newbie texturing: game model

[Dreamwave]

ok, I'm a n00b too and don't have much experience with uvmapping either but because your question is pretty simple I'll give it a try...

if it's low poly you can use a picture or photo...
but you get the best effect by painting it yourself...
I would recommend photoshop to do it...

but painting it is the best (and only?) way...
a wacom is the best but it's doable with the mouse too...

[boywonder]

paint myself? ok. have to try that.

btw - I've seen people using Maya to texture models. May I ask why? Is Maya good for texturing purposes?

[Dreamwave]

I don't know Maya but I think you use procedurals, all 3d applications have procedurals, it's another way to texture but I can't explain it clearly enough in Englsih...

but for faces imagemaps are the best way

[Jacaranda]

You can use maya's paint tools, which look good, I don't know them very well though. A lot of people say they are very good so...

The general method I'm using at the moment (the way my teacher taught me a few weeks ago ;) ) is to select your model, and create the uv map.

You can find the tools under the modelling>edit polygons>texturing menu.

For starters just use the automattic mapping, which is fine for static objects, but needs tweeking(or creating a uv map from scratch) for objects that deform.

Go to Window>Uv Texture Editor, and there you will see a "flat" version of you model. Save that image, open it up in photoshop, and go for you life!

Hope this helps.

BTW - There are probably much better ways to do this, this is just a quick and easy way to do very simple uv mapping.

[boywonder]

hmm, well yes - I think I have to take a look at that maya thing, but basically I'm trying to create similar textures as gshouston

http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46205
http://gamestudies.cdis.org/~x2/artdaily/ghouston/ghouston.htm

Take a look at the model's face - I was thinking texturing something like that.

[Phwhitfield]

I would, as jacaranda said, use one of the mapping methods. But i don't know how usefull automatic mapping is with a head. Maybe you can use cylindrical mapping. Just try a little bit around, what fits the best. Window>Uv Texture Editor opens the UV editor. You now can move vertices around, so that you are happy with the result. this videotutorial (http://204.126.186.12/dt/downloads/maya_videos/uv_mapping.zip) from digital-tutors is very usefull to learn this method.

After adjusting vertices you now can make an image of this flatten UV map and colorize it in photoshop. Just use The UV map as the background layer and draw the face.

You sure could also use a photo of a face and adjust it. That's up to you. But i think drawing more or less from scratch is better. But using a photo as reference and color guide might help.

hope this helps you. But i'm no expert either...

[Dreamwave]

gamemodels are lowpoly and don't have bumpmaps, so you have to create all depth with the colourmap only...

but you have to do that in photoshop

[boywonder]

alright folks. I'm now little wiser than before. Thanks for your help.

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