Texture Mapping

February 21, 2003

By Brian J. Immel

Edit Polygons > Texture

Polygons don’t have their UVs automatically laid out like the default NURBS objects do. You need to create an UV map for each poly object. One of the great things about mapping poly objects is that we can create as many maps as we like for the surface.

The first thing we should do is to create a new shader and apply it to the poly surface. Prior to mapping the surface, we should have some idea of what we are going to put on it and where. If we are mapping the fenders of a car, does the surface show any dirt or scratches? If so, where? If we are mapping a face, does the character have a scar under his left eye or any other noteworthy texture? Where does it sit exactly? This is where the sketches done on paper come in very handy. Once we have all this information ready, we are ready to map the poly object.