lscmunwrap for max5 and up (new version)

CrazyButcher

hi, now that I am back to some maxing I improved the unwrapper I ported from blender some time ago.

please let me know if it works under max6,7,8 before I release it on the other plugin/script sites.

main change is that the "only selected" works better and that all results are stored into the applied unwrap modifier and not the baseobject. As well as some minor changes to the maxscript.



grab it here

please test it, looking forward for feedback

!! BUMPED !!
max 2009 support added and bugfix with "weird uv on first view"

ironbearxl

This looks promising, im using the cvs version of blender with the new unwrapping it's using called ABF. It's works very well better than wings and max
edit: I don't know if this would be helpful to you? Also i'm guessing it's ABF now because it works alot different than the 2.41 version, I may be wrong, it could just be improved lscm.

http://www.graphicall.org/builds/builds/...90d0d951f7a7b95

CrazyButcher

that live LSCM looks cool, too. But it would require a more direct access to the unwrapper modifier. This would mean everyone using my plugin would basically get a special version of the max5 unwrapper, which is inferior to what people use in higher max versions. The other way would be storing some extra data with the object...

the abf stuff is interesting, too. but for now I am happy with the lscm and wait until blender's abf matures.

more info on the ABF
http://mediawiki.blender.org/index.php/Release_Notes/Notes242/UVUnwrapping

thomasp

hey nice, you might also want to consider creating a relax function

btw: until now, i've been using the older version of your script with max 7.1, so i guess this will work just as well.

CrazyButcher

well the plugin that is also used, was changed quite a bit, so it would be cool if someone just could testrun it. (before I stored results into baseobjct, now I feed result into the added unwrap modifier, which of course is different from each max version, so some interface feeding is done which is the critical part I want to make sure works)

ironbearxl

Hey Cb,

I've been unwrapping stuff with this lately and just to let you know it works really well, good work!

CrazyButcher

did a new version, not much changes
mostly it tries to preserve a proper texel/unit ratio for all uv chunks now (int contrast to the maximize each before).

also max9-32 bit version is coming with it.

thanks to Rom Impas for testing, he also had a issue that sometimes he needs to "reset" max9 once to make it work, I dont have that problem, nor a clue where it comes from, but it could be me not using the vc2005 stuff which max9 was made for, will do that once I upgrade to it.
nevertheless after a rest it works for him, and for me it works always.

J O T

Hey mate, does this help pack the uv chunks to minimize wasted space? Is that what you're saying? That would be great, something that doesn't rotate the chunks and packs them all in for you.
A simple hide faces, I know I would find very useful also.

CrazyButcher

hide faces ? and no it doesnt smartly pack. packing arbitrary shapes is extremely complex problem, I'd say human brain beats the machine here

J O T

I would have thought that packing would be right down the machines line of work, but you'll be the one to know. Could be so useful for vehicles and more complex machinery, so many elements and the space is easily wasted.
Yeah, I wish I could hide polys in the unwrapper, for selection purposes and to just to be able to see the ones underneath. Don't tell me it already exists

CrazyButcher

well this tool lets you place uv-seam edges from within editable poly, ie you can use hide, selection tools whatever you need and exists in editablepoly.
the lscm unwrapper only stores its results into the unwrap modifier.

if it is packing of aligned rectangle stuff (say bbox of uv chunks) then it can be put into algorithms which try to minimize space. (as max's Pack UVs), however as rectangle bbox is often not a good approximation, you still get lots of wasted space.

J O T

Ok cool. Though its when you are moving the uvs that I wish I could hide them.

EarthQuake

you should throw in some sort of relax function or something that keeps the texal density consistant, that would be badass.

CrazyButcher

well that is what the new version tries to do:



although one can see on back leg that it doesnt always work perfectly.

CrazyButcher

sorry for necroposting, but I just added a 64-bit version of the plugin. I dont have xp64 or so, so I cant test it, but I can compile for it. I recently compiled the luxinia exporter for 64bit max9, as well, and according to the guy I did for it worked, so I hope this one does, too.

let me know if it does

CrazyButcher

and another necro post, this time added max 2009 support, and fixed a bug where the automatically opened uvw-unwrap window showed a crippled uv-mesh (but turned to normal once closed/re-opened)

on a side-note, would anyone be interested in "live unwrap" or another method instead of LSCM, Blender as well as those other blender unwrap derivates (roadkill and so on) have that functionality as well, but are not as integrated as my version.
However I'd only do fruther features commercially, ie sell the plugin low-cost at like 15€ or so.

Just wonder if it would be worth to add more, or not.

Sage

CrazyButcher can you add a relax and pinning function like what road kill has and an easy way to make uv symmetrical I think that would be worth paying?