You can map UV texture coordinates by specifying user-defined planes for UV projection using the Load Projection option within
the feature.
The option uses a polygon object that you specify from the current Maya scene. The object can form a cage around the object or
be comprised of separate faces that intersect each other at its center. The projection manipulator updates when a user-defined object is specified for projection.
Criteria for user-defined projection objects
- The object used as a user-defined projection object must have UV texture coordinates.
- It is recommended that the projection object be comprised of separated polygon faces. That is, a polygon primitive that gets
used as a projection object should first be separated into separate meshes using Mesh > Extract. (NURBS and subdivision surfaces are not valid surface types for use with .)
In addition, it is useful to know that:
- The UVs of the projection object determine the shape and location of the final projection mapping that occurs.
- You can translate any face from the object along its normal with no affect on the resulting projection.
- Scaling or rotating any face from the object will affect the resulting orientation and scale of the final UV projection. The projection manipulator updates when
this occurs.
- The maximum number of polygon faces that can be specified for a projection object is 31.
To load a user-defined polygon object for use with
- Select a polygon object in the scene view that you want to project UVs onto.
- Select Edit UVs > UV Texture Editor to open the .
The existing UVs for the object appear in the ’s 2D view.
- From the menu set, select Create UVs > Automatic Mapping>
.
The window appears.
- In the window, turn on the option, then do one of the following:
- Specify the object in your current scene you want to have loaded as the projection object by typing its name in the box.
- Select the object in your current scene that you want to have loaded as the projection object, and then click . The name of the object appears in the box. See Criteria for user-defined projection objects above.
- Click or to execute the feature.
The automatic mapping projection manipulator appears centered about the object in the scene view with blue projection planes
that correspond in orientation to the planes of the object you specified. That is, if the object has 8 planes in various angles of orientation, the projection manipulator displays similarly.
NoteIn some instances, the object may cause the planes on the automatic mapping projection manipulator to appear unexpectedly offset or skewed from
the object you’re projecting on. This UV offset is based on the original UVs for the object and doesn’t affect the quality of the projection.
You can unitize the UVs for the object prior to projection so its UVs reside in the 0 to 1 texture space. While this will make the projection manipulator
appear more centered about the polygon object it may not provide the UV mapping results you were expecting as the UVs will
be projected similar to having explicitly specified the Overlap feature.
- Translate, rotate, or scale the manipulator as required to achieve the UV projections you require. The projected UVs appear
in the . You can observe them update within the whenever the manipulator is moved within the scene view.
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