[Max 8] Retaining selection between modifiers?
Hello everyone, n00b here.
I have an editable poly, and an Unwrap UVW modifier. In the editable poly, I have several polygons that have named selection sets.
What I want to do is select a named selection set in the editable poly level, then go to the Unwrap UVW modifier but still have the polys remain selected.
However, everytime I do this, the polygons get unselected. Does anyone know if what I want to do is possible?
Thanks in advance.
I have an editable poly, and an Unwrap UVW modifier. In the editable poly, I have several polygons that have named selection sets.
What I want to do is select a named selection set in the editable poly level, then go to the Unwrap UVW modifier but still have the polys remain selected.
However, everytime I do this, the polygons get unselected. Does anyone know if what I want to do is possible?
Thanks in advance.
Replies
I suggest converting your selection sets to smoothing groups or breaking them into individual elements.
I'm not sure I want to do that because I want the various pieces of the model to be unwrapped to a single "space"... I don't know how to word this properly but, say for a human model; if the head and the body is separated, that would mean each of the two objects will have their own Unwrap UVW modifier correct? But I don't want that, I want to unwrap both the head and the body on a single modifier. But at the same time, I'd like some control over the groups of polygons (which was why I resorted to selection sets).
My thinking was if I did this, I can for example hide the polygons that make up the head while unwrapping the other body parts so that I don't accidently mess up the wrong polygons...
I'm probably making this sound a lot harder than it should be. As I said, I'm very new to all this and I'd definitely appreciate any help... thanks...
http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/unwrap-selector
Material IDs are the way to go if the head is getting a different bitmap than the body. After the two sets of polygons are assiged to separate IDs, you can use a dropdown in the Edit UVW window to isolate the UV view by material ID (or you can see all IDs).
Hi Vig, when you say "breaking them into individual elements", do you mean separating the model into several objects?
I'm not sure I want to do that because I want the various pieces of the model to be unwrapped to a single "space"... I don't know how to word this properly but, say for a human model; if the head and the body is separated, that would mean each of the two objects will have their own Unwrap UVW modifier correct? But I don't want that, I want to unwrap both the head and the body on a single modifier. But at the same time, I'd like some control over the groups of polygons (which was why I resorted to selection sets).
My thinking was if I did this, I can for example hide the polygons that make up the head while unwrapping the other body parts so that I don't accidently mess up the wrong polygons...
I'm probably making this sound a lot harder than it should be. As I said, I'm very new to all this and I'd definitely appreciate any help... thanks...
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You can still cut your model into several different groups, and then when you're done reattach them to each other. The pieces will retain their uvmaps from when they were separate objects, and all you'd have to do then is readjust their spacing on the uvw grid.
If you can't use mat id's or smoothing groups then the element option might work. Here's the nuts and bolts of how it goes.
In Edit poly you can select the faces for each group and "detach" them. Then "attach" them, if you do not weld the pieces back together they stay as sub-objects of your main object, max calls them elements. Then in the UVW unwrap roll out you can check on "select by element" so you can access the different sub-objects.
The smoothing group method works pretty good since it lets polys belong to more then one selection set and you don't need to hack up your mesh. For example you can assign the entire arm, hand and fingers to Smoothing Group 1. Then set each of those other pieces to their own Smoothing Group. If you want to select the entire arm, select Group 1, if you want each piece pick its group.
After you assign your selection sets to smoothing groups, in the UVW unwrap window under selection parameters change the Smoothing Group number and click "select SG". Same goes for the material ID method. The advantage of using material ID's is like MoP said you can hide/unhide the pieces from the UVW editor window and you can name your selection sets/mat ID's by creating a multi-sub object material and assigning it to your object. Then when you name corresponding material it will show up with that name in the UVW Editor window.
I umm... have one little question though and I don't want to start a new topic because it's so small.
How do I "un-run" or unload a Max Script? What if I don't want to use that script that Eric mentioned anymore? I can't seem to find a way to do this...
How did you run the script you downloaded?
I placed the file in the \Scripts\ directory under 3ds Max 8. Then went to MAXScript -> Run Script.
I tried searching in the MAXScript 8.0 reference, but it was so huge and I got lost very, VERY quickly. I've tried all kinds of search strings in the help system but I couldn't find what I needed to do to unload a MAXScript.
Sorry...
Sorry to be circumspect, but there's some good info in the help, that's where I learned all the basics like this. IIRC there's a specific help file for MAXScript.
edit... oops, my bad, you said you looked in there. Max9's MXS help file has a section "MAXScript for New and Casual Users" in the Introduction section. Worth a look, if it's in the Max8 version that is. Talks the different ways scripts can be loaded, etc.
I was wrong about deleting it from \scripts. All you have to do is restart Max to unload it. Scripts in the \scripts\startup\ folder are auto-loaded on re-start, scripts in \scripts\ are not.
It won't work like you want it to. Each time you go back down to edit poly and make a selection then go back up to unwrap it will only apply the unwrap to the selected polys screwing up any work you have done to the other selections.
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What you do is, select your polys in edit poly. Convert to uv map do your thing, convert to edit poly, select and repeat... When you have all the part uv mapped and moved aside then do unwarp for the whole mesh and tweak..
Everything will stay intact, least it has always worked for me like this.
Seems like a lot of middle man mouse clicking to me, but thats the great thing about being able to skin cats in 3d apps, there are so many ways to do the same thing.
Alex