Mudbox can't handle multiple textures on an object, but it CAN deal with multiple UV tiles. Why would you make multiple UV tiles for a figure? you ask..

Well for one thing, being able to paint on the entire figure in Mudbox would be one good reason I can think of. ;-)

But for another, if you want to be able to get high detail in all parts of a figure, you want to be able to maximize the UV space for high detail areas. Poser has traditionally done this by using OBJ files with overlapping UVs - where all the UVs share the same 0-1 space, which is the default OBJ UVs. Good for Poser, but terrible for many other programs.

The screen shot shows V4.2's UVs all laid out in the 0-1 space. If you try to paint on the obj file in ZBrush or Mudbox, you can't because those programs can only handle one map per object....

...to be continued...

This screenshot shows all the texture group's UVs moved around by exact increments to either positive or negative tiles. Now I have a set of UVs that Mudbox and presumably ZBrush can deal with. I've tried it in Mudbox and know that it works. I would assume it would work in ZBrush too, but I consider that a waste of time since while ZBrush's poly painting is great, it sucks for regular painting on a UV map, IMO.

But what does that do to V4 in Poser?

Nothing. Poser can handle multiple tiles too, at least Poser Pro 2010 can. I thought at first I might have to tell Poser the exact coordinates of each tile for each surface, but no - since they're all moved exactly 1,2, -1,-2 and so on, Poser treats each tile as if it were in 0-1 like normal.

Very cool of Poser to do that. :-)

...to be continued...

Now here in this picture is the new V4b OBJ file I made, with the newly moved UVs. I imported the OBJ file into Poser Pro 2010 and in the Setup Room, "applied" the V4.2 skeleton to it. Works perfectly. :-)

The material is the "Emma" set that came with the original V4 bundle. All I did was apply the unaltered Mat pose and everything snapped into place as it should, as if nothing had changed with the OBJ UVs.

Most excellent job, Poser. :-)

...to be continued...

OT: Am I the only one who thinks this new reply format sucks royally? Firefox spellchecker doesn't work anymore, and it puts way too much space in between lines of text...

Anyway, this is how all the Daz people have been from the getgo, and I suspect all the Poser people too, at least since Judy. Can't really remember - all with overlapping UVs.

It doesn't need to be that way. It shouldn't be that way. There's no good reason at all not to use multiple tiles. All the "pro" programs (that I can think of) can deal with multiple UV regions, and apparently Poser can too.

It's time to stop overlapping UVs when making figures, clothes, whatever. There's no reason for it, aside from maybe to accommodate earlier versions of Poser. But hey, progress moves forward and designing for the past is unproductive. ;-)

Think about us 3D painters out here. This was alot of work I had to do just to be able to paint on the whole OBJ at once.

I should add that it's not necessary to make a whole new figure out of the new OBJ. I would have to use the new OBJ in Mudbox if I wanted to be able to paint on the whole figure as one object, but I would still have to set it up with the appropriate textures for each part if I wanted to paint on an existing texture set. If not, if I just make one texture layer and paint on it, MB will  save all the appropriate textures as separate image files with the project, one for each region. In this case there would be 8 image maps made, one for each of V4.2's default texture groups.

However, each texture could be exported and applied and Poser has no idea what UV region it originated in, and would just apply it normally.

So my whole point is, it would be great to see this practice of overlapping UVs come to a screeching and definitive halt. :-D

• I really really really really really really really really really really really really REALLY hate this new reply field. Really.

What method did you use to move the UV's to the new tile locations?

Quote - What method did you use to move the UV's to the new tile locations?

Headus UVLayout - has a Move tool that allows you to move selected UVs in exact distances horizontally or vertically from their origin that you manually type in.

I beta-tested that program and absolutely adored it.

I however did not have the $$$ to get the Pro Version (or any other version) (MAJOR BUMMER!}

UVMapper by Steve Cox I could not wrap my poor brain cells around. In a recent thread here UVMapper helped me generate some UVs for a "mapless" object. But if I was going to do anything more, I'd want Headus' UVLayout.

What you showed is so cool!

Quote - ...

Now here in this picture is the new V4b OBJ file I made, with the newly moved UVs. I imported the OBJ file into Poser Pro 2010 and in the Setup Room, "applied" the V4.2 skeleton to it. Works perfectly. :-)

(...)

Most excellent job, Poser. :-)

 

...to be continued...

I wouldlike to know more about you V4b OBJ project. :)

Quote - I beta-tested that program and absolutely adored it.

What you showed is so cool!

I'm glad you like what I showed here. :-)

If you beta tested UVL then you know that Phil Dench is a really cool guy, easy to work with and very much open to suggestions. Not just that, but very quick to implement new features and fixes.

The latest pro version, v2.06.03, which is what I'm using, has a number of features in it that were a direct result of me asking for them. There is a selection mode for both objects and materials in the OBJ file that weren't in earlier versions (I think it was 2.06.02 where that first came in), and it was also my idea to add the project name to the Edited incremental save, when you click on the E button. So instead of getting edit01, edit02 and so on, you get ProjectName_edit01.uvl, ProjectName_edit02.uvl, and so forth. There were a few other fixes and additions that he made as a result of me communicating with him about it, and I got to know the program pretty well as a result.

Unfortunately, while you can now select any and all objects and material groups the OBJ file contains and it will highlight them, you can't enact the Move tool on them without also highlighting them the other way, which is to click on them. I think he misunderstood why I wanted those features, but it's still great in that you can at least see exactly what's what in your OBJ file that way.

Quote - I would like to know more about you V4b OBJ project. :)

Not much to tell, really. As I wrote above I had to make this new OBJ in order to be able to have one mesh with no overlapping UVs that I could use in order to paint more easily. I can export the textures and Poser has no idea where the UVs actually are, just that there is a set for each material group existing within a tile. And it's not necessary for me to actually use the new V4 in Poser either, since I can export a texture (or an entire set of textures at once) and then apply them to a "regular" V4 in the normal way and they work fine.

Although I am now using "my" new V4 with consolidated material groups, so instead of having SkinHead, SkinNeck, SkinTorso, SkinHip and all that excessive silliness, I just have one material zone for the entire body, and one zone for the arms, hands, feet and legs. I did keep the lips and the face separate materials though, as well as the nails.

Other than that it's nothing special and easy enough to do in any modeling program that doesn't reorder vertex points or translate on export. Aside from the UVs you could even do all the material remapping with Poser's grouping tool, although that would take a long time.