hi,

you could give a look to Lithunwrap, this is a free and very complete and powerful tool, very useful to use with 3D Canvas.

http://www.geocities.com/lithunwrap


Ok, here is a brief explanation about how to design a texture template using Lithunwrap, so it can be useful to anyone interested. This is mainly about advanced uv-mapping. Using Lithunwrap is even simpler than using Canvas Pro uv-tools, because you have many more mapping capabilities, while Canvas Pro only provides basic uv-mapping capabilities.

This does not absolutely mean that the Pro version is not worth the money. I believe that Canvas Pro is the best deal on the market for its price, and I strogly recommend it to all the standard users.

Said that, the goals to reach when designing a map should be, in order of importance:

A) All the parts of the model should be mapped in the same texture. This helps the game engine to render fast, since texture switching is a heavy operation.

B) The map should be continuous enought. That is, contiguity among triangles should be preserved as much as possible, until point C is respected enought. This helps the artist to have picture continuity when she/he draws over the texture template.

C) The map should be planar enought. That is, each triangle projection over the uv-space should be near enought to a flat projection along the triangle normal. This helps the artist to have not stretched pixels when she/he draws over the texture template.

To get these goals using Lithunwrap you can do the following.

1) Export your model to X format and load it into Lithunwrap.

2) Use the standard maps (planar, cylindrical, spherical etc.) to get a basic uv-mapping of the model, and adjust the map pieces over the uv-space. This step is equivalent to what you can get by using the Canvas Pro uv-tools plus an external paint application.

3) Using the checker as background, adjust the handles until you will see that there are no more heavy distortions on the model texture, that is, the checker is projected well enought over each part of the model. This step gets goal C.

4) Wherever it's possible, move the parts to join together, and merge the side vertices so that two parts become a single one. Where this operation requires too much stretching then it should not be done. This step gets goal B.

5) Export the model to X format and load it into Canvas.

6) Use the edit material script to assign the texture to the model. Please note that using the edit material script is necessary whenever you import an external uv-mapped model and you want to assign it a texture inside Canvas. This is because  all the normal texture operators of Canvas overwrite the uv-map of the imported model.


Hope this helps.

Hey thanks for the info Alex, but i cant find the "edit material script", and even if i could, how exactly do i write a script to assign the texture to the model? I'm pretty new to coding (havent done any in 3D Canvas) but i sort of understand how it works. It woulnt be possible for you to do a simple tutorial explaining how to do it would it?

The script is avialable here:

http://www.amabilis.com/mediadownloads.htm

Think of it as a plugin. It doesn't require you to know any coding.

Richard

Thanks Richard, i downloaded the "Material Editor" script and put it in the scripts folder. I assume this is the script you mean since it is the only one to do with materials. Unfortunately i still dont know what to do. I go to run script and it comes up with this dialog box. I take it i have to type something in here, but i dont know what.

Richard??

Someone please help, it is vital that i know how to do this!

I don't normally read the "User's Tips" forum. Pro users should use the Pro forums to get direct support.

Select a face, or multiple faces.

The top part indicates what parameters can be changed and the character (in brackets) to type to change it.

1) Type C if you want to change the color
   Type A if you want to change the Ambient
   Type D if you want to change the Diffuse
   etc.

2) Press OK

3) Enter the new value for the item. Each color component (red/green/blue) is expressed from 0 to 1 rather than 0 to 255 as you may be accustomed to. The others are exactly as represented in 3D Canvas.

Richard

Am i the only one who cant find the pro forums? I swear i've looked absolutely everywhere on your site yet it doesnt seem to be there :-/. Could i have a link please.

Anyway back to the subject, i dont want to change the color, diffuse or ambient values, (i figured out how to do that) but i uv-mapped the model in LithUnwrap and then made a texure for it but i cant figure out how to load it into 3D canvas so the skin is mapped properly onto the model.

I've provided you with access to the Pro forums. Normally Pro users email me at prosupport@amabils.com for access. There is a note on the main forum page about this.

I don't know if I can really help you here. I don't know anything about Lithium unwrapper. I assume you are importing DirectX? If so, it could be that they aren't setting the wrapping flags properly in the DirectX file. I can't say for sure though without seeing a screen capture from 3D Canvas showing the defective import.

Richard

Thanks for giving me access to the pro forums . I must've missed that note on the main forum page, because i wasnt really looking for it.

Its not a defective import (at least i dont think so), i just dont know what i have to do to get the skin to import as well as the model. If you read the first post (by Alex) he explains how to use LithUnwrap to make a skin for a model and get it back into 3D Canvas, but he doesnt go into details about how to bring it back into 3D Canvas. Here is the last part of what he said:

  "6) Use the edit material script to assign the texture to the model. Please note that using the edit material script is necessary whenever you import an external uv-mapped model and you want to assign it a texture inside Canvas. This is because  all the normal texture operators of Canvas overwrite the uv-map of the imported model."

I dunno maybe that will make it a bit clearer as to what i'm trying to do.

Does the texture show up at all? Or is does it just look weird?

It doesnt show up at all

DirectX import?

yep

Make sure the texture can be found. It should be located with the document.

Richard

ugh.. :-[

sorry Junkie, I usually don't read this forum very often (I'm mostly on the Pro forum). Next time feel free to use my email address, you're welcome !

Well, about your questions (if you still around ), you cannot see the texture in Canvas because Unwrapper writes uv-informations into the model, but it does not assign any texture bitmap to it. That is, in the X model exported by Lithium Unwrapper there is not the .bmp file name. So you have to assign the texture inside 3D Canvas, and you have to use the edit material script the way Leonard explained in his post.

Again, if you need more informations feel very free to use my email address, this way you don't have to wait that I come back here.

Uh.. I didn't download the new v5 yet. But from what I saw on the new features, it is pretty possible that now you can edit uv-maps directly into RAD almost the same as in Unwrapper ! V5 is a GREAT update !!!

About the tutorial that you asked for. I planned to write a tutorial on basic and advanced UV-mapping in Canvas. But since the most of my knowledge comes from Mel_Ebbles (a very talented and clever guy in the Pro forum), and he was going to write a tutorial himself, then I didn't anything. However, if Mel won't publish anything in a while, I'll ask his permission to publish his tips in my tutorial (of course I'll add greetings to him) and I also will add my own tips and any detail on how to use Unwrapper with Canvas.


bye, Alex