Texture Coordinates

Texture coordinates, also called UVs, are pairs of numbers stored in the vertices of a mesh, often used to stretch a 2D texture onto a 3D mesh.

UV Tutorials

• UV Unwrapping Best Practice Factors & Priorities Polycount Forum thread.
• 3DS Max - UVing complex objects Polycount Forum thread, UVs for complex cylindrical-shaped meshes.
• Best techniques for packing UV’s Polycount Forum thread.
• An Introduction To UVMapping In 3d Studio Max by Ben Tate.
• UV Theory Polycount forum thread, how to plan good UVs.
• As it turns out, we all suck at unwrapping? Polycount forum thread.
• Step-by-Step Techniques for Tiling Textures in 3ds Max - by Chris Holden, how to make texture atlases.
• Organic rock UV seams Polycount forum thread, how to create good UVs for spheroids.
• Unwrapping a sphere Polycount forum thread, good methods for UVing spheres. For sphere modeling tips see Sphere Topology.
• First-Person Weapon UVs by Joe 'EarthQuake' Wilson, good weapon UVs.
• Maya / Mudbox: Street Cop Workflow by Mashru Mishu, good character UVs.
• uv + turbosmooth= big problem Polycount forum thread, how to prevent 3ds Max subdivision from distorting UVs. A similar thread: Best way to approach unwrapping UVWs with Meshsmooth?.
• What's an 8-sided tiled texture ? Polycount forum thread, how to edit textures so you can rotate and mirror them on adjacent polygons without seams.
• LightMap#Light_Map_Texture_Coordinates
• TextureAtlas

An automated UV projection network in Maya.	How to edit multiple UV channels in 3ds Max.

UV Tools

3ds Max

• TexTools
• PolyUnwrapper
• Texture Atlas Generator
• turboTools
• Normalize UVs Maxscipt
• LCSM Unwrap
• 3ds Max Bridge to Headus UV Layout
• 3ds Max Bridge to Roadkill
• morphMap

Maya

• Maya Bridge to Headus UV Layout
• Texturing Scripts on CreativeCrash.com
• Castor Lee's Auto UV Mapper

Softimage / XSI

• Softimage Bridge to Headus UV Layout
• Texturing Scripts on CreativeCrash.com
• Softimage Bridge to Roadkill

UV Map Grids

This is a texture to use while unwrapping a mesh. Sometimes called a custom uv map template, a uv checker, or a test grid.

Good things to have in a uv map grid:

• A large checker grid to see large distortions.
• A fine per-pixel grid to see small distortions.
• Circles help with solving distortion, as it's easier for the human eye to see when a circle is distorted than a square.
• Unique colors across the map, to see where the UV is tiling.
• Letters and/or numbers to see when the UV is reversed.
• Letters and/or numbers to see where a mesh feature is located in UV space.

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