How to layout my uvs

semo005

Straight to my problem. My problem is below as you can see my 3 uv shells have same texel density but I cannot layout three of them in one uv space because of the third uv shell. I am able to pack two uv shells but the third is a big problem

Andreicus

Are you using Maya ? If the answer is yes and you want the same texel density across all the shells, you should use the Layout tool that you can find in the UV editor under Modify--> Layout or just press CTLR+L after selecting the shells.
Remember to change the settings based on what you want.

These are mine: 



But if you want to maximize the 0-1 space you have to pack them manually.

Klunk

if you want it to use space more "efficiently" you could break  the long shell into 2 at the hard edges.

semo005

Thanks for the reply thanks for that setting but my question is as you suggested I want to use my full 0-1 space and I can do that for 2 shells but the straight shell is the problem When I make the 2 shell big it changes the texel density and two pieces are same while the third one is different...!!! and also I want to ask one more question If my uvs boxes are this big would it make my tex blurry or something like that or am I just making this up in my find ;o;

Andreicus

semo005 said:

Thanks for the reply thanks for that setting but my question is as you suggested I want to use my full 0-1 space and I can do that for 2 shells but the straight shell is the problem When I make the 2 shell big it changes the texel density and two pieces are same while the third one is different...!!! and also I want to ask one more question If my uvs boxes are this big would it make my tex blurry or something like that or am I just making this up in my find ;o;

I see, then you could split the long shell into 2 as suggested by @Klunk.
Regarding the resolution, obviously the bigger the squares are the less resolution you have because you are using less 0-1 space but it depends on the scale of the object in game and how many times you tile the texture.

A lot of times i had big squares on small props but the final resolution was good.

semo005

Oh thanks didn't see @Klunk 's reply thank you both so basically If my squares are small my texture resolution will be good?? uv thing is pretty hard to get

Andreicus

semo005 said:

Oh thanks didn't see @Klunk 's reply thank you both so basically If my squares are small my texture resolution will be good?? uv thing is pretty hard to get

Basically texel density is the amount of texture resolution in a mesh, so the more space your UVs shells cover in the 0-1 space the more resolution you will have and the final textures will be more detailed and crisp.

So more squares = more resolution

UVs are hard at the beginning because it is a completely technical topic but once you understand it, it's always the same and becomes easy.

semo005

Thank you so much for your answer

zachagreg

Don't worry about Texel density right now anyway because it doesn't technically exist unless there is a corresponding texture applied within 3d space. Texel density isn't going to be your problem for a bit. Focus on maximizing used space for the object. These are two different concepts and will confuse you a lot if you're just starting out. 

I say this because worrying about texel density on just one prop will just screw you up on learning how to properly UV since knowing how to do texel density properly requires a thorough understanding of UV's to start with.

Here is a resource on basically what texel density is and why it's important:
https://80.lv/articles/textel-density-tutorial/

There are some interesting points on there about when texel density matters and when it doesn't because there are always exceptions to the rule and a lot of the time texel density for unique items are handled differently.

Here is a breakdown on efficient UV's and why they matter: 
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Uv#UV_Tutorials_.26_Threads

Pay particular attention to the thought process of skankzero (the four images that say "Not A Tutorial") as there are some gems in terms of wrapping your head around the concepts and then the lower links are extremely helpful as well particularly this one:
https://polycount.com/discussion/85675/uv-unwrapping-best-practice-factors-priorities

Read that thread really well and pay attention to this sentence, "UV unwrapping has no one way that can be considered best for all situations and requirements. Instead it must be balanced between a series of priorities that should be adjusted whenever the situation calls for one specific quality over another." -RedRogueXIII

semo005

Thanks man for a such a well versed answer...!!!