Help required with UV optimizing

JackL · Apr 2014

Hi! I could use some help with UV map optimizing.
I'm currently working on modules and want to know how I could manage to make the UV map better and get as much out of the as possible. The texture right now is 2K but someone said I should be able to knock it down to a 256 or a 128 and get the same quality. Contains a diffuse, heightmap and a specular. Would appreciate some pointers!

Bartalon · Apr 2014

If the paneling is going to be that simple, you probably don't need any larger than a 512, but if you end up having lots of subtle scrapes and worn paint, etc. a higher resolution map may be needed to get that amount of detail.

You can also use 2:1 texture maps to get the most out of longer assets without having to split UVs. That whole empty area in the bottom right could be utilized in a 512x256 or maybe even a 512x128 (4:1 H:W ratio).

Mark Dygert · Apr 2014

If the texture is going to be that simple and depending on the platform, it might be better to model in those details using a few more polys and use a much smaller map. Normally its texture space not polys that need to be optimized, a few more polys won't hurt but a bigger texture can.

Or use geometry cuts to mirror, tile and stretch a smaller texture into covering the same surface area.

Also not all objects need their own unique texture you can gang up a few other related objects on one texture sheet if they will be in the same area.

JackL · Apr 2014

Thanks for the replies, going to spend the weekend doing some research since basically it seems like there's a whole lot more to UV mapping then I know

poopipe · Apr 2014

you have to relearn it all again when you're dealing with LOD meshes.

good luck

Synaesthesia · Apr 2014

Especially if you don't want the LODs to visually "pop" each time the LOD shifts. It doesn't seem to be as important in some games, but in my line of work the LODs have to be planned for from the beginning of the workflow and the UVs are laid out so that removing polygons prevents texture shifts and other visual artifacts - until the models are into their fourth LOD, after which they're so far away that they can be less strictly adherent to their original shape.

Deadly Nightshade · Apr 2014

You have about 65% UV-coverage which in the end is a real waste of texture memory. And even if you stitched it all together and placed the shell on a 1:4 -ratio map you would get exactly the same kind of UV-coverage, with a waste of 35% texture space.

I would try and use those other 35% to something else (either for detail on that wall piece, or for use by another prop that goes along with that wall prop) OR I would stitch all those shells together and fit the entire thing onto a 1:2 -ratio texture (which would mean you have to pinch the texture vertically - which would lead to a detail loss of about 25% along V, which can be acceptable.)

Like with all UV-layouting, this is a balancing act between texel density and optimized texture space. And out of those, I think TD can be played around with more (extreme example of this would be a game such as RAGE by id Software).

Help required with UV optimizing

Replies