Mapping tip

[Dragan]

Hi guys,
You already know I suck in 3dsMax's Mapping. Adding an RC mapping, it will become a nightmare 
I have an unusual workflow because I need to use RC Spline data, so don't pay attention to the Style.
I`m just interested in any good tip on how to map it all, and I have to use a Multitexture map.
I still didn`t start (I`m doing some other stuff) but I already can see that matching corners segment to the rest of the sides will be a problem.
If there is no other way but to make UVW XForms calculations based on Segments scales then I guess I know what should I do 



 

[Paul Roberts]

It's often quite tricky to get UVs to meet nicely at the corners, and I think probably looking at your style, the best way is going to be to adjust the tiling of the UVs based on the length of the planters. This will ensure that tiling is maintained at the corners, but it does require you to map the segments in a particular way. Hopefully, it's clear in the attached file, but if you have any questions about it please let me know.

In the style I have also added a new macro that basically adaptively tiles the UVs based on the length of the sides. I've also used Transforms to rotate the segments, instead of using Mirror nodes. Again, this just helps the textures to flow around the model continuously.



I hope that helps,

Paul

[Dragan]

Thank you Paul.
Hm, I have two problems:
1. Multitexture workflow.
2. Probably real-world map sizes

I can't open your file at the moment but I`m guessing what have you done.
I`m thinking about splinting corners in two and use Segments Box mapping but as I remember it will not orient according to the transform rotation.
This will force me to use 2 sub materials but then this will probably break my Multitexture workflow. 

Can we expect some improvement in RC color map as Browser Input and not just limited field inputs? I guess this is the major reason why people avoid it.
And some more control for randomization as "Randomise on Start/Segment/Section...."


 

[Paul Roberts]

Hi Dragan,

I'm not sure what your MultiTexture workflow involves so I can't comment on that. Of course, I would suggest using RailClone colour for the best compatibility and flexibility but I understand the ability to batch load textures is a nice feature of MultiTexture. I don't think we have anything planned for that, and big changes to RailCLone and Forest Colour are a challenge because it requires all the renderers that support us to update as well. Adding bitmaps to Forest/RailClone colour could probably be scripted though.

Regarding controlling RailClone colour randomisation, this is actually already possible by wiring a random number node to the Transform node's Colour Seed input. I'm not sure many people are aware of that trick, probably a good one for a mini tutorial!



Cheers,

Paul

[Dragan]

Regarding controlling RailClone colour randomisation, this is actually already possible by wiring a random number node to the Transform node's Colour Seed input. I'm not sure many people are aware of that trick, probably a good one for a mini tutorial!


Cheers,

Paul

See, there is a tip    That one I missed!
Thank You.
Regards