hello

MinefielD

hello all just a quick question.

I have just started to learn the whole 3d thing and iv just finished my first attempt at modelling. I have created a sniper riffle model and i was wondering how do i export the map thing so i can skin it in photoshop.

Hope that makes sense to you guys . Thanks for any help . I will post a few pics of my model below.







Again thanks for any help and/or tips.

EmAr

Any unwrapping tutorial should be a good start. But your model seems to contain a little too many polygons. A wireframe shot would tell us more about your model.

And use a middle grey as a background in your preview shots. Pure-black-background shots make it difficult to read the dark parts of the model.

JohnnyRaptor

drop in a skylight if ur using max and render using that, will make it easier to see your mesh along with the wireframe shots EmAr suggested

woogity

if you are using maya go in your panel to renderer>highquality renderer to get a better view of things its hard to see right now, also in maya you will want to go in your panel>saved layouts>Persp/Uvtextureeditor and to create your uvs under the polygons menu >create uvs


-Woog

butt_sahib

ditto to what emar and jhonny said, but i think the OP was asking about something else.

"how do i export the map thing so i can skin it in photoshop."

Well, you will have to tell us which software your using I think this max but dont know which version youre using. If your using 8 or higher (i think) you will have to....ok wait...those colors in your render...theyre just standard materials with different colour values right?.... before exporting this map "thing" aka texture, you need to unwrap it first. meaning, you have to take your 3d model, and create a 2d texture out of it so you can make yoru color/diffuse map over it. To unwrap your model, you need to put a UVW modifier ontop of your model. Then when your done unwrapping, go into Edit>Tools>Render UVW template>Render.
If your using earlier versions, you should use Textporter (google) to export your texture maps.

What you should do right now:
head over to poopinmymouth and check out his tutorials ESP. the one on unwrapping.

Good luck and welcome to the world of gameart...where we believe procedural maps are for wussies....

ps.
Down with the side scroll bar !! please take care next time

butt_sahib

hehe woogity beat me to it :P but yeah, what we both meant

MinefielD

i have got rid of all textures and tried to import it to maya learning edition at this minute in time but i sill struggle lol . . Would any one like to take a look if they have the time at the model in 3ds max to see if i have too many polys or what ever else could be wrong .. Thanks again guys.

odium

I'll be honest with you, you may find it easier to put this on hold of a few days while you try and unwrap and texture some more simple mesh work. Start small, as in do a box. Then do a chamfered box. Then try and work your way up to a more complex mesh. You dont have to be perfect at texturing it, but unwrapping is a skill you wont learn over night.

I know that may sound a heartless but unwrapping can make or break a model, and weapon models, like character models, can be a real pain in the arse to unwrap even for a seasoned model guy.

sir-knight

seams, convex/concave and protrusion spots are a pain in the ass... okay so all of it can be a pain in the ass :P but I find unwrapping somewhat soothing... sort of like... tetris.