| 8 | | [[Image(markseam.png, right)]]Go into Edit mode and activate edge selection mode with Ctrl + TAB. To map the model to a 2-dimensional UV space, you will obviously have to make some cuts in you mesh. This is how you tell Blender where you want to make cuts: |
| 9 | | Select the appropriate edges, press Ctrl + E and select "Mark Seam". The edge will turn orange, an indication that it has become a seam. If you change your mind, select the edge again, press Ctrl + E and choose "Clear Seam" to remove this seam |
| | 10 | [[Image(markseam.png, right)]]Go into Edit mode and activate edge selection mode with Ctrl + TAB. To map the model to a 2-dimensional UV space, you will obviously have to make some cuts in your mesh. These are the seams. This is how you tell Blender where you want to make seams: |
| | 11 | Select the appropriate edges, press Ctrl + E and select "Mark Seam". The edge will turn orange, an indication that it has become a seam. If you change your mind, select the edge again, press Ctrl + E and choose "Clear Seam" to remove this seam and make the edge a "normal" edge again. |
| 11 | | Try to find a good balance for the number of seams: many seams will reduce the deformation of the faces a lot (which is good) but it can be quite tricky to create a texture for it, because you will end up with a lot of small parts of your texture (which is bad). However, it is always a good idea, to make seams where the model has natural borders. You could separate an aircraft or spaceship into wings, engines, weeapons, cockpit, gear and hull, for example. |
| | 13 | Try to find a good balance for the number of seams: many seams will reduce the deformation of the faces a lot (which is good) but it can be quite tricky to create a texture for it, because you will end up with a lot of small inslands of your texture (which is bad). However, it is always a good idea, to make seams where the model has natural borders. You could separate an aircraft or spaceship into wings, engines, weapons, cockpit, gear and hull, for example. Depending on the complexity of your model, you might end up with 5 to 15 separate islands on your UV texture. |
| 15 | | [[Image(unwrap.png, right)]]Before you can start unwrapping, you will need another window. Split the 3D-View in the middle by clicking the middle mouse button at a border of the 3D-View. Select "Split" and split the window in two. Set one window type to UV Image Editor with the drop-down box on the left or with Shift + F10. You should now have a 3D-View window and an UV Image Editor Window, in which you can see the UV plane, where the UV map will be laid out. |
| 16 | | Inside the 3D-View Window hit F to toggle UV face selection (this mode is another mode like Edit mode or Object mode). Your model will most likely turn completely white, at least if you have never tried to unwrap it before. |
| | 17 | [[Image(unwrap.png, right)]]Before you can start unwrapping, you will need another window. Split the 3D-View in the middle by clicking the middle mouse button at a horizontal border of the 3D-View. Select "Split" to split the window in two. Set one window type to UV Image Editor with the drop-down box on the left or with Shift + F10. You should now have a 3D-View window and an UV Image Editor Window, in which you can see the UV plane, where the UV map will be laid out. |
| | 18 | Inside the 3D-View Window, select your model and make sure, you are in Edit Mode. Switch to face selection mode by hitting CTRL + TAB and choosing faces. You are now ready to unwrap your mesh. |
| | 19 | |
| 19 | | If you have a very complex mesh, it may be better to unwrap your model in several small steps. Select only the faces, you want to unwrap instead of all. When you are finished, ensure that you really unwrapped all faces. |
| | 22 | '''Note:''' If you have a very complex mesh, it may be better to unwrap your model in several small steps. Select only the faces, you want to unwrap instead of all. When you are finished, ensure that you really unwrapped all faces. This can be achieved by selecting all faces in Edit Mode and checking in the UV Image Editor, that there are no faces (quads or triangles) that occupy the complete light gray texture area (because this is the default setting). |
| | 23 | |
| | 24 | '''Note 2:''' In Blender 2.45, the unwrapping has changed drastically. A complete mode for the 3d View called UV Face Select Mode was dropped. The selection of faces to unwrap was from then on made in Edit Mode. If you can still activate the UV Face Select Mode with F, then I suggest, that you upgrade to the newest version of Blender. |
| 37 | | [[Image(apply.png, right)]]Finished? Then go back into Blender and load your texture in the UV window with "Image" -> "Open". Back in the 3D view port, enter Object mode and set the Draw type to Textured. Hit TAB a couple of times to refresh your object. Now you should see your texture on the mesh in the 3D view port. Unfortunately, you will not see it when rendering, because "!TexFace" ist turned off by default. Change this in the material menu, so the material uses |
| 38 | | the image from the UV editor. Now you can render your mesh with your texture visible. Enjoy! |
| | 42 | [[Image(apply.png, right)]]Finished? Then go back into Blender and load your texture in the UV window. First, select you model, enter Edit Mode and select all faces, they appear in the UV Image Editor. Now you can load your texture with "Image" -> "Open". Back in the 3D view port, enter Object mode and set the Draw type to Textured. Hit TAB a couple of times to refresh your object. Now you should see your texture on the mesh in the 3D view port. Unfortunately, you will not see it when rendering, because "!TexFace" ist turned off by default. Change this in the material menu, so the material uses the image from the UV editor. Now you can render your mesh with your texture visible. Enjoy! |
| | 43 | |
| | 44 | If you wonder, how to export your model from Blender so that it can be loaded into Ogre, then continue reading [wiki:BlenderExport Object Export with Blender]. |
