Thread Started but it may be a week before I actually get started. I've got lots of reading and research to do on the subject. Don't even know how to do the UV map thingy yet (hehe).

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Don't be satisfied with what you can do but rather strive to do the things you can't do!
Exceed Expectations!

One thing that I would do is try the different UV projections on a primitive object, say a 4x4x4 subdivided cube, this way you can get to grips with what each of them does, and then apply then to your model to whatever fits best.

Good Luck

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"No pressure, no diamonds" Thomas Carlyle

I was helping out marlonjohn a bit, a short while ago; hope this helps:

https://forum.simplymaya.com/showthre...threadid=25674

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Sever & gster, thanks a bunch. I was pretty clueless where to start, except to read F1 files. This should give me a great start. Hopefully I can make you regret helping me (hehe). I meant that in a good way.

Let the fun begin!

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Don't be satisfied with what you can do but rather strive to do the things you can't do!
Exceed Expectations!

So long as you make me regret giving you that link, I won't regret giving you that link.

...wait a sec...

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Just letting everyone know I havn't bailed out of the comp.

1. Reading up more on texturing
2. Learning a free photo software I downloaded (I don't have Photo Shop).
3. Finishing up another project.

I will still have a finished something or another by June 1st.

Edit: Thinking about doing either the weapon or Calamity Jane since nobody's doing either one.

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Don't be satisfied with what you can do but rather strive to do the things you can't do!
Exceed Expectations!

Solid advice from the pro's above Perfecto. I learned more from UV mapping a simple cube than I did from 3 days of reading helpfiles hehe.

There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.

Jokes aside, I've found it really helpful to work with a saved panel layout. UV/Persp. Splits the screen in half so you can both see the model and the UV map at the same time. I made a custom UV shelf and dragged Planar mapping options box, cylindrical options, spherical mapping options, and lastly Automatic mapping option box to this shelf. This way you can test a multitude of things and get a very visual feedback of the things happening to the UV's. Channel box visible also helps.

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Currently working on reclaiming Space
The Salvation Prophecy

AlphaFlyte,
Thanks for the good advice, much appreciated. I learn best by visualization, either by seeing someone else do it (video tut) or by playing around with settings and visualize the outcome. I hate reading (yuck, yuck, yuck and more yuk). Some of my best learning experiences and you so hallariously put it (lol) has been peeing on the electric fence. Those learning experience you never forget (hehe).

I really like your saved panel layout suggestion and using a split screen.

Thanks a bunch,

P.S. I've seen a couple of your other posts. I don't how well you know Maya but you seem to be very artistic and with good knowledge. I'm sure many of us will learn alot from you over time. Also, glad you joined the challenge.

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Don't be satisfied with what you can do but rather strive to do the things you can't do!
Exceed Expectations!

I am deffo more artistic than technical. I blew math in school for instance The lil bits I know on Maya I've picked up slowly over a couple years, on and off, from Michael McKinley and Kurt Boutilier here and some simplymaya oldtimers (Pony, 3DDemon, Santa, Danny Ngan, kbrown), and Maya Character Animation (cool book). Now, I'm not very good at either art or technicalities yet. I started very late in life with drawing and painting you know, and it's recreation.

Art is learning for life and I have done a lot of studying on the principles of art and design, but I have not done enough practicing it (nor studying it). I think I am in a observing state of mind. I do tons of observing, and learn very slowly. That's just me and I am accepting that.
I do try to sketch at least 2-3 days a week, and paint when I get some time off. I realized something important. If I can't draw, I can't paint, and my 2D will help my sculpting which in turn will help my 2D again. Everything relates. Music, sculpting, color, form, light, shadow mood, composition, anatomy, planes and so on. The foundation is the same, the medium of choice is different.

Now I am happy to share what I see or what I've studied, but it's easy to come across as I know more than someone else. That's not true. It's just an effective way to communicate.
I do firmly believe that, anyone can teach anyone something.
Anything else is just arrogance.

It's like with critique's, take it to your heart or dust if off with a disagreement, but anyone with a pair of eyes can spot things

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Currently working on reclaiming Space
The Salvation Prophecy

AlphaFlyte - I like the bit about the 3 types of men, very good
I think most people want to learn by reading but never give it enough effort. That's why video tutorials are common nowadays, a kind of quick fix. And if that doesnt go in (or they are done badly) then you have to jump on in there and get electrocuted

Si

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Examples of bTraffic - a traffic animation tool for Maya
bFlocking - a tool for Maya 8.5+ to generate flocking and swarming behaviours
Jan/Feb Challenge 2007 Entry and W.I.P
May/Jun Challenge 2006 Entry and W.I.P
Mar/Apr Challenge 2006 Entry and W.I.P
Jan/Feb Challenge 2006 Entry and W.I.P
Nov/Dec Challenge 2005 Entry and W.I.P
Sep/Oct Challenge 2005 Entry and W.I.P
Jul/Aug Challenge 2005 Entry
www.flash-fx.net

I just downloaded the raygun. I will start mapping the uv's tomorrow. I will start off slowly and build momentum toward the end (due to other ongoing projects).

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Don't be satisfied with what you can do but rather strive to do the things you can't do!
Exceed Expectations!

Originally posted by AlphaFlyte
There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.

Originally Posted by

im the one pissin on a fence:bandit:

cant wait to see your work perfecto i might join in this challenge too

Hi acid44,
Unfortunately, I havn't started till today. I've been really busy learning Maya and working on Maya projects (not posted anywhere). I've been learning how to work quickly and effeciently as well as learning tools and such. This is my first attempt at mapping UV's. I took me 4 hours to get this far. I still have some tweaking to do but will wait til tomorrow or Monday.

You should join in. Better late than never they say. You could do the gun like me or the cylinder thing as I think these two are probably the easiest which would be good since there's only about 10 days left. My goal is mainly to force myself to learn texturing. I always try to finish what I start. I've still got an arena to finish as well as pose and texture the Rodney Robot I did in the WIP section. This challenge will help me be able to finish those.

Anyway, glad to hear from you and hope to see you join in.

Attached Images

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Don't be satisfied with what you can do but rather strive to do the things you can't do!
Exceed Expectations!

Had a little time tonight to do some more on the model. Here's an update. It only took about 45 minutes to texture the handles so I'm pretty confident that I'll have a decent looking model by the end of the month . . . in case anyone was having doubts that I'd finish (hehe).

I tried artRage but it's extremely limited and for this challenge seems pretty useless for most part. So I made the handle texture in Maya, saved it as a jpeg and then used it as a color and bump.

Attached Images

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Don't be satisfied with what you can do but rather strive to do the things you can't do!
Exceed Expectations!

looks cool.

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Life is a funny thing,
Beauty is a blossom,
If you want to get your finger bit...
Poke it at a Possum.