xsi to uvlayout to xsi to smashface

kendo

i finished uv mapping my dw4 char today in uvlayout i update and go to import the saved obj into xsi and crash, i can import as clusters but this is no good as i want the objects seperated for when i bake the normal map.

the really annoying thing is i can reimport back into uvlayout and continue to edit the uv's with no problems but XSI just wont let me import this OBJ, would be interesting to see if 3DS can handle it.

oh well i understand this is quite a specific problem for 2 packages that probably arent that widely used here but any advise would be appreciated

kendo

ok nm ive played about the import file options if i remove the uv wrapping and just leave import uv it lets me get away with it, btw i highly recommend uv layout to everyone ive used a few different ones in my time and its by far the most efficient.

cant say the same for xsi mind.

renderhjs

yup uvlayout is by far the best out there for uv stuff

Sage

can't say the same for xsi. LOL sorry man I know what you mean. Uv layout is awesome. Have you tried roadkill. that seems to work with xsi fairly well

renderhjs

roadkill is a disaster speed wise,- maybe I should give it another chance but the times I tested it it failed running workable - full of hick ups and freezing. Also the GUI is to much mouse action - to often I needed to point on icons and buttons.
also all of the other UV specialized tools don't come with instances, series and other multiple element functions that UV layout provides - like stacking similar shells on to of each other - or line them up- or process a set of selected shells within a given time frame while you get some coffee or lunch.
I don't use however the packing stuff from UV layout - for that I still prefer max as I can quicker select either from 3d or UV space shells that belong together and pack them in relation.

I wish some stuff in 3dsmax would boost up and be renewed in max like the Unwrap editor. While it had for a long time advantages over lets say maya or some other packages - the GUI and workflow always have been in a pure pain. Also the whole UI is totally software driven and outdated by todays standards.
I often have to use another application to unwrap because max simply cant handle a decent dense 3d mesh to unwrap. The pelt mapping takes forever and scrolling or panning the UV view freezes almost the computer (on a quad core). In these kind of situations UVlayout is very nice because it performs very fast and the pelt mapping / relaxing is way faster as the build in max one.

James Edwards

Hehe roadkill doesn't compare to UVL at all. I never had any issues back and forth between XSI and UVL though... stange. UVL is one of the mainstays of my software toolkit. You could plunk me down in front of maya, max, xsi, or even houdini so long as you let me use my copy of UVL, I'll be a happy camper.

Sage

When I used uvlayout it was great! it made unwrapping a mechanical character a breeze. Their solution for pelting is great, simple and quick! After unwrapping with that program using another is pretty a tough pill to swallow!

renderhjs

its the reason why I started the texTools

because I realized that somewhere or perhaps at some time UVlayout will not be available on the computer I am on and then I need something that makes the suffer less.

I agree, once you learned and used UVlayout - working with anything else is just a pain and not efficient at all, sadly