8

Unwrap UVW Modifier 871
13.
Inaviewport,dragtoselectagroupoffaces
by region.
The faces’ UVW coordinates display in the
Edit UVWs window. This is another way of
choosing what you want to work on.
As you can see, from within the Unwrap U VW
modifier you can ass i gn multiple mapping
types to different, named face selections, and
then edit the UVW coordinates to fine-tune
map placement on the geometry.
To use Pelt mapping:
1.
Apply Unwrap UVW to the object.
2. Make an edge selection that you can later
convert to pelt seams. It’s not absolutely
necessar y to do this at this point, but the
Edge sub-object level of the modifier gives
you handy Ring and Loop tools as well as
buttonstoexpandandshrinktheedgeselection
automatically.
Tip: Creating the pelt seams is more art than
exact science. Visualize the way the mesh
should lie flat, and then select edges so the UVs
can split in a natural way.
3. Go to the Face sub-object level of the modifier
andselectthefacestopeltmap. Toselect
all faces, press CTRL+A. If you’re not
pelt-mappingtheentiremesh,youcanskipthis
step.
4. Ifyoumadeanedgeselectioninstep2,click
Map Parameters rollout > E dge S el To Pelt
Seams.Thiscopiestheedgeselectiontopelt
seams. If you didn’t specif y the pelt seams at
theEdgesub-objectlevelofthemodifier,turn
on Edit Seams or Point To Point Seam and then
specify seams in the view p orts.
Thepeltseamsappearonthemeshasbluelines.
5. If you ’re not pelt-mapping the entire mesh, you
probably want to map a region enclosed by a
peltseam.Clickafacewithintheregiontomap
and then click Exp. Face Sel to Pelt Seams.
This expands the face selection to the full size
of the region defined by the pelt seam.
Note: Yo u c a n p e l t m a p o n l y o n e s u c h r e g i o n
at a time.
6. Turn on Pelt, and then adjust the planar
map gizmo the way you want. You can do so
manually or automatically with one of the Align
buttons on t he Map Parameters rollout. For a
vertical humanoid character facing the Y axis,
tryusingtheAlignXbutton.Theidealresultin
theEditUVWsdialog(seestep7)isanoutline
oftheobjectasviewedfromthefrontorback.
Tip: For best results with cylindrical areas such
as limbs, align the plane at rig ht ang les to the
seam of the area to pelt map. For example, if the
seam r uns dow n the back side of a leg, orient
the plane along a line running from the right
side to t he left side of the leg.
7. On the Map Parameters rollout, click Edit Pelt
Map.
This opens the Edit UVWs dialog, if necessary,
and displays the pelt UVWs and the stretcher
in the editor window. By default, the st retcher
appearsasacircleofpointscenteredonthe
pelt U VWs, with only the stretcher vertices
selected. Also, springs, represented as dashed
lines, connect the stretcher points and the
pelt-seam vertices.
8. If necessary, rotate the Pelt U Vs so that the
mapping coordinates are oriented correctly,
and rotate the stretcher so that the springs for m
a sy mmetrical pattern. Typically you’re looking
for left-right symmetry.
Tip: UsingCTRL+clickaddstotheexisting
select ion, as in the viewports.
9. On the Pelt Map Parameters dialog, click
Simulate P elt Pulling.