How do you make Multiple UV Maps in Maya?

NoSeRider

I think I'm getting a handle on UV mapping in Maya, but how to you make multiple UV maps for one object?.....y'know, one map for upper torso, one map for lower torso....instead of clumping the entire object on one map.

MoP

Look up "UV Sets" in the help. You basically make a new "UV set" for every section you want on a different map (also useful if you're doing layered textures, decals and such).
You can select which UV Set you're working on from the UV Texture Editor window.

Whargoul

Do you want certain faces to actually have multiple UV sets (ie for different pases)? It's doubtful you'll need actual multiple UV sets on your objects.

Or do you just want to each group of faces to have a differnet material? If so, just UV map them all in one go. You'll see the UVs for both materials all at the same time overlapped, so you can use the UV editor's isolate select type mode to hide the ones you're not interested in.

NoSeRider

Basically, my previous experiences of UV Mapping comes from Max or Lithuvmap.

The character model is one object. My previous experiences with other 3d Softwares is to split up the object, but with Maya if you do that then you can't weld the vertices together with the split object.

If I continue to work on one object, then the uv map either get very small or they overlap as you UV into one single MAP.

Maybe the solution is simple, but I haven't gotten the grasp of it yet.

Mop referred to UV Sets, which indicates a way of separating the UV maps?

Just think of it as a Quake 3 model. One UV Map for Torso, One UV Map for Head.....now how would you do that in Maya?

MoP

In this case it's probably easier to do what Whargoul says. If you use the Isolate Select modes (those four gridlike buttons at the top centre of the UV editor, one blank, the others with red +, -, and 0 symbols) then you can simply hide the faces you're not working with.
Just select all the polys for your guy's head, add them to the isolated selection, and turn on Isolate - that way all of the body will be hidden, just the head polys will be shown - you can map them into the UV square, then un-isolate, select all the body polys, Isolate, and do the same again with the head polys hidden.

Whargoul

You can also translate them exactly 1 unit in any direction and the object will look the same, but the UVs will be slid out of the way. So instead of being mapped 0-1, it could be 0-1 in U and 1-2 in V. I usually do it this way to simplfy things. Most engines support UV's outside of 0-1, but in all cases I simply slide them back before I export to keep things neat for the engine. I think you can use the numerical type in boxes in the texture editor to do it (set it to relative first). I have a set of hotkeys for shifting them around myself. And I have a script that auto-arranges them based on materials, and one which collapses them back together.

Here's Churchill (SSX3 bonus character), with all the UVs in the default position, and then with them spread out:

NoSeRider

I could only grasp onto selecting UV Vertices in Texture Editor then going to: Edit Polygons - Texture - Copy UVs and UV Sets - Copy into New UV Set - Prompt Box

It works! Not certain it's the best way, but it's the only way I understand for the time being.

Thanks!

Snowfly

Damn I don't have that option in Maya 4.5