ummm... okay.. how would I go about creating my own custom vick/p4 textures? and what would be the best package/ art program to use for it? .. are there any downfalls to look out for? .. also I have downloaded a couple of models without textures and seem to be unable to find them anywhere by usual means. cheerz. dolphy.

Dolphy, The best package is PhotoShop. It is expensive unless you get it bundled with a scanner, or go with the "light" edition. Being able to do things on layers is very useful, and the unlimited undo is great for stepping back if you really don't like the direction your texture is taking. PS6 and now 7 have some vector utilities so you can also get some of the benefits of Illustrator, without having to buy an additional program. There are people here who swear by Paint Shop Pro, which is less expensive, but may be a better value if you are not a graphic arts professional. I do not have it, so someone else can extoll its merits. The other thing I'd recommend is that you search in free stuff here for SnowSultan. He has done "seam guides" for the figures which will help you align your maps. Carolly

thanks I'll look into it.. I think I've got paint shop somewhere.. it came bundled with my computer.. HANDY :) I'm a few years away from professional btw.. I only got a hold of my pooter about a couple o months ago :) ... but I'm glad to find so many resources available for poeple like me who have always wanted to try their hand at CG art, rendering and animation :) Thanks again.. dolphy.. :)

I'd suggest starting with simple clothing texture and then work your way up to skins. One of the best ways to learn about texturing is to look at other people textures. I can't tell you how much time I've spent looking at other people stuff - both rendered on a model and just the texture itself. As for Photoshop - if you're not familar with the program, do yourself a favor and go buy one of the beggining level "classroom in a book" series. It'll make the learning process less painful. Good luck! :) Lyrra

L thanx for the advice. more likely though I'll just DL me some tutorialsL.. and I happen to be lucky enough to know somwone who's doing Photoshop as part of their course at university (in sweden!!L (I'm UK)) so I'm sure she'll have mighty handy pointers for me :) does anybody know how the textures actually wrap onto the models? I've DLd quite a few and some seem quite slap dash with colours if they're in solids... rather odd :) Dolphy..

Ah, but that is what the texture map is for! A well-laid out map will have places for all the parts which need special attention as well as the larger skin areas. So teeth, tongue, eyes, hands, nipples will have designated places. If it was a map for a dragon, say, you'd have areas for wings, claws, fangs, spikes, eyes, etc. as well as the whole scaly body. You can make your own texture maps from any object with uv coordinates. Import the .obj file into UVMapper and export the newly mapped object and its template. DAZ models have the templates on the same page as the model, so you can download the template for one of the models you own, and see how the parts are laid out. Always save a copy of the template! You do not want to save over your original. Carolly

I may not be the best person to give advice, since in most of my textures I purposely go for a simplied look, but one thing I personally would suggest in painting your own texture is go easy on the shadows and highlights. A few to accentuate key areas are fine, but too many and/or too pronounced can make the model look like they got a splotchy tan, especially with an unusual light set in the image. The render engine will do most of your work for in putting shadows and highlights according to your lighting -- saves you a lot of work, too.

A quote from the intro of a texture tutorial I am writing: "UVMapping, refers to UVW coordinates. When coordinates are assigned to a 3d mesh, each facet of the mesh is mapped to a specific place on a flat plane. This allows the artist to paint on a flat digital surface, and have the texture show up in specific places on the model." That clarify things any? :) Lyrra