I can decently UV my models no problem, but doing it more isn't ever gonna make me hate it less haha. If I can automate it with a program (which you can with basically anything nowadays, even intricate robots with tons of pieces and the like) it doesn't take much time at all, but if I can't for some reason, it quickly becomes one of the most time taking parts of my workflow. That is why I hate it, because it takes so much time.ANDEWEGET wrote:Nice stones. A pinch of color on the stone(moss/colored stone)would make it a bit more interesting.
I would not rely too much on roadkill though(maybe because I never used it...). It speeds things up, yes, but being able to decently UV your models will always be useful. I like to create my textures by hand, too, without using photos(depends on the situation, but usually is slower and doesnt look as real). The best way would be to mix both of it, I suppose...
The better you get at something, the less you "hate" it, too. I noticed that with math in school. If I didnt understand it/didnt practice enough I "hated" it, although when I did understand it I liked it rather well. Its the same with UVs(and weighting), when I began doing it, I "hated" it. Now, its more like a break from the "artistic" stuff(texturing,sculpting/modeling,[animation]). ;D Good work reading all this!
You may want to check out Roadkill, Ande. Just dictate where you want the seams on your model by disconnecting the edges in your modelling program of choice, and then bring it into roadkill. I've already tried a couple of my bipeds and stuff, and it really does a great job of spreading the uv's in such a way that there is no stretching. Then just go back into XSI, Maya, etc. and resize and position the UV islands to dictate where you want more detail and the like. It really is very nice.
PS: If you haven't already found it Darth_Spiderpig, I'll get that link to you in a jiffy.










