Textures on Sculpties -- need more info about Maya

Hi,

I am trying to do this:

http://www.qarl.com/qLab/?p=18

...specifically, I want to understand how to bake textures using Maya, but I am having a hard time.

Do you know of any basic tutorials on texture baking? Most I have found are rather advanced (meaning that they deal with a large number of objects and layers, and the beginner's tutorials often skip important steps).

This looks like a question about Maya, but it is actually a question about building sculpties and creating textures for them (doing it manually only works to a certain point).

Thanks -2fast

Check out this post:

/8/d2/192949/1.html

That'll get you going.

Cheers, -D

I have learned a lot about Maya, but I am still stuck on this problem

I have downloaded the .ma file, picked it apart, and I recognize a few things in it. There is one thing called place3dTexture which puzzles me - I am not sure what it is or how to do that myself.

I have tutorials, books, and videos - none cover this or even come close to discussing the technique (http://www.qarl.com/qLab/?p=18). This is driving me batty since I really want to apply this technique to sculpties I am working on.

Does anyone familiar with Maya have any pointers or can you shed some light on what the place3dTexture node is and how I can do that? The node is not attached to any of the objects in the scene - it appears to be a standalone object.

Thanks -2fast

Have you tried looking up "place 3d texture" in your Maya help? You'll find tons of information on it. For example, under Rendering and Render Setup, you'll find a couple of entries entitled "2D and 3D Texture Positioning" and "Position 3D Textures".

Here's a relevant excerpt for your question of what the place3dTexture object is:

"When you create a 3D texture or project a texture onto an object (rather than apply it as a normal or as a stencil), a cube-shaped icon appears in the scene that corresponds to the size, scale, and location of the texture on the surface. Especially for animated or deforming objects, you must maintain the correct positioning of the texture on the object. (If the object is animated, you could parent the 3D icon to the geometry, for example.)"

Read the whole Baking Textures & Prelighting section under Rendering & Render Setup for complete information.

Did I just say RTFM?

Hi Chosen,

Thanks for your reply...I have RTFM. I think part of my problem is that I am new to Maya too so I don't understand some terms.

I looked at the section you mentioned and not having luck, so far. It is frustrating because I understand so much about Maya now but am still struggling with this.

You confirmed that I am on the right path, so that is a big win for me

Thanks -2fast