Texture Mapping a box

[glorybound]

One of my biggest issues is simply texture mapping a box. I spend hours aligning textures, which seems to be a major waste. I aligned all my edges, on a brick square column, and then tried to chamfer the edges. Now, my texture starts over on every part of the segment. Why can't I have a texture just follow and repeat? It seems so easy, yet made so complicated. The only way I can do this is with a line swept along a path.

[rjohnson33]

I would consider using a UVW Unwrap modifier on the box to get your textures to wrap around. A straightforward box shape is relatively painless to unwrap...but if you want to chamfer the edges it would be easier with this mapping method to use a Turbosmooth modifier on a standard box with added edge loops to crease the corners as necessary (or alternatively the new OpenSubdiv modifier if you have 3ds Max2015 extension 1).

So - Create box>Add Edge Loops>UVW Mapping Clear>UVW Unwrap(Unwrap the box)>Turbosmooth.

That seems like a real hassle now I've written it out but it really doesn't take long and it's much more user friendly and flexible in the end compared to aligning box mapping and using polygon heavy chamfers.

[joconnell]

One of my biggest issues is simply texture mapping a box. I spend hours aligning textures, which seems to be a major waste. I aligned all my edges, on a brick square column, and then tried to chamfer the edges. Now, my texture starts over on every part of the segment. Why can't I have a texture just follow and repeat? It seems so easy, yet made so complicated. The only way I can do this is with a line swept along a path.

Don#'t bother mapping anything til your modelling is finished - mapping coordinates are stored on the vertices so if you're adding in new ones it'll shuffle around positions and what not. Or if it's things like walls, use splines to start with, put your chamfers on those and extrude - they'll make nice mapping coordinates for free. Alternatively try something like xrayunwrap and do it by hand, it's not too slow for architectural stuff and Bertrand benoit swears by it.

[glorybound]

Okay, I'l try these suggestions. Anything better than polyselect/uvwmapping every side.

[Pixelcon]

I just had to UVunwrap 4000 unique panels facing all different directions and shapes and xrayunwrap was the only solution that worked easily. Give it a go.

[Seraph135]

I usually model in two stages. First I model the basic shape of a wall or any object with no chamfers. Then I unwrap my UV's so that I'm working with a less dense mesh. Unwrapping is quite simple and fast with this lower poly mesh. Then I go back and make my chamfers or add control edges and adjust smoothing groups AFTER the UV's have been done. If your careful about which modeling tools you use and how you use them then you won't destroy the UV's you've already done. Also make sure you turn on the "Preserve UV's" checkbox in your editpoly objects. This helps keep you from destroying UV's while you continue to model.

Tim J