Question about UV Mapping.

[Boney526]

What... excatcly is it? I've heard a lot about it lately, but can someone explain what it is?

[Doom]

What... excatcly is it? I've heard a lot about it lately, but can someone explain what it is?

Well all models use a map called the Uv map. The Uv map basically is the model completly layed flat and unraped. It matches the bitmap layout because the bitmap is basically what the Uv map takes and puts into the right place on the model. So if you look at the Uv map of a warthog in 3ds max you will find that iit looks the same as the warthog standard bitmap but without colors or detail.

Now the Newest version of entity alows the injection of custom Uv maps. Since that wasen't possible before, the models looked really bad and were all mainly black or grey. So if you had injected your custom pistol model but since you coulden't inject a Uv map with it, it would look really bad. But if you injected it with the proper Uv map and bitmap the model would look fine and like a actual pistol since the bitmap would be layed out correctly.

I hope this makes sense but I am not to sure it will =P.

-Doom

[Boney526]

Ok I understand. Thanks, but where do I go to inject a UV map?

[Doom]

Entity Model Injection with Perfect UVWs
by: trepdimeflou

1. Open Entity
2. Open the map you want to inject a model into.
3. Open the .mode tree, and select a model from the list.
4. Click the blue circle with the plus sign in it, and select "Export Meshes" and click the .OBJ option.
5. Select a folder for the model to be extracted to, and click "Ok."
6. When it appears, click the "Done." button.
7. Open 3dsmax (trial or full) and click File ---> Import.
8. Make sure the filetype dropdown has "Wavefront Object .OBJ" selected, and import the model you extracted earlier.
9. Now, import the model you wish to inject into the same .max file, and
a. if it is not a halo 1 model, scale it down to the correct size based on the model you extracted previously.
b. if it is a halo 1 model, proceed to step 10.
10. Select the model you are injecting, and go to the modifiers panel. Add an "Unwrap UVWs" modifier and flip the UVWs vertically. Repeat this for however many parts there are for the model.
11. Select the model (and all parts) you wish to inject, and click File ---> Export Selected.
12. Select "Wavefront Object .OBJ" in the filetype dropdown list and export the new model to the folder the extracted model was saved, using the same name as the extracted model. When it asks you if you want to override the file, click yes.
13. Make sure the OBJ exporter dialog does not have rotation enabled, has triangles selected as the output type, has texture coordinates chucked, then click "Ok."
Note:If there are more than one .obj files extracted from your map in steps 4-6, for instance, object[0].obj, object[1].obj, etc, then export the model from 3dsmax as many times as necessary to replace all the files.
14. Return to Entity. With the same .mode you extracted earlier still selected, click the blue circle button once more and select "Inject Meshes", then click on "Inject .OBJ."
15. Select the folder containing the new models (should be the same folder you extracted to earlier) and click "Ok."
16. When the process finishes, it will ask you for a new name for the .mode. make sure it is called objects/*put a name here* and click ok.
Congratulations, you've injected a model with perfect UVWs.

The final steps are just injecting a texture into an unused .bitm tag to be used with your new model, and relinking them to a .shad and so forth.

Thats all you need =].

-Doom

[Boney526]

Don't have 3DSMax, thanks anyway!