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Adjusting the checker pattern

Lesson 2: UV unfolding

Unfolding with constraints

 

Learning Resources > Tutorials > Getting Started with Maya > Polygon Texturing > Lesson 2: UV unfolding > 

Outputting UVs

Now that you have your unfolded UVs, you need to export them so that you can draw a texture on them. You can do this by taking a snapshot of your UV layout.

To export a UV snapshot

1. -click the torso in the perspective view and select UV from the marking menu.
2. Drag-select all the UVs on the torso.
3. Select the Scale Tool.
4. In the UV Texture Editor, scale the UV mesh so that it fits inside the upper-right square of the UV Texture Editor.

   This step is necessary because a UV snapshot only captures what is in the 1 x 1 UV texture space (the upper right corner).

   

5. Right-click the torso in the perspective view and select Object Mode.
6. Select the torso.
7. In the UV Texture Editor, select Subdivs > UV Snapshot.

   The UV Snapshot options window appears.

8. Click the Browse button.

   A file browser appears.

9. Navigate to GettingStarted/UVMapping and enter the name torso_UVs.
10. Set Image Format to GIF.
11. Click Save.
12. Click OK.

Maya creates a file named torso_UVs.iff in the Getting Started folder. If you open this file, you can see the exported UV mesh.

You can now open this file using an external image editor and paint your texture using the mesh as a guide.