How to properly make textures for buildings?
So I have been working on this house for my game, it is a simple house and it is only one story. I made separate objects to maximize Texture space in each UV map, so the Chimney, doors, windows, outside building and the inside building are all separate models with there own UV Mapping Coordinates.
After completing the texture on the outside part of my house, I found that @ 2048x2048 the diffuse quality was lacking. I have re done this texture several times and the quality of the house does not match the size of the file.
I found that by making the roof and the rest of the outside part of the house separate models and RE doing each UV MAP I was able to give them each more texture space. However that seems very messy, this means that once I bring the house into UDK or any other engine than I have to select each object and apply a texture to each one. Because this is my first game, I'm not sure if this is how things are done on most games or what?
If this is true than you could make a 1024x1024 texture for the roof, than the rest of the house and than one for the chimney etc.... Or would that waste too many resources?
I'm currently using 3DS Max 2011 and I know that other people use different tools and programs to make UV maps but I'm using the Unwrap UVW modifier in max.
This also brings up another possible solution? Is it possible to UV map each model on and inside the house, than tell max to combine them with the ATTACH tool and have max automatically make a huge UV map? If so, than it would most likely make one huge texture for that house but that also means I only have to apply one texture to the house for each texture type.
Also it is very possible that I'm over thinking things. I just noticed that if I combine objects in max they have their own UV mapping channel and I can individuality select each one, do game engines support multiple channels? I know that is something I should probably know by now but I have not dealt with game engines that deeply yet.
I tend to over think things that lead me no where.
After completing the texture on the outside part of my house, I found that @ 2048x2048 the diffuse quality was lacking. I have re done this texture several times and the quality of the house does not match the size of the file.
I found that by making the roof and the rest of the outside part of the house separate models and RE doing each UV MAP I was able to give them each more texture space. However that seems very messy, this means that once I bring the house into UDK or any other engine than I have to select each object and apply a texture to each one. Because this is my first game, I'm not sure if this is how things are done on most games or what?
If this is true than you could make a 1024x1024 texture for the roof, than the rest of the house and than one for the chimney etc.... Or would that waste too many resources?
I'm currently using 3DS Max 2011 and I know that other people use different tools and programs to make UV maps but I'm using the Unwrap UVW modifier in max.
This also brings up another possible solution? Is it possible to UV map each model on and inside the house, than tell max to combine them with the ATTACH tool and have max automatically make a huge UV map? If so, than it would most likely make one huge texture for that house but that also means I only have to apply one texture to the house for each texture type.
Also it is very possible that I'm over thinking things. I just noticed that if I combine objects in max they have their own UV mapping channel and I can individuality select each one, do game engines support multiple channels? I know that is something I should probably know by now but I have not dealt with game engines that deeply yet.
I tend to over think things that lead me no where.
Replies
It is meant to show off an example of our game so that is why I'm asking about how to do this.
Some do. Two seems pretty common; one for the main textures, and a second channel for lightmaps.
You would want to have separate textures for each different material type. So if you have brick parts, use a tiled brick texture, and unwrap the brick parts to that texture, same with siding, interior walls, etc. Then, for things like doors and windows..where they would be uniquely unwrapped...those could be combined on its own texture.
You might also want to think about how these things tile, the siding of a house might only tile horizontally, maybe you want to use thirding for it. Trims tile horizontally too, look to pack as many of these horizontally tiling things into the same map to reduce draw calls.
It's one thing if you have a merged house with 5 dif shaders, but what if it is built up of a bunch of modular pieces that use multiple tiling textures also, drawcalls go up big time. So start with tiling textures but don't go too nuts.
Doesn't need to be separate per se, just needs to have a different material applied, multi sub material I think it is called in Max.
I approve.
But I do not think game engines support the materials from max do they?
Here is the UV with the texture on it:
And here is the model and the UV render.
As you can see I'm using plenty of overlapping but I'm not sure if this is done right or not?
Any special reason for upside down texture. Here is a building I made a long time ago and the texture was 1024X1024.
Is there any special trick to making a UV that amazing or do you have to carefully design a building out so the UV map that you make later on will align correctly?
Should I just start over, or is it still possible to make a nice clean UV map like the one you are showing me?
So there is that.
Last, many games simple put small textures on each 'face' of the model and tile it, it's many textures calls, sure, but it serves well if you have many buildings of different sizes and structures which require the same texture, so it balances out.
Just decide what is best for you, they all work.
UDK and Unity let you use multiple materials on objects. Its not that you carry over the multi-sub material directly over, but its just an easy way to manage multiple materials on a single object in Max.
Those UV's are horrid. From the looks if it, it appears that you used flatten mapping, instead of putting in effort to unwrap the model well. I suggest you go back and fix those before you continue.
It is a flatten yes but I tend to do that first than manually re UV map everything, it is just simpler for me that way. I don't just flatten everything and leave it at that.
I'll try to organize things nicely but when I'm dealing with tiling textures, I'm selecting faces on the model, moving them in the UV editor and seeing how the texture looks on the model.
Really for the life of me I have no clue how to proceed. This is a PC game I'm working on after all.
Also how do multiple sizes fit into this naming scheme?:
UDK Naming Conventions:
Naming Conventions
Textures:
TX_TextureName_D diffuse texture
TX_TextureName_DO diffuse texture with opacity in alpha channel
TX_TextureName_DS diffuse texture with specular in alpha channel
TX_TextureName_N normalmap texture
TX_TextureName_O opacity texture
TX_TextureName_S specular texture
MAT_MaterialName material
TM_MaterialName terrain material
TLS_SetupName terrain layer setup
TX_Detail[name] detail texture 8-bit grayscale or packed bitplanes eg. TX_DetailRock1
TX_Macro[name] macro texture 8-bit grayscale or packed bitplanes eg. TX_MacroDirt
TX_Mask[name] mask texture 8-bit grayscale or packed bitplanes eg. TX_MaskRando
Ok I get what these are used for. But when you tell a game (Such as Doom 3 maybe or Gears of War) to use the lower resolution textures instead of the "High Quality" ones, are you telling the engine to use the down scaled MipMaps that it generated to be used in place of the highest resolution ones that the player would see up close?