilliant.

With texture baking, be careful it doesnt erase your source textures (layerd files). You want Max to create a 'shell' texture if you are literally baking a texture into your textures (directly).


Have fun. You'll probably never need Pelt for cubes. Cars you will, animals and things (in Scenery stuff), but planes, you'll probably never need it.


Just remember, map both sides of things differently (not mirrored, not one side map for two sides) so that your AO and shading textures arent messed up. If you are mapping a board of wood, map both sides, not one side, if it is close to something as it will map the shadow from one side onto the other on a single mirror mapping, messing it up.

 

[STEW]

Hi lionheart

Thanks for all the help im really looking forward to learning all these features using your brilliant tutorial and taking my scenery to to the next level

Thanks!!!! let the learning begin

 

[bob5568]

Stew, for a hangar you won't get ideal results from trying to use "flatten" tools. They are most helpful for more organic shapes. Your best approach would be to use the planar map tool within the uvunwrap tool. There's a pretty cool set of uvunwrap videos on youtube, just uploaded, that will help you. It shows best uses for mapping a building, a car, and an organic shape. Find the 3dsmax channel. This is the first of 10 short tutorial videos...well worth your time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYW0y8y2hk0

 

[STEW]

Stew, for a hangar you won't get ideal results from trying to use "flatten" tools. They are most helpful for more organic shapes. Your best approach would be to use the planar map tool within the uvunwrap tool. There's a pretty cool set of uvunwrap videos on youtube, just uploaded, that will help you. It shows best uses for mapping a building, a car, and an organic shape. Find the 3dsmax channel. This is the first of 10 short tutorial videos...well worth your time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYW0y8y2hk0

Hi Bob

thanks for the tutorials this will sertently help me get off to a start thanks

 

[lionheart]

I should also mention. For cubed items, you can apply a UVW Map, use Cube plannar, make the cube Plannar is perfectly square by putting in a input for each X,Y,Z amount, like 22, 22, 22, etc. Make sure your objects scale was cleared, collapse, then apply the UVW Unwrap, go in and adjust sides, rotating and scaling them around and create a texture template. Hop over to Photoshop, bring in the template, create your base colors and material, save, then hop back to Max, create the FSX material, apply it to the object, and Voila. Almost instantly mapped. Then generate a AO map, apply that to your layers in the base texture, done.

Awesome workflow, especially with rectangles.

 

[STEW]

I should also mention. For cubed items, you can apply a UVW Map, use Cube plannar, make the cube Plannar is perfectly square by putting in a input for each X,Y,Z amount, like 22, 22, 22, etc. Make sure your objects scale was cleared, collapse, then apply the UVW Unwrap, go in and adjust sides, rotating and scaling them around and create a texture template. Hop over to Photoshop, bring in the template, create your base colors and material, save, then hop back to Max, create the FSX material, apply it to the object, and Voila. Almost instantly mapped. Then generate a AO map, apply that to your layers in the base texture, done.

Awesome workflow, especially with rectangles.

Hi Lionheart

Thanks for the feedback and thanks for your settings regarding the AO made the AO map shading slightly darker and more realistic outcome

Thanks

 

[bob5568]

This whole subject is really interesting. Many factors to consider. An element of interest to many modelers is establishing a consistent resolution for the final mapping. In objects that are either biologic, or vehicles, this effort is well rewarded. To this end, the workflow of setting up the mapping first using the checkerboard pattern, and porting the map template into photoshop for adding the art (or imagery) works well. The checkerboard size feedback assists in setting up consistent resolution, and the template drives the art to support that mapping.

However, in structures for fs, I find the issue of consistent resolution may take backseat to optimizing resolution based on likely viewing in-game. If the structure is on a airport property, perhaps the sidewalls are unlikely to be viewed, and when viewed, will not be the priority for the view focus. The corner of the building reduces the jarring impact of sides carrying different resolutions from the front or back, especially when lighting causes color variation and specular variation to also change between those walls. So, in this situation, I prefer to maximize the priority surface resolution rather than attempt consistency. The workflow is now reversed, I'll make the map file in photoshop first, filling the pixels available to prioritize the use of best fidelity of source imagery...giving priority to critical viewing surfaces. Often the image of the front or back of the structure is more optimal than the sidewalls, as the photographer is less likely to include heavy levels of perspective in those images. Once perspective is reversed, the resulting fidelity is often much lower on the sides than the front. Lowering the resolution of the entire structure to the level of the side walls is rarely as good a final result as accepting varied resolution as the output plan.

Once the map is made, then .. rather than create a template in uvunwrap, one simply coordinates the uv assignments per object side using the simple planar map tool.

The workflow should support the goal, while making best use of resources.

 

[lionheart]

Once the map is made, then .. rather than create a template in uvunwrap, one simply coordinates the uv assignments per object side using the simple planar map tool.

The workflow should support the goal, while making best use of resources.

Whats really cool, what I like to do, is when I map a fuselage or something with equal sides. I map the entire thing (first) from one side. Then I collapse the stack and in Polygon mode, select the other side. I then apply a UVW Unwrap and in the mapping window, drag the map grid over to the next side location, forming the other side mapping mesh...



It works so well.

This works great for walls on houses. Thus, you only need Plannars for 2 of the four sides, then you move the mesh over for the back sides of the walls, flipping them horizontally if needed, etc, but the Plannar was already set, so you need only edit the existing mapped backsides with UVW Unwraps.


Always try to find tricks and tools to simplify your tasks... Great workflows will save you tons of time and effort.

 

[bob5568]

when I map a fuselage or something with equal sides

Cool trick...although I find it rare that I want a building in which the symmetry extends to the imagery. This would be best for aircraft or objects in which symmetry is implicit.