How do I collapse projections into one explicit UV map?

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redgroupclan
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How do I collapse projections into one explicit UV map?

Post by redgroupclan »

MshEx release OP wrote:•There has to be one and only one texture projection (can someone say how to collapse a lot of them into one explicit uv map?)
Question is in the quote.

I use XSI Mod Tool v7.5.

Model download: http://www.filefront.com/17764404/redgroupclan.zip/

In ZeroEditor, the model is always grey. The shape of the model appears, but the textures won't show on it. It's just a straight grey color.

I've tried bamdur's method below, but I haven't gotten that to work, and I'm not sure how to do ANDE's method because I have more than 4 textures, and I already merged the model.
Last edited by redgroupclan on Wed Feb 09, 2011 12:46 pm, edited 6 times in total.
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Re: How do I collapse projections into one explicit UV map?

Post by ANDEWEGET »

Well... heres what Id do(for swbf):
Lets assume you have 4 different textures/uv maps:
Create a new .tga(4x size) draw a crosshair in the middle(optional), this gives you 4 squares.
Select model 1(with UV map 1) Material>Phong. Select new .tga. Open UV editor, move UV into one of the 4 squares.
Select model 2(with UV map 2) Material>Phong. Select new .tga. Open UV editor, move UV into one of the 4 squares.
Select model 3(with UV map 3) Material>Phong. Select new .tga. Open UV editor, move UV into one of the 4 squares.
Select model 4(with UV map 4) Material>Phong. Select new .tga. Open UV editor, move UV into one of the 4 squares.
Print UV mesh.
Open up all 4 textures and copy them over into the new big one(you could of course do it the other way round, tetures first, UV later).

If you want to get a more efficient texture in the end, dont move the whole texture/UV but just the single parts(UV first is better here).

There might be an easier way, IDK.
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Re: How do I collapse projections into one explicit UV map?

Post by bamdur123 »

Different way:

Step 1: Select all your models with the textures u want merged
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Step 2: Merge your models
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Step 3: Select yoru merged mesh
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Step 4: Rendermap your model. by clicking propery-rendermap
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Step 5: make the new projection like in pic. make it unique uv's
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Step 6: make all other options like this
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change x res 2 times the size of ur original texture. my texture was 512 by 512 so i changed that to 1024


Step 7:
Click regenerate maps to make it (btw pick where u want texture saved before u regenerate maps) it will take a while with super sampling at 5. that is texture quality so u should keep it up. and dont use illumination cause it will render lights u have but if u want it too go ahead


Step 8: your texture is now done mine looked like this
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now last steps


Step 9: select ur object. delete all texture projections and clusters except for the new one u made when u rendermapped. Now reaply the new texture using the new projection and your done :D
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Re: How do I collapse projections into one explicit UV map?

Post by redgroupclan »

Hidden/Spoiler:
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That's what I got when I tried that, bamdur. Is that supposed to happen? :?
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Re: How do I collapse projections into one explicit UV map?

Post by DarthD.U.C.K. »

since you are using the modtool it is, it can only rendermap things with a maximum resolution of 512x512...
i suppose you have to do it andewegets way but i cant see how the UVs are merged there.
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Re: How do I collapse projections into one explicit UV map?

Post by bamdur123 »

=S i thought you were using XSI Foundation. you can export it with 512x512 resolution but it wont be as high quality as it would be with the bigger size. and also i forgot to tell you in the uv projection box make a new explicit uv. ill post a pic of that soon
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Re: How do I collapse projections into one explicit UV map?

Post by AceMastermind »

DarthD.U.C.K. wrote:since you are using the modtool it is, it can only rendermap things with a maximum resolution of 512x512...
That and the fact that RenderMap and Ultimapper in Mod Tool 6 and 6.01 produce images with diagonal lines, the resolution limit was increased to 2048x2048 and the diagonal line bug was fixed in Mod Tool 7.5.

Limitations of Autodesk Softimage Mod Tool 7.5:
Hidden/Spoiler:
[quote="Leonard from Softimage"]While Autodesk Softimage Mod Tool is available for free* to download and use, it has the limitations outlined below.


◦Non-Commercial End User License Agreement – Softimage Mod Tool can only be used for non-commercial games – the only exception to this is the Softimage Mod Tool Pro designed exclusively for Microsoft XNA Creator’s Club Premium members.
◦Exported geometry is limited to 64,000 triangles per object.
◦Cannot write .scn files.
◦Uses .exp file format which cannot be opened in a commercial version of Autodesk Softimage.
◦Watermark on render output.
◦Watermark on viewports.
◦Watermark on FXTree.
◦Ultimapper/Rendermap image size limitation of 2048x2048 (no watermark).
◦ICE compound export using XML only.
◦No geometry shaders.
◦Point cache – No PC2 or ICECache support.
◦Cannot generate .mi files.
◦No support for third 3rd party rendering engines.
◦No software developer kit (SDK) support. Scripting within Softimage software only.
◦No Batch capabilities.
◦Cannot reference models.[/quote]
Source
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Re: How do I collapse projections into one explicit UV map?

Post by redgroupclan »

I downloaded v7.5 and did the render map thing, but the model is still completely grey in ZeroEditor. :?
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Re: How do I collapse projections into one explicit UV map?

Post by bamdur123 »

1. were you in texture decal mode?
2. did you have your first textures rendermapped?
3. did you reaply your textures using the new texture projection?
4. did you keep the new cluster you made?
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Re: How do I collapse projections into one explicit UV map?

Post by redgroupclan »

bamdur123 wrote:1. were you in texture decal mode?
2. did you have your first textures rendermapped?
3. did you reaply your textures using the new texture projection?
4. did you keep the new cluster you made?
1. Yes.
2. Yes.
3. Yes.
4. New cluster?

I've updated the OP, in hopes that I can somehow get this problem solved. I can't mod BF2 until this gets fixed. :(
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Re: How do I collapse projections into one explicit UV map?

Post by bamdur123 »

well if you cant really understand it now and its not workign best thing to do is let me do it. if you could send the unmerged model in .xsi format (5.0 text) i coudl finis hthat for you
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Re: How do I collapse projections into one explicit UV map?

Post by Maveritchell »

Your biggest problem is that all your textures are not in a valid size. They are all 516*516 when they should be 512*512. That's always going to give you an error, and you must have missed seeing that error when you tried to munge your textures. Incidentally, this is the kind of issue that (barring the files being uploaded as they were here) no one will ever be able to figure out simply from a description - you need to remember to use a little common sense when forming a query!

There were a number of other issues with the model, the biggest of which was that you used six different texture projections to texture your model.
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For MshEx to work, you should be creating one texture projection-
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-and then multiple texture subprojections (as necessary).
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You can create your UVs all one one unique UV map, but for something simple it's easy to simply use basic subprojections (and this is what you were probably trying to do with multiple texture projections anyway).

Also, keep in mind that you need to make the scene material local (this is mentioned in the MshEx tutorial) before you export. Yours was not, but that may have simply been because it was opened on my computer versus yours.

I went ahead and just completely got rid of your UVs and retextured it as described above and then exported it. It shows up just fine in SWBFViewer (which is usually a fair indicator of whether it will render in ZE).
Hidden/Spoiler:
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Re: How do I collapse projections into one explicit UV map?

Post by redgroupclan »

I could've sworn I already resized the textures to 512x512. Well, at least I know I've resized them now.
bamdur123 wrote:well if you cant really understand it now and its not workign best thing to do is let me do it. if you could send the unmerged model in .xsi format (5.0 text) i coudl finis hthat for you
Do the 7.5 Mod Tools save models in 5.0 text or am I supposed to use Crosswalk to export it? Or is there something else I'm not thinking of? Here's the Crosswalk export just in case.
http://www.gamefront.com/files/20005276 ... upclan.zip

Maveritchell, after I go to Property>Texture Projection>Create New Projection... (I'm assuming I'm supposed to click on Create New Projection...), how am I supposed to get to that Texture Editor that's in the third picture you posted?

Also, how do I switch to Mod Tools view in 7.5? I've looked in a bunch of places, but so far it seems like they took the Mod Tools view out.
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Re: How do I collapse projections into one explicit UV map?

Post by Maveritchell »

redgroupclan wrote:Maveritchell, after I go to Property>Texture Projection>Create New Projection... (I'm assuming I'm supposed to click on Create New Projection...), how am I supposed to get to that Texture Editor that's in the third picture you posted?
Alt-7 is the shortcut for the texture editor.
redgroupclan wrote:Also, how do I switch to Mod Tools view in 7.5? I've looked in a bunch of places, but so far it seems like they took the Mod Tools view out.
I don't think that 7.5 has a toggle-able Mod Tools view; I've only ever used 7.5 once or twice (it felt as though it changed some hotkeys and some other basic interface items, so I switched back to 6.x). It doesn't really matter, though - you don't need to be in ModTools view, I was just covering your bases. What I posted above should be a primer, not a tutorial - if you feel that you need to be more familiar with things mentioned above, I would look up some basic XSI tutorials.
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Re: How do I collapse projections into one explicit UV map?

Post by redgroupclan »

Yeah. I guess I better look up some tutorials. Thanks for your help.
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