Hi need to find uv mapper pro site for purchase-help thanks inadvance.

Attached Link: http://www.uvmapper.com

sorry about typo mapper/not mpper

thanks Jeff on my way now

I've been struggling for about a year to grasp just what UV Mapper does. Many people seem to think it's an indispensible utility for numerous uses. In my feeble undestanding, UV Mapper allows you to generate or create texture maps for objects? Most of the stuff I get already has some texture map or template. Example: just about anything that ever came from DAZ3D. With that in mind, is UV Mapper really only handy for those who create their own objects or models? The site is nice, but really doesn't do much to illustrate what the program does. The tutorials are nice once someone already has the program and grasps the concepts. I've downloaded the demo, but don't hold much faith that it will answer my questions. I appreciate any insight you might provide. Ron

Well, Ron, sometimes when you download a model from the web, you might find that textures won't "stick" to it. With UV Mapper, you can apply the UV coordinates that make the texture stick. Also, for example, let's say you turned Posette's entire body invisible except for her head. Then you used the selection tool to apply a new material to her head, and you named that material "Head". You could then create a prop of her head, and export it as an OBJ. You open that new "Head" prop in UV Mapper, and export a texture template of it. You could then create a large, highly-detailed texture map in Photoshop or whatever, and apply it to the Head material you created on the original Posette. I'm sure there are many other uses as well.

Actually, Ron, that's one of the things I do understand LOL While a lot of things already have texture maps and such, UV Mapper allows you to create a template for just about anything, it also allows you to change the layout of the map, I'm sure you've noticed some things have weird streaching patters around seams and such. UV Maper allows you to fix that. (Most of the DAZ things are pretty good about the maps fitting correctly) But a lot of free-stuff doesn't come with a map and some of the store stuff. I use it all the time to generate templates that are cylindrical mapped (because it seems to fit better around the body and not streach as much on the sides where there's always a problem with delicate textures) It's also handy to figure out what seam goes where. If you're not big into doing your own textures, it's not a big deal. And I belive there is still a free version of UV Mapper. (I don't think it does as much as the pro version. I belive the Pro version has better seam fixes and such) but for learning and simple things, the free version would suit great (especially the learning part. It's not as easy to learn as it looks.) Then again, I'm still getting used to all the Poser stuff. :) Still learnin something new every day. Hope that helped.

If you want to make your own textures UVMapper Pro is very useful. You can load the object in UVMapper, put the texture on and see how it looks on the object. While you are working on the texture in a paint program, you can easily check in the UVMapper window how the modifications you are doing look on the object. It's very useful for lining up seams. And, like serpentis said, you can make new texture templates that work better on an object without stretching the texture so much.

Thank you all very much for such clear explanations! UV Mapper is indeed a well-respected and indispensible program for those who do textures to this extent. Those reviews are very important in my experience! For myself, at this present time, UV Mapper has no usage. Oh, yes, I'm sure one day down the road, I'll get the "texture bug," and will wonder how I ever lived without UV Mapper Pro! Ron

You're welcome, Ron. :)

Not only textures and templates, however, but also material and object grouping. Some 3D programs deal with only material groups and others deal with only object groups. Some deal with both, though. You can take an object which has only one material group, and make each object in it a separate material. You can split objects apart into two different objects. You can make objects out of material assignments. And uou can do all that with just the regular, free UV Mapper. All kinds of good stuff, but you are right. If you aren't modeling or making your own textures, aren't planning on making CR2 files, UV Mapper wouldn't be something you'd need.

No problem Ron, I'm just happy that I could provide help to you like you helped me the other day with The Tailor. :) And I'm sure you'll get the "texture bug" I know I got it early LOL (Still waiting for extra cash to pick up UV Mapper Pro though :( So I have to do it all the old fashioned way, Photoshop, UV Mapper, Poser, Photoshop, Poser, Photoshop, Poser.....you get the idea LOL)

I have the same questions as Ron. I use it almost exclusively for texture maps, but how can I use it to assign groups when I'm creating models? The rectangular selections don't give me very much control...or is there something I'm missing?

I didn't think I would need it, but after trying to apply a bump map to a shoji screen for about 2 hours, it suddently dawned on me that it wasn't UV mapped. So you never do know when or where. . . I wanted to turn it chrome but it needed a bump map to look like anythng but glass. Emily

When you create a model, paint each part that you want to belong to a certain group a different color. For example, if you create a chair, you could paint the legs red, the seat blue, the back green, the sides yellow, etc. Then, when you open your model in UVMapper, in the texture map you can right-click on an area of the chair and choose "Select Material" and select the material that belongs to that area. Now you can go to Tools/Assign To/Groups and you can type in a name for that group. Do this for all the areas and assign the groups. Save the object, and when you open it in Poser, it will have these groups. I hope this helps! :) Sue

That helps me-- I actually want to do just that to some ladderback and barrelback chairs so they can look handpainted. Thank you, Emily

You're welcome, Emily. :) Sue

Sometimes I just want a piece of a model and I can do that pretty easily with UV Mapper Pro. Select the facets you don't want and delete, then save the portion remaining as a new model. Very handy.

Thanks Sue. That's the part I was missing!

You're welcome. :) Another good thing to know is that you can choose Map/Tile by/Group (or Material) and UVMapper will break up the texture map into the different groups of the object. Now you can select the different groups or areas easily and choose the kind of UV mapping that's best for that part. For example, some parts might be best with planar mapping, while others would work better with cylindrical or box, etc. This really helps with the texturing. Diana's idea is also very good for creating new objects out of existing ones. :)

WOW, you folks have provided some very helpful information. Thanks very much. I am indeed sold on UV Mapper Pro. It will one day be a valued part of my "tool kit." I just hope that when I finally get UV Mapper Pro that some of you fine people will be around to help this "simpleton" learn! Thanks again, Ron