Mapping a curved road

[soulburn3d]

Don't use a uvwmapping modifier, just use the uvs that the nurbs have provided. But I have no idea why you're not seeing the right result. Could you maybe post a picture. The nurbs uvs should work just fine.

- Neil

[Ritchie_77]

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/Ries_77/testrender.jpg
Here's what happens when I use a UVW Planar map. Before applying the UVW map the road just turns black.

I wonder if I should remake the road because maybe the UV tiling is not correct. What's the best way to model a road?

Thanks for your reply!!!

[K G B]

Maybe its just your position of the UVW mapping modifier in your stack that is causing the problem?
I just made a test scene with a simple plane with bend modifier applied to it. If i move the UVW mapping modifier above 'bend' the texture does the same thing you experienced, it goes in straight line. So here is a small image explaining all of this a little bit better I hope.

Also i found that that sometimes having a square UVW mapping regardless of the size and shape of the object helps the user get what he/she wants. you get more control over the pattern thus allowing you to get the desired effect quicker.

hope this helps

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m256/KGB_Section31/3ds%20max/curved-road.gif

[Ritchie_77]

Thanx KGB...I will fizzle with that!

Can you show me a wire of the road? I'm very curious to the patches(? I mean the segments that build the geometry). I suppose those have an influence on the tiling as well?

[K G B]

Can you show me a wire of the road?
Sure thing, here is the road, i mean it just has lots of segments in length, width segments are unnecesary for basic road surface although for more advancd road you might wanna place a few width segments as well, to simulate the curvature of the road (wight-wise).

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m256/KGB_Section31/3ds%20max/curved-road-2.gif

I suppose those have an influence on the tiling as well?
No,. the influence of the segments is purely to create a curve, more segments you have the smoother the curve looks. Segments have nothing to do with tiling. UVW modifier deals with tiling as well as Material editor.

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m256/KGB_Section31/3ds%20max/curved-road-3.gif


Usually when you are dealing with UVW mapping, you apply it to the object and then you click on 'fit' button. Then you fiddle with tiling in the material editor for every texture. I just found it easier, for things like road and other larger objects to fiddle with UVW mapping tiling. First you make the textures look ok, also having a square UVW map, so no 'fit' button in this case is very important. Then it makes no difference if I increase the size or length of the road (object), the textures stay the same - I mean they don't stretch to fit the new size of the object, the texture just ‘multiplies’. This way you can make universal textures, which you can apply to different projcts. You just copy the UVW mapping modifier to other objects or projects. and then you can modify their size.

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m256/KGB_Section31/3ds%20max/curved-road-4.gif

See in this example first object had its width increased, and I clicked on 'fit' button, so the texture strtched along with the object, therefore making the texture wrong size.

In the second example UVW mapping stayed square, so the texture size stayed exactly the same, it just 'multiplied'.

And the last one is just a normal one from before.

hope it helped.

[Ritchie_77]

Thanx for your reply KGB, I really appreciate your help but unfortunately it doesn't work. I think the problem is you applied the map before you curved the road. In other words, the map just curves with the road. Exactly as you described.

I'm working in a different way. My road is a NURBS surface that has been built by using rails and profiles. It's very important that it follows these guides carefully in order to fit neatly into the landscape. I have posted an image of my road below:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/Ries_77/roadtexture.jpg

You can also see the UVW mapping and material settings...

[Ritchie_77]

With regards to soulburn's reply I sort of see what he means now...without the UVW map applied the road renders as follows:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/Ries_77/road01.jpg

Here you can clearly see that the map follows the UV's of the Nurbs surface. You can also see that the road gets tiled more frequently in the corners. As you can tell form the wire, there are more segments in the corners. Is there a way I can rearrange the UV's of the NURBS surface so that the road tiles nicely. Or should I try UVW mapping???

[K G B]

I see your problem, unfortunatelly i know more about sculpting than NURBS, and I know nothing about sculpting. ;)
But fear not, this forum is full of usefull people, someone will help you out.

I did find this tutorial, haven't read it all just glanced at it, but it looks like it might have some value to you. So here you are:

http://www.onnovanbraam.com/index.php?tutorials/mapchannels/

[Ritchie_77]

Thanx KGB!


Come on you other gurus...HELP ME =)

[PiXeL_MoNKeY]

Rithcie_77 you may want to check out the morphMap (http://users.skynet.be/arketip/arketip_morphMapENG.htm) script.

-Eric

[tom1218]

hi,here,you can used LOFT in modifier list with the road ,that's very easy in your work

[pipjor]

here's how you can solve your problem

[K G B]

Ok, this is for anyone who has to map a shape which is not a loft.

http://www.cgarchitect.com/resources/tutorials/smoke3d/tutorial11.asp

Tutorial shows a few different aproaches to applying curved mapping to unusual shapes, and it specifically is good for paths and roads.

Just another method of achieving what you want.:thumbsup:

i tried it out, it works as it should, now only to find an easy way of creating those lines that seperate roadside curb into smaller segments so the curb doesn't look like it was in one frikin piece when rendered.

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