Now...collapse everything, and we - once again - have just a single Editable Mesh.


Apply an Unwrap UVW modifier, click on the "Edit..." button and the "Edit UVW's"-window is opened.


As always this group of lines is most confusing. See the black lined border? It represents the size of the texture map.

Be sure that the final map is exactly of that size. Only then it will fit correctly.


At the bottom of the window there's a drop down menu - select "2". You will be presented the unwrapped mesh of SadMike's neck (Material ID2).


Now in the same menu, select number "1", and only the mesh with Material ID1 (Sad's head) is displayed.

 
After adjusting, moving, scaling.... this is what you should have in the "Edit UVW's"-window.

Use the tools at the top left corner of the window. Bringing it to shape can take quite some time and is sometimes tricky to do. You will however be rewarded with a perfectly fitting texture map for your models!

Before applying the Unwrap-modifier you can create a Multi-Sub-Object material with two materials that have checker maps in diffuse map slots. Checker maps tilling should be U-10 and V-10, so you get something like a chess board material. Apply this material on the head and see were the the textures stretch. Moving vertices in the UVW's window you should be able to correct those parts. When you are finally satisfied with the unwraped mesh use this image as a guide to paint a texture over it. Again, I use Photoshop. (Click the image to see full resolution image)



After the Unwrap modifier apply a Mesh Smooth modifier with Iterations set to 2.


After the texture is painted over that unwrapped image of the mesh, assign it to the Diffuse map slot. Bump and Specular maps are made of the same map used in the diffuse slot, by first converting it to grayscale mode and then adjusting the white and black areas of the image till you strike a satisfying result.

Below is the map I put on this model. I used a digital camera to take photos of human skin. Then cut the parts of those photos and combine them into one. The central part of the image is created from combining 3 or 4 photos of a human head taken from the side. Everything around that is done with the Pattern Stamp tool (Photoshop). See, it is not so good a map but...take a look at the image below - the work is completed!


 
Taking in account that this is an alien head it might be better to paint a somewhat more greyish map. But for now it is going to stay like this.


Rendering was done in Brazil r/s. There is only one omni light in the scene. Skylight is turned on and the image has a blue environment color.


Feedback will be greatly appreciated.

Nikola Drincic 2003 - All rights reserved.