3DS Max 2018 - Unwrapping issue

DeathstrokeFTW

I got myself to use Max's UV Unwrap tools combined with Textools, I am trying to unwrap the Alien Isolation Motion Detector so I can start baking and texturing but I cant seem to get the UVs to work properly.
Whenever I scale the objects, it does nothing and when I use the Pack tool, it just ruins it. Even the padding isnt much of a help. (Its really hard to explain by talking about it)
I am trying to get equal texel density and use approx 100% of the UV map so any detail is not wasted when I bake it.

^ these are all separate objects in one UV

^ this is when I combine all of the objects into one.

Im beginning to hate UVing again!

Burpee

I don't know about Max's 2018 but when I used it on 2016 it was the worst thing ever made.
UVing in Maya is becoming so much fast and easy ! Sometime I Even like doing UV

DeathstrokeFTW

Burpee said:

I don't know about Max's 2018 but when I used it on 2016 it was the worst thing ever made.
UVing in Maya is becoming so much fast and easy ! Sometime I Even like doing UV

Uving got fun and all when I started using Max 2017, it really becomes annoying when you have limited time to do 3d and these issue happen. right now my real issue is getting the right texel density

Synaesthesia

This isn't an issue with Max. It's an issue with TexTools being updated last in 2010. The most equivalent tool to TexTools would be Polyunwrapper found via www.polytools3d.com, but it's not free. It is, however, updated frequently, and works very well.

DeathstrokeFTW

Synaesthesia said:

This isn't an issue with Max. It's an issue with TexTools being updated last in 2010. The most equivalent tool to TexTools would be Polyunwrapper found via www.polytools3d.com, but it's not free. It is, however, updated frequently, and works very well.

I cant afford that xD
Should I UV in some other package? What should I do?

Synaesthesia

Creating UVs using the Unwrap UVW window is very easy and shouldn't require any additional software unless you're looking to speed up your workflow a bit.

gnoop

DeathstrokeFTW said:

Should I UV in some other package? What should I do?

Try Blender . With a few 3d party addons It has best UV tools around probably.

If I am not wrong  TexTools worked on top of Roadkill which itself was just a piece of Blender UV tools  

DeathstrokeFTW

perna said:

@DeathstrokeFTW
UV mapping in max has been good enough to automate almost the entire process and spend very minimal time... for the last 10 years. Any struggle with UV-mapping at this point is due to the user, not the software. Check out the docs, develop some creative approaches, ease down on UV nit-picking.

These days UV-mapping is select a few edges, hit a couple of buttons, do some manual work if you need something fancy like re-using parts or you need a center line to be perfectly straight... then it's ready for packing. It's supposed to be a minor part of production schedule.

I understand, Im just having issues with packing it (I am trying to speed up my workflow) maybe Ill go with a non-square UV or do the scaling manually

ActionDawg

Seconding Perna. Max has even had nearly all of the useful features of TexTools for years now. I haven't had a need for TexTools for years.

Also Max as of 2017 added non-convex packing which practically rivals IPackThat. All you need to do these days is tick on all the options and set the padding amount relative to the desired gutter width.

You can simply split that long island at the bottom in half and keep the texture square.

gandhics

Did u do "Non-Convex Packing"? That't the new fancy one.
Also you dont need to combine.
in 2017, if you apply all objects and apply a unrwap modifier, "Non-Convex Packing" automatically make even texel density.

ActionDawg

whoops i originally said recursive, thanks for the post @gandhics! corrected.

DeathstrokeFTW

Yes Ive been using the non-convex packing for a while now. I might need to scale a few islands down so lets see how this goes. Ive been putting seems wherever there's a 90* angle so I might have had too many islands.

gnoop

Do somebody know if MAx 18 could pack in non-square textures, like 2x1 or 4x1,   properly?     With  cluster rotation  checked in?

DeathstrokeFTW

I managed to get better texel density, now I have to fix a few artifacts im getting while baking

DeathstrokeFTW

Baking looked clean but the bolts i baked looked horrible when zoomed in. I think I need more texel density