question about uv mapping

**meliritos** · 03-20-2007, 18:26

hello all. i modelled some units for total war and i tested their mapping with a 3d max render to see if everything works alright and there is little distortion of the skins. In the 3d max render everything looked alright but when some fellows tried to put the units ingame the skins appeared all stretched out. I ask all you 3d max experts, can there be no stretching when i test them in the max viewports but a lot of stretching when i put them in game? Shouldnt the 3d max renders and the skins in game appear the same thing?

To demonstrate what im saying:
this is the 3d max render

little stretching ok?

and this is the ingame screenshot

see the problem?

**meliritos** · 03-21-2007, 14:51

any clues? sorry to be asking again but it is a bit urgent. Any modeller around?

**Monkwarrior** · 03-21-2007, 16:34

I'm not an expert in 3ds max, but...

If you want to be sure the model is correct, then import an animation. The bones and the mesh will be put in position and you will see if everything is correct.

**meliritos** · 03-22-2007, 07:36

i did that and everything seemed to work fine...any other ideas? Anyone?

**Filibustería** · 03-24-2007, 01:36

we really need to solve that problem. Merilitos has worked a lot to see his models ingame.

**meliritos** · 03-26-2007, 07:28

I have come up with some trouble points. You see i exported a .cas file and re-imported it. I came up with this. See this picture here:

or this one:

this model should be white allover from the texporter body pieces. But as you can see the front of the torso and the legs get some irregular mapping coordinates although when i tested it in 3d max it looked fine. I suppose it has sth to do with the .cas exporter but i dont know why it messes up my uv coordinates. Anybody has a clue?

**wlesmana** · 03-26-2007, 07:54

RTW engine is simpler than 3dsmax: it cannot read vertices that has multiple coordinates. For example, imagine that you're trying to UV map a box. This would be hard (without textures getting warped) in RTW engine without detaching the box's surfaces. Each of the vertices, aka. the box's edges, MUST be at the same exact spot in the UV Map. If you separate them, then the RTW engine, CAS, would get confused and wrap the entire space between the two vertices. To view which vertex is connected with which, choose View in the UV Mapping window and check Vertex Connection. Or if you use 3dsmax, it's usually shown with a dark blue icon on the connecting vertex.

The easiest way to fix this is by detaching the polygons or vertices, so they can exist in separate coordinates.

Good luck!

**meliritos** · 03-26-2007, 08:04

i havent done this, i mapped them without detaching the obects. Ill try it. Thanks wlesmana, it would be a same to waste 23 new models for nothing. If you are right on this your name goes to an Inca general. Right gyus on the Inca mod?

**meliritos** · 03-29-2007, 06:59

ok, i did some checking and it seems that Wlesmana is right. His name is Apu Wlesmana as far as the Inca Total war mode is concerned. Futhermore i have found out that the .cas extractor messes up every cylidrical mapping i make and understands only planar mapping. Otherwise, if i cylindrically map sth the RTW engine creates distortion. Can anyone confirm this?