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Multiple Objects, Template, 3DS Max 2012

lionheart

lionheart

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Hey all,

Is it possible to create a 'evolving' template of parts on a UVW for 'multiple parts' in 3DS Max?

Anotherwords... If I have a landing gear assembly, and I am going to place them all on one UVW texture sheet, (all different parts, not Attached), can I create a template that is held in memory or something, or perhaps a render to texture template that keep changing as I add parts on, so that when I map the next part, I can see where all the other parts are setup at on the UVW sheet?



In Gmax, it was slightly tedious in that I had to do one part at a time and screenshot it over to Photoshop, add that into a mesh layer and build up all the parts in a graphics texture, update the graphics in Gmax, and see where all the parts are. I am hoping there is a workflow (now) in Max that can do this. If so, I would love to know what it is called, where to find it in the manual, and get this working in my build work flow. Man, it would speed things up.


Now... Mind you, this is for multiple parts. What I could do is just attach everything and then map them, lay them out in the scene, and go from there, render template, then on to graphics the template and create the AO on it.

But can you do this for un-Attached objects?



Bill
 
I don't think so, Bill. What I do is use Select by Material to choose all objects that're assigned to a single FSX Material, hide everything else, then clone/copy all of the parts.

I then invert the selection to hide the original objects. I then Attach all of the objects to a single object, apply a UVW Unwrap modifier, the use the UVW Editor to generate a mesh template.

Once I've done that I can simply delete the cloned mess of mesh and get on with Life... :cool:
 
Well, in these later editions of Max you can select several parts, slap on an UnwrapUVW, go to Edit, and move the maps any way you want, bake your mesh template while you are in the Unwrap editor, and, usually, collapse the stack.
 
mjahn said:
Well, in these later editions of Max you can select several parts, slap on an UnwrapUVW, go to Edit, and move the maps any way you want, bake your mesh template while you are in the Unwrap editor, and, usually, collapse the stack.
Click to expand...

Dude! You are my hero.... I cant believe this.

A guy had said at another forum, an intense CG design forum, that you could apply a UVW Map to 'many' objects and that would do it. It didnt work, but I hadnt mapped the objects first and resaved as Poly objects and 'then' grouped them into a single UV Unwrap.

Your quick mini tutorial, and the fact that I had the objects now mapped and resaved/collapsed as E objects, I grouped them into a UVW Unwrap, and hit Edit window and dang (DANG DOUBLE DANG) if the meshes didnt all show up!!!!!

LMBO! This is going to be way cool... Already burned a template just 2 min's after reading your tutorial.


Thanks MJahn.
 
This is the part template.

I made Seams along the sides of the struts and added Planars per my side views even with the sides, left and rights. The tire must have kept its wrappings from Gmax from another model as it auto-mapped into the unwrapping environment.

I'll probably redo this as I just added an access disc on the wheel skirt.

lolol... TOO COOL!
 
Last edited:
mjahn said:
Well, in these later editions of Max you can select several parts, slap on an UnwrapUVW, go to Edit, and move the maps any way you want, bake your mesh template while you are in the Unwrap editor, and, usually, collapse the stack.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, I'm stuck with Max9 which does not offer that as an option. After adding a UnwrapUWV modifier, the "EDIT" button remains stubbornly greyed out and unclickable... :o
 
Bill,

A famous 3D CG render modeller does what you do so that he doesnt lose his animation center points or scales.

* Select parts you want on one UVW Sheet.
* Clone them
* Hide unselected
* Attach all clones together
* Add Unwrap UVW
* Move their UVW mesh around until you are happy
* Render Template
* Delete assembly
* Go in and remap all parts (pre-selected before cloning) and move their UVW mesh into the new locations of newly generated UVW template.


Makes sense with the animation part. Also, probably keep the cloned parts under a 'non-used' parts Hierarchy for making the Ambient Occlusion maps from later.


Bill
 
Yeah, that pretty well summarizes precisely what I've been doing all along... ;)
 
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