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Iwao Cheng

Registered User

Join date: 22 Jul 2009

Posts: 11

07-22-2009 22:03

Hello,
I've been wondering if theres any tutorial explaining how to make UV maps in Maya 3d. I've spent hours searching for that but I didn't find anything.
I will be really grateful if someone help me.

Thanks.

Chosen Few

Alpha Channel Slave

Join date: 16 Jan 2004

Posts: 7,496

07-23-2009 07:47

Open the UV Texture Editor, and click Help -> Tool Help.

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Iwao Cheng

Registered User

Join date: 22 Jul 2009

Posts: 11

07-23-2009 09:56

Thank you, it might help.
But I would like to see a UV Map tutorial for Maya to Second life.

Chosen Few

Alpha Channel Slave

Join date: 16 Jan 2004

Posts: 7,496

07-23-2009 11:42

There would be no point in a UV mapping tutorial aimed at SL users. UV mapping is not directly applicable to SL. Every single surface in SL is UV'ed as a perfect rectangle. There's no manual mapping needed.

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Iwao Cheng

Registered User

Join date: 22 Jul 2009

Posts: 11

07-23-2009 11:52

I checked out what you told me to, and theres no tutorial explaining step by step, thats what I am searching for, a tutorial wich explains what to do. Could you help me with that?

Chosen Few

Alpha Channel Slave

Join date: 16 Jan 2004

Posts: 7,496

07-23-2009 16:12

What is it you're looking to do? The only models you can export from Maya to SL are sculpties. The sculpt map exporter for Maya is optimized for NURBS. All NURBS surfaces by default have perfectly rectangular texture coordinates, just like the UV layout of all sculpties in SL. There's no need to remap anything at all. I can't tell you how to do what doesn't need to be done.

What exactly are you trying to make?

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Iwao Cheng

Registered User

Join date: 22 Jul 2009

Posts: 11

07-23-2009 17:25

I want to make a Texture for a Sculpt I am creating and I want the shadows exactly at one part of the sculpt. I know that using UV Map editor I am able to do that. And I've been searching for a tutorial that would teach me step by step on how to make a texture in Maya using the UV map editor.

Chosen Few

Alpha Channel Slave

Join date: 16 Jan 2004

Posts: 7,496

07-23-2009 18:41

Ah, that's an entirely different question from what you were asking before. A UV map is not a texture.

In any case, you've got three options for creating a base texture in Maya. You can hand-paint it, you can procedurally generate it, or you can do a combination of the two. After that, you can bake lighting/shading onto it, using Mental Ray, the Maya software renderer, or any third party renderer that is so capable (Turtle, for example).

For hand-painting, you can use Photoshop or any other raster editor, and/or Maya's built-in painting tools. For procedural generation, Maya's material shader system is absolutely fantastic.

None of that directly involves the UV Texture Editor. So again, I'm not sure what you're trying to ask.

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valentine Biddle

Registered User

Join date: 22 Apr 2007

Posts: 79

baking textures

07-25-2009 13:36

hi Chosen
how do i exactly bake the lights and shadows? what's the simpler process? can u suggest me a tutorial? ty!!!!

valentine Biddle

Registered User

Join date: 22 Apr 2007

Posts: 79

07-27-2009 03:49

uhmm anyone?

Chosen Few

Alpha Channel Slave

Join date: 16 Jan 2004

Posts: 7,496

07-27-2009 10:54

What's your current skill level with Maya, Valentine? Do you know how to create materials, light a scene, and render it? What renderer are you using?

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valentine Biddle

Registered User

Join date: 22 Apr 2007

Posts: 79

07-27-2009 12:43

Hi

i know how assigning a material and a texture. Just a basic rendering knowledge

valentine Biddle

Registered User

Join date: 22 Apr 2007

Posts: 79

07-27-2009 12:55

I'm good at modelling but baking lights and shadows it's still a mistery for now. Using the Sculpt mel to export sculpties in sl should capture lights and shadows automatically maybe but to me the surface texture just comes out grey so I'm surely missing some step..

Chosen Few

Alpha Channel Slave

Join date: 16 Jan 2004

Posts: 7,496

07-27-2009 15:49

Here are some very basic tips I've posted several times on this forum:

From: Chosen Few

There's no single answer. It all depends on what you're making. The possibilities are literally infinite.

That said, there are some general rules of thumb. First, remember that the object is going to be visible from all sides. So make sure it's lit on all sides. Global illumination is often the best way to achieve that. But if you don't (yet) know how to set up GI, a concentric array of low-intensity spotlights can be effective as well.

You'll see a very simple example in this tutorial: http://fromthehill.nl/tutorials/bake/index.html

Second, give some thought to where the particular item you're baking is likely to be placed in-world. If it's going into an enclosed room from which the outdoor environment won't be visible, then you can get as creative as you want with your lighting scheme, and you can (and should) apply the same scheme to every single object in the room. The room itself is a single scene, not just a collection of objects.

But if the item is to be stand-alone, something that might be placed anywhere in the world at any time, then you'll want to keep your lighting scheme far more reserved. Neutrality is key. You want the lighting on the object to be as non-directional as possible, so it will look plausible against the broadest possible range of environmental lighting conditions. Take a look at this post: /109/33/272633/1.html#post2085106 for an example of the difference between directional and non-directional lighting.

For best results, just so you know, I'd recommend not using Qarl's script to do your final baking. Use it just to get your sculpts in-world, with temporary placeholder textures on them, and then re-bake the final textures using a better renderer. Qarl's script uses the Maya software renderer, which is not great for this sort of thing. Its main advantage is that it's easily programmable/controllable with MEL, which made it a sensible choice for simplicity's sake in the exporter script, but its results leave a lot to be desired. You'll get much better results with Mental Ray, or with any number of third party renderers.

If you want the best, go with Turtle. Turtle is a bit pricey, but if you've got the money to spend, it's worth every penny. It's the only full featured renderer on the market specifically designed for baking, and it does a fantastic job of it. http://www.illuminatelabs.com

_____________________

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Land now available for rent in Indigo. Low rates. Quiet, low-lag mainland sim with good neighbors. IM me in-world if you're interested.

Ichago Dougall

Registered User

Join date: 12 Aug 2004

Posts: 10

07-27-2009 17:42

http://www.tutorialized.com/tutorials/Maya/Textures-and-Materials/1 would be a good place to start.

or maby here to export with baked textures and lighting. http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Advanced_Sculptie_Exporter_From_Maya

great way to export and then load them in sl with out all the mess and fuss.

valentine Biddle

Registered User

Join date: 22 Apr 2007

Posts: 79

07-27-2009 23:00

ty! i'm gonna try

valentine Biddle

Registered User

Join date: 22 Apr 2007

Posts: 79

Global Light

07-28-2009 08:27

Chosen it works!

amazing, just the spot lights need a bit of fixing. how can i set up the global light?
thanks in advance

Chosen Few

Alpha Channel Slave

Join date: 16 Jan 2004

Posts: 7,496

07-28-2009 12:10

From: valentine Biddle

how can i set up the global light?

Look up "global illumination" in your Maya help file. If you're using the Maya software renderer or Mental Ray, then all the information you need is right there. The very first item that will come up will be entitled "Render the scene using Global Illumination."

As I so often try to point out to people, a HUGE portion of the price you paid when you purchaseed Maya was for its wonderful help file. Maya has the best included documentation of any program I've ever seen. You paid several hundred dollars for that help file, so use it.

If you're using a third party renderer, then look up GI in the user manual and/or help file for that renderer. Instructions will vary greatly from renderer to renderer.

_____________________

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Land now available for rent in Indigo. Low rates. Quiet, low-lag mainland sim with good neighbors. IM me in-world if you're interested.

Welcome to the Second Life Forums Archive

UV Map in Maya

UV Map in Maya
Iwao Cheng Registered User Join date: 22 Jul 2009 Posts: 11	07-22-2009 22:03 Hello, I've been wondering if theres any tutorial explaining how to make UV maps in Maya 3d. I've spent hours searching for that but I didn't find anything. I will be really grateful if someone help me. Thanks.
Chosen Few Alpha Channel Slave Join date: 16 Jan 2004 Posts: 7,496	07-23-2009 07:47 Open the UV Texture Editor, and click Help -> Tool Help. _____________________ . Land now available for rent in Indigo. Low rates. Quiet, low-lag mainland sim with good neighbors. IM me in-world if you're interested.
Iwao Cheng Registered User Join date: 22 Jul 2009 Posts: 11	07-23-2009 09:56 Thank you, it might help. But I would like to see a UV Map tutorial for Maya to Second life.
Chosen Few Alpha Channel Slave Join date: 16 Jan 2004 Posts: 7,496	07-23-2009 11:42 There would be no point in a UV mapping tutorial aimed at SL users. UV mapping is not directly applicable to SL. Every single surface in SL is UV'ed as a perfect rectangle. There's no manual mapping needed. _____________________ . Land now available for rent in Indigo. Low rates. Quiet, low-lag mainland sim with good neighbors. IM me in-world if you're interested.
Iwao Cheng Registered User Join date: 22 Jul 2009 Posts: 11	07-23-2009 11:52 I checked out what you told me to, and theres no tutorial explaining step by step, thats what I am searching for, a tutorial wich explains what to do. Could you help me with that?
Chosen Few Alpha Channel Slave Join date: 16 Jan 2004 Posts: 7,496	07-23-2009 16:12 What is it you're looking to do? The only models you can export from Maya to SL are sculpties. The sculpt map exporter for Maya is optimized for NURBS. All NURBS surfaces by default have perfectly rectangular texture coordinates, just like the UV layout of all sculpties in SL. There's no need to remap anything at all. I can't tell you how to do what doesn't need to be done. What exactly are you trying to make? _____________________ . Land now available for rent in Indigo. Low rates. Quiet, low-lag mainland sim with good neighbors. IM me in-world if you're interested.
Iwao Cheng Registered User Join date: 22 Jul 2009 Posts: 11	07-23-2009 17:25 I want to make a Texture for a Sculpt I am creating and I want the shadows exactly at one part of the sculpt. I know that using UV Map editor I am able to do that. And I've been searching for a tutorial that would teach me step by step on how to make a texture in Maya using the UV map editor.
Chosen Few Alpha Channel Slave Join date: 16 Jan 2004 Posts: 7,496	07-23-2009 18:41 Ah, that's an entirely different question from what you were asking before. A UV map is not a texture. In any case, you've got three options for creating a base texture in Maya. You can hand-paint it, you can procedurally generate it, or you can do a combination of the two. After that, you can bake lighting/shading onto it, using Mental Ray, the Maya software renderer, or any third party renderer that is so capable (Turtle, for example). For hand-painting, you can use Photoshop or any other raster editor, and/or Maya's built-in painting tools. For procedural generation, Maya's material shader system is absolutely fantastic. None of that directly involves the UV Texture Editor. So again, I'm not sure what you're trying to ask. _____________________ . Land now available for rent in Indigo. Low rates. Quiet, low-lag mainland sim with good neighbors. IM me in-world if you're interested.
valentine Biddle Registered User Join date: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 79	baking textures 07-25-2009 13:36 hi Chosen how do i exactly bake the lights and shadows? what's the simpler process? can u suggest me a tutorial? ty!!!!
valentine Biddle Registered User Join date: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 79	07-27-2009 03:49 uhmm anyone?
Chosen Few Alpha Channel Slave Join date: 16 Jan 2004 Posts: 7,496	07-27-2009 10:54 What's your current skill level with Maya, Valentine? Do you know how to create materials, light a scene, and render it? What renderer are you using? _____________________ . Land now available for rent in Indigo. Low rates. Quiet, low-lag mainland sim with good neighbors. IM me in-world if you're interested.
valentine Biddle Registered User Join date: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 79	07-27-2009 12:43 Hi i know how assigning a material and a texture. Just a basic rendering knowledge
valentine Biddle Registered User Join date: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 79	07-27-2009 12:55 I'm good at modelling but baking lights and shadows it's still a mistery for now. Using the Sculpt mel to export sculpties in sl should capture lights and shadows automatically maybe but to me the surface texture just comes out grey so I'm surely missing some step..
Chosen Few Alpha Channel Slave Join date: 16 Jan 2004 Posts: 7,496	07-27-2009 15:49 Here are some very basic tips I've posted several times on this forum: From: Chosen Few There's no single answer. It all depends on what you're making. The possibilities are literally infinite. That said, there are some general rules of thumb. First, remember that the object is going to be visible from all sides. So make sure it's lit on all sides. Global illumination is often the best way to achieve that. But if you don't (yet) know how to set up GI, a concentric array of low-intensity spotlights can be effective as well. You'll see a very simple example in this tutorial: http://fromthehill.nl/tutorials/bake/index.html Second, give some thought to where the particular item you're baking is likely to be placed in-world. If it's going into an enclosed room from which the outdoor environment won't be visible, then you can get as creative as you want with your lighting scheme, and you can (and should) apply the same scheme to every single object in the room. The room itself is a single scene, not just a collection of objects. But if the item is to be stand-alone, something that might be placed anywhere in the world at any time, then you'll want to keep your lighting scheme far more reserved. Neutrality is key. You want the lighting on the object to be as non-directional as possible, so it will look plausible against the broadest possible range of environmental lighting conditions. Take a look at this post: /109/33/272633/1.html#post2085106 for an example of the difference between directional and non-directional lighting. For best results, just so you know, I'd recommend not using Qarl's script to do your final baking. Use it just to get your sculpts in-world, with temporary placeholder textures on them, and then re-bake the final textures using a better renderer. Qarl's script uses the Maya software renderer, which is not great for this sort of thing. Its main advantage is that it's easily programmable/controllable with MEL, which made it a sensible choice for simplicity's sake in the exporter script, but its results leave a lot to be desired. You'll get much better results with Mental Ray, or with any number of third party renderers. If you want the best, go with Turtle. Turtle is a bit pricey, but if you've got the money to spend, it's worth every penny. It's the only full featured renderer on the market specifically designed for baking, and it does a fantastic job of it. http://www.illuminatelabs.com _____________________ . Land now available for rent in Indigo. Low rates. Quiet, low-lag mainland sim with good neighbors. IM me in-world if you're interested.
Ichago Dougall Registered User Join date: 12 Aug 2004 Posts: 10	07-27-2009 17:42 http://www.tutorialized.com/tutorials/Maya/Textures-and-Materials/1 would be a good place to start. or maby here to export with baked textures and lighting. http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Advanced_Sculptie_Exporter_From_Maya great way to export and then load them in sl with out all the mess and fuss.
valentine Biddle Registered User Join date: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 79	07-27-2009 23:00 ty! i'm gonna try
valentine Biddle Registered User Join date: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 79	Global Light 07-28-2009 08:27 Chosen it works! amazing, just the spot lights need a bit of fixing. how can i set up the global light? thanks in advance
Chosen Few Alpha Channel Slave Join date: 16 Jan 2004 Posts: 7,496	07-28-2009 12:10 From: valentine Biddle how can i set up the global light? Look up "global illumination" in your Maya help file. If you're using the Maya software renderer or Mental Ray, then all the information you need is right there. The very first item that will come up will be entitled "Render the scene using Global Illumination." As I so often try to point out to people, a HUGE portion of the price you paid when you purchaseed Maya was for its wonderful help file. Maya has the best included documentation of any program I've ever seen. You paid several hundred dollars for that help file, so use it. If you're using a third party renderer, then look up GI in the user manual and/or help file for that renderer. Instructions will vary greatly from renderer to renderer. _____________________ . Land now available for rent in Indigo. Low rates. Quiet, low-lag mainland sim with good neighbors. IM me in-world if you're interested.