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By Root 1962 0

you are unwrapping a head model, the back and top of the head are good choices because they probably will be covered with hair that will hide the seam. Locating a seam on the midline up the front of the face is a terrible choice, because lining up face details like the lips and the nose on opposite ends of the map is difficult. You also can define seam edges yourself using the buttons found in the bottom of the Peel rollout in the Command Panel.

Some seams are available when the Unwrap UVW modifier is first applied. These default seams follow the boundaries of the elements that make up the mesh. Seams are identified in the viewports as thick green lines. You can edit seams using the Edit Seams button in the Peel rollout. You also can create new seams using the Point to Point Seams and the Convert Edge Selections to Seams buttons.

Note

All open borders are automatically made into seams. •

The Edit Seams button, at the bottom of the Peel rollout, lets you click edges to highlight them as seams. Press and hold the Alt key, and click an edge to remove it from the seam. This method can be time-consuming if you have a complex mesh. The Point to Point Seam button lets you click a starting point; a rubber band line then appears that lets you extend to an ending point. A seam is created between these two points using the shortest possible route. After an ending point is selected, the rubber band remains, letting you add to the seam. Right-click to exit the rubber band and to choose a new starting point. Figure 33.21 shows the seams added to the head model.

Tip

When placing pelt mapping seams, try to position the seams where they aren't readily visible, such as under the arms and legs or down the middle of the back. •

FIGURE 33.21

Seams define where the mesh can be split.

The Convert Edge Selection to Seams button converts an existing edge selection to a pelt seam, and the Expand Face Selection to Seams button selects all faces that are next to the seams. This is an easy way to select all faces within a cluster.

The Configure rollout contains options to display Map and Peel Seams. If either of these options is enabled, the seams are clearly shown. You also can set the size of the seams to thin or thick.

Using the Peel tools

The Peel tools are a new method of unwrapping UVs based on the LSCM (Least Square Conformal Maps) algorithm. They provide a way to select and expand different areas of a cluster by pulling its vertices away from the center. The results are like stretching out some clay and having all the vertices stretch around the movement.

New Feature

The Peel tools are new to 3ds Max 2012. •

It is best to define the seams to use before using the Peel tools, but you also can break, weld, and work with the cluster while toggling Peel mode on and off. After a cluster that you want to work with is selected using the Faces subobject mode, select all the faces in the cluster using the Expand Face Selection to Seams button in the Peel rollout of the main interface or by enabling the Select by Element toggle in the Edit UVW dialog box.

Then either click the Quick Peel Map button or enable the Peel mode button in the Peel rollout. The Quick Peel Map button makes its best guess and unwraps the cluster, but Peel mode lets you select and drag individual vertices around to spread out the cluster after you switch to Vertex subobject mode. Figure 33.22 shows the UVs of a lion toy's face after using the Quick Peel Map button.

FIGURE 33.22

The lion toy face cluster is displayed after using the Quick Peel Map.

When the Quick Peel Map button gets fairly close, enable the Peel mode button, switch to the Vertex subobject mode, and then select and drag the vertices toward the top of the cluster away from the center to spread out the vertices. As you move each vertex, the rest of the cluster moves with it.

After the moved vertices are in place, you can pin them so they stay put. This allows the rest of the cluster to stretch out as other vertices are moved. Within the Peel rollout in the Edit UVWs window are several buttons