Introduction to Maya - Modeling Fundamentals Vol 1
This course will look at the fundamentals of modeling in Maya with an emphasis on creating good topology. We'll look at what makes a good model in Maya and why objects are modeled in the way they are.
# 1 03-12-2006 , 06:14 AM
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UV

This might be a really really noob question, but how do you get the UV coordinates? So I can export them to an image and then do as in the "Texture Basics" tutorial.

Please explain every step to me, the exporting too (and importing ofcourse)

Thankss Brecht

# 2 03-12-2006 , 07:13 AM
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This is only a simple example, since it becomes more complex as your geometry does. I'll just give you an example for a cube.

1) Create a new scene
2) Create a polygon cube - 1 subdivison for x,y&z
3) While the cube is still selected, go to Window->UV texture editor
4) Now, with your standard mouse movements, zoom out
5) You should be looking a an upside down T
6) Right-click and select UV
7) Drag a selection box around the T, you'll notice the vertices are now highlighted in green
8) Using your normal scale and move tools, scale and move until your shape fits in the dark square in the top right corner.
9) Make sure all of the vertexes are selected still, then go to Polygons->UV Snapshot.
10) Save the file and make note of it's location
11) Open file, paint inside of the squares and save.
12) Load as the colour channel for the shader assigned to the box





EDIT: To expand 11 and 12 a bit,

11.
I won't go into it, but Mike does in his tute. You can use photoshop to paint on a new layer seperate to the lines, so these aren't visible in your finshed tex-map.

12
a. Open up the hypershade, click (for example) Blinn
b. Double Click the new blinn material
c. In the attribute editor that opens, you may want to rename it to something more intuitive - i.e BoxShader
d. Click on the checker box next to Colour
e. Select File
f. Select the file that you saved
g. Select the cube
h. In the hypershade, right-click on the material and select "Assign Material to Selection"
i. Close the Hypershade
j. Hit 6 on your keyboard to turn on hardware texturing.


But in closing, seriously- go and check out Mike's tute. He goes through so much more than this. Esp how to manage with complex shapes.

Failing that, if you've only got a slow connection you may want to check out the tute on texturing a stool, found at
https://www.ramyhanna.com/texturing/p...utorial01.html

Just note, that this tute doesn't make use of the cut and sew tools. (Mike does)

There's some good stuff in the Help files about this IIRC, but the best help I got on the topic came from Mike's tutorials on his site. https://www.mtmckinley.net/tutorials.html

Simon

p.s - how'd the stuff go for the bracelet? Was the bump-mapping stuff ok?


Last edited by enhzflep; 03-12-2006 at 07:22 AM.
# 3 03-12-2006 , 01:39 PM
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The shape and stuff turned out ok, but the bump mapping was not what I needed (to ugly user added image).
But I still need some help by getting a nice Copper look for my (and gold for the borders) bracelet.
I would like to do this without textures, I've read that somewhere that it could be done, something with map. Shader map I guess (googling). Hmmm, can't find anything, Shading map maybe? :s

I don't remember, anyway I want a nice copper look and a gold one for the borders, and a metal one for the next bracelet =p

Greetings BRecht

# 4 03-12-2006 , 01:59 PM
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# 5 04-12-2006 , 01:29 AM
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Bump-map the detail
Normal map the detail
Displacement map the detail
or model the detail.

That's what the stuff I posted last time was for - the bump mapping. I just threw in the texture map for kicks.

One of the reasons the example I gave was so nasty was that it only used two shades, like I mentioned. The other was that it was black on white. If i'd used 128,128,128(rgb) for the bit that was meant to stick out, and then used a number of levels of grey to smoothly transition to the white background then it wouldv'e been heaps smoother.

I suppose one way of doing it if you're not to concerned about a high poly count for the bracelet would be to make a nurbs plane and then use wire deformers to pull-out all of your detail. From there I'd just convert to polys, extrude an edge of some thickness onto it then use a deformer to bend the flat strip up into a circle.

Only problem is, you need a fairly high res mesh for the effect not to look aliased.

On the other positive side, using history you can easily tweak the shape of the curves and effect the resultant surface. Also, you'll still have the detail sticking out from the surface and not just appearing to, which comes unstuck when you see the object side on.

Bump, normal and displacement mapping have all been developed as a less computationally intense way of producing a comparable effect. Unless you're going for high-res close-ups from funny angles I'd just be inclined to learn about them.

Take for example one of the copper shaders, that looks really quite neat. As you've no doubt seen it was just mapped in one way or another. Albeit with a much nicer map than I posted.


Simon

# 6 04-12-2006 , 01:52 AM
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But, what I really wanted to know was how do I need to use a shade map.
I've placed the link on the topic, so, how do I apply that shader map to my bracelet?

Greetings Brecht
Thanks

# 7 04-12-2006 , 02:07 AM
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Ohhhh, I see!

Yeah, I got the shader, that you linked to. Thats what I was mentioning in the last para of my last post.

Well then, To use the shader, load your bracelet or the scene with it in. Then open up the zip file that the shader is in. Simply drag the shader and drop it onto one of the panels.

Doing this will import it into your scene, adding to rather than replacing anything already loaded.

Failing that, you could load your scene then File->Import the shader file, copper.mb.

EDIT:
Just delete the extra geometry junk that comes to demonstrate the shaders. After that, go into the hypershade and assign the shader. Or right-click and select Material->Existing material and then the one you want. I think there were three from memory.

Simon

# 8 04-12-2006 , 04:56 AM
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Thanks, I'll post my pic here, so you can check it out:p

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