Transcripts
1. Intro: Hey there! I'm Nima, and with over 5 years of experience working in the exciting world of 3D design, I'm here to teach you how to create a UV atlas in a way that's both fun and engaging. In this course, I'll walk you through three different techniques, each with its own unique twist. We'll use Blender for one method, and for the other two, we'll explore software like Photoshop and Substance Painter, but it's important to note that using these tools is optional. First, we'll tackle the unwrapping of 3D models in two different ways, and then we'll venture into the captivating world of UV atlas creation. You'll also learn how to create ID materials and discover how to use them for texturing. Throughout this course, we'll get hands-on experience with three different models using various methods. We'll address challenges like "bleeding" and unlock creative solutions. The only requirement is a basic understanding of Blender. The UV atlas method streamlines your workflow, eliminating the need for multiple maps. This course is a perfect fit for anyone aspiring to work in the gaming, film, or animation industries. Join me, and let's embark on an exciting journey into the world of UV atlas creation!
2. What Is Uv Unwrapping: What Is UV Unwrapping? UV Unwrapping is the process of transforming a 3D object's surface into a 2D representation. Imagine peeling the surface of a 3D object and laying it flat on a 2D canvas. This 2D representation is known as a UV map or UV layout, and it's used for precise texture mapping. UV Unwrapping determines how textures are applied to the 3D model's surface. Why UV Unwrapping Matters UV Unwrapping is crucial because it creates a blueprint for texturing. Without it, applying textures to a 3D model would be imprecise, like painting without clear boundaries. UV Unwrapping ensures that textures adhere accurately to the model's surface. Imagine unwrapping a simple cube. Each face of the cube is laid out flat in the UV map. This process allows for precise 2D texture application to each face, resulting in a realistic, detailed, and visually appealing 3D object. Common Challenges UV Unwrapping does present some challenges. Complex 3D models can have seams or distortion in their UV maps, which artists must address carefully to ensure a seamless and accurate texture application. In conclusion, UV Unwrapping is an essential step in the 3D design process. It provides the foundation for applying textures, materials, and achieving realistic effects on 3D models. As you progress in your 3D design journey, mastering UV Unwrapping will be key to creating compelling and immersive digital art.
3. What Is An Atlas Uv: What Is an Atlas UV? An Atlas UV is a unified UV map that consolidates multiple UV islands from different parts of a 3D model into a single map. This simplifies the texture mapping process, making it more efficient and manageable. Atlas UVs streamline the texturing workflow by bringing together separate UV islands into a single map. This simplification is particularly valuable in game asset design, where efficiency is crucial. For example, consider a character model with Outfit, accessories, and skin. By using Atlas UVs, you can combine all these elements into one map, allowing for more efficient painting, material application, and texture management. Creating Atlas UVs involves selecting the desired UV islands and packing them into a single UV map. Many 3D modeling software tools offer automated features for this process. Artists can optimize the arrangement of UV islands within the Atlas UV to save space and maintain clarity. Atlas UVs are especially valuable in game design, where they can significantly reduce the number of texture files used in a game. This reduction leads to improved performance and shorter loading times. By simplifying the texture workflow and reducing memory usage, Atlas UVs contribute to a smoother gaming experience. In conclusion, Atlas UV Creation is a powerful technique that simplifies texture mapping and optimizes the workflow in 3D design. By consolidating multiple UV islands into a single unified map, it saves time, enhances quality, and increases efficiency in 3D projects. This technique is particularly valuable in game development and various other industries.
4. Understanding Id Materials In Uv Atlas: Understanding ID Materials in UV Atlas ID Materials, or Identification Materials, play a crucial role in 3D design, providing a way to assign specific materials or shaders to different parts of a 3D model. ID Materials find their applications in various fields of 3D design. They are particularly valuable when you need to distinguish and manage materials for different parts of a 3D model. You can utilize ID Materials in popular 3D modeling and texturing software such as Blender, Maya, 3ds Max, and more. One software that stands out for using ID Materials effectively is Substance Painter. This user-friendly tool allows you to create and assign ID Materials seamlessly. It's particularly well-suited for artists and game developers looking to enhance the realism and detail of their 3D models. In conclusion, ID Materials are a versatile tool that adds a layer of customization to your 3D projects. They enable you to manage materials and shaders with precision, enhancing the visual quality of your 3D content. As you progress in your 3D design journey, keep in mind the creative possibilities that ID Materials bring to your digital art, whether you're working on characters, environments, or game assets. Now we are using id material map with UV atlas, which allows us to texture individual parts of a 3D model without the need for various materials. By utilizing a single material and referencing the ID materials, we can achieve this without any errors. In this lesson, we talked about UV atlases and their importance. In the upcoming lessons, I'll delve into practical techniques for the effective application of these concepts. Through these hands-on lessons, you'll acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to become proficient in UV unwrapping, atlas UV creation, and ID materials, setting you up for success in crafting captivating and immersive digital art within the realm of 3D design.
5. Uv Atlas Creation First Method Part I: Welcome to this course. Before we start, I took inspiration from the game Monument Valley 2 and created this model. This method is primarily suitable for detailed 3d models and also doesn't necessarily require you to create a proper UV map for the 3D model, although creating a UV map is one of the most important steps in the process after creating the model. One of the most crucial aspects of UV mapping is ensuring proper topology, having low-poly model, for a highly detailed one, and this technique is widely used in the game development industry. With UV mapping, in addition to texturing, we can transfer high-detail model details to the low-poly model by baking the details with the UV map that we created. To avoid having multiple texture images, we need to create a UV map with this technique. So, let's get started. In this method, we avoid manual UV mapping and use the Smart UV Project. However, in other methods, we manually unwrap the models to gain familiarity with UV mapping. The primary focus of this lesson is creating an ID material to use in Substance Painter or other similar software. First go to the UV editing section and select different parts. I choose number one and in edit mode, I press 'A' to select them, and then I right-click and choose the 'Smart UV Project' option. I perform this action for all the parts. Then, I select all the components and, in the UV section, I grab them all by pressing the 'A' key and hit the 'Pack Island' button. Besides this, we can select all the models before UV mapping and then click 'Pack Island'. Finally, we go to the 'Select' section and choose 'Select Overlap' to ensure there is no overlap. If any overlap exists, that part in the UV section will turn orange. I had previously removed the materials from this structure to work on them together. We are going to assign nine different colors to these seven parts of the model. One of these parts requires three separate materials, which I'll explain later. Let's start with the first part and create a new material named "1." In the "Base Color" section, select the desired color. I've chosen yellow. For the second part, select a red color, for the third part a bright blue, for the fourth part a muted purple, for the fifth part a vivid orange, for the sixth part a shade leaning towards black, and for the last part, which is number 7, select white. Now, we need to add two more materials to part number 4. Create a brown material for the "door." Select the faces for the door, click "Assign" to apply the material. For all faces related to the windows, select a new material with a blue color and click "Assign." we're done with assigning materials to the objects. In this step, we double-check the overlaps because sometimes errors can occur at this stage, and overlaps may reappear. Now, go to the "UV Editing" section and enable "Show Overlays." Type "angle" in the "Display Stretch" option. You will notice that most of the unwrapped UVs are displayed in blue, and a few in different colors. It's preferable that all UVs are blue to ensure that no distortion has affected them. This is normal because we used the "Smart UV Project" option to unwrap the UVs. Manually adjusting the UVs can reduce this issue. However, we have another task related to the materials. Before we proceed, a brief explanation: We are going to create an ID material for the UV atlas. If we rely solely on the base color, there is a higher chance of texture bleeding, especially when UVs are automatically generated. To mitigate this, go to the materials for each object, scroll down, and find the "Emission" option. Change the color of all materials. It's crucial that each emission has a different color relative to the others; otherwise, if the colors are too similar, it can cause issues during texturing. Once you've done this for all materials, move on to the next step. Now, let's proceed. Go to the "Object" menu, and select the "Join" option. You can use the shortcut with "Ctrl + J," but you should be aware that all objects that are going to be joined should be orange, and one of the objects must be a slightly lighter shade of orange. Failing to do so may result in errors. Once we've joined the objects, go to the "Shading" tab, and you will see that when you click on "Browse Material," you have one object, and all the materials have been applied to it. So far, so good. Now, select the first material and press "Shift + A." Choose "Image Texture." After that, click on "New." Set the "Width" and "Height" to 2048 x 2048. Why not lower? Because our object has many materials, and the UV map might be crowded. You might face issues when creating the ID material. Don't worry; after creating the ID material, you can adjust the texture size and bake it. Don't make any other changes, just click "OK." Click on the "Image Texture," and you'll see a white line around it, indicating it's selected. For materials, copy the image texture with "Ctrl + C" and go to the next material, then press "Ctrl + V." You'll notice a lighter orange border around the image texture when it's selected. Perform this action for all other materials and make sure all image textures of the materials are selected and not connected to anything. This part is crucial, and attention to detail is essential. Now, it's time to set up the engine and perform the bake. Go to the "Render" tab and set the "Render Engine" to "Cycles." Don't make any other changes in this section. Proceed to the "Bake" section. In the "Bake Type," select "Emit." This setting is directly related to the emission of the materials because the ID material is intended to be created based on the emission. In the "Margin" section, you can choose "Extended," but don't make any other changes. Afterward, click the "Bake" button. This process may take a little time. Once the bake is completed, go to the "Texture Paint" tab. You'll see that the ID material for the 3D model has been successfully created. Now, go to the "Image" menu and select "Save As." Choose the PNG format for better quality. Other formats can be chosen if your texturing software supports them. Name the image, for example, "building." Well, you've successfully created the ID material! One important note: if you forget to change the emission material during the bake process, the corresponding area in the ID material will be left blank or black. Also, if you accidentally set an image texture material to "Select," it won't be baked into the ID material. Now, go back to the material section of the 3D model. Delete all materials and create a new material. You can choose any color you like. Next, go to the "File" menu and select "Clean Up." Click on "Unused Data Blocks." This will remove data that is no longer in use, such as materials that we removed from objects. For complete assurance, perform this action three times. Then, go to the "File" menu and choose "Export." Here, you can select the format you prefer, such as OBJ, GLB, FBX, or other formats, but I recommend using FBX. Another important tip is to make sure your models are oriented with the Z-axis up when exporting, so you won't face issues in game development and similar software. When you click on FBX, for example, name it "building." In the "Include" section, make sure to tick "Limit to: selected objects." Before doing this, ensure that you have selected the model in your scene, as you might have other models, and you only want to export the one you've selected, not the entire scene. Keep the scale at 1, and consider what unit of measurement your model uses. Is it in meters, centimeters, etc.? For me, the scale is in centimeters, but with Substance, you can adjust the size if needed. Finally, click "Export FBX."
6. Uv Atlas Creation First Method Part II: Now, let's move to Substance Painter to import the 3D model we created. First, make sure you have the latest version of Substance Painter. Go to the "File" menu and select "New." A panel will open. Click on "Select" and choose the desired file. It's a good idea to set the "Normal Map Format" to "OpenGL," but you can choose "DirectX" if needed. Don't make any other changes, and in the "Import Mesh Normal Maps and Baked Maps for All Materials" section, click "Add" and select the ID material that we created. We'll notice that the model is not displayed correctly, and the normals in some parts are inverted. To fix this issue, go back to Blender. In the "Viewport Overlays" section, select "Face Orientation." Here, you'll see two colors, blue and red. The red parts indicate issues, and now we'll work on fixing them. Switch from "Object Mode" to "Edit Mode" and select the red faces. You can use the "L" key to quickly select parts, but if it doesn't work, you may need to select the faces manually. Then, go to the "Mesh" menu, choose "Normals," and click "Flip." We'll notice that the normals turn blue. Select the remaining red areas and repeat the same process. The reason this issue may occur is when you join all the objects together. After ensuring there are no more red areas, perform the export again with the previous settings and return to Substance Painter. Now, let's go to the Substance Painter section to import the 3D model that we've created. I go to the "File" menu and select "New," which opens a panel. I click on "Select" and choose the desired file. And i set the Normal Map format to "OpenGL" Now, the model is displayed correctly. let's move on to coloring the model. This model doesn't require intricate details, so we'll keep the coloring simple. First, we go to "Texture Set Settings" at the bottom and select "ID Map." We choose the ID material that we created. With this map, we can instruct the software to apply colors based on the ID material. I've chosen a color guide. However, it's not necessary for the colors to match exactly. To have Substance Painter open while having a color guide simultaneously, we use a free program called PureRef and place the image inside its frame. I add a "Fill Layer," and a new fill layer is created. and i name it "1." I click on "Base Color" and select the Pick Color tool, using the guide's color I placed in PureRef Then, I right-click on the "Fill Layer" named "1" and choose "Add Mask with Color Selection." In the "Properties Color Selection" section, I click "Pick Color." Now, you can see that the ID material is applied to the model. By clicking "Pick Color" on the desired part, we can apply the fill layer only to that area. I select the yellow part and see that the fill layer is applied only to the desired area. I create additional fill layers for other parts, renaming each according to the model, and apply the same settings I used for the first fill layer to the rest. Once I've completed this process, the task is finished. But there's a problem: Even with a resolution of 2048, there is a minor issue at the lower part of the model, which is due to UV mapping. But, I'll show you how to fix this issue in the next steps. I go back to Blender and enter the "UV Editing" section. Let's take a look at the ID material. As you can see, there's a blue area in this section that's causing bleeding. I select all UVs and go to the "UV" menu, choosing "Pack Islands," setting the margin to 0.01. You can see that some space is created between them. The goal is to avoid any overlapping of UVs to prevent issues. One important note: If you encounter this issue, you will need to redo all the baking steps, so make sure to be precise with UV mapping. After creating the new ID material, I return to Substance Painter and update the ID material. We see that the bleeding problem is resolved. Now, at the bottom-right side, I go to "Texture Set Settings" and click on "Bake Mesh Maps." In the "Output Size" section, I set it to 1024 for better quality. In "ID," I make sure to disable it because we have already created the ID material. Not disabling this option would cause the colors not to be baked onto the model. Finally, I go to the "File" menu and select "Export Textures." I change the file type to JPEG to reduce file size. In the "Output Maps" section, I choose "Textureset_Normal_OpenGL" and set it to PNG because it provides better quality for normal maps. The PNG format helps compensate for any loss of detail when applying normal maps from a high-poly model to a low-poly one. I set the size as 1024 in "Size" to fit my needs. For padding, I choose "Dilation + Transparent" to prevent any issues. It's essential because other padding options might limit your usage. Lastly, I choose the output directory and export the maps successfully. Now we need to go back to Blender or a similar software and apply these textures to our model. In Blender navigate to the "Shading" tab. And then we import the maps: Connect the "Building base color" to the "Base Color" input. Connect "Metallic" to the "Metallic" input, and "Roughness" to the "Roughness" Press "Ctrl + A" and then search for the "Normal Map" and select it. Import the normal map texture and make sure to set the "Color Space" to 'Non-Color' Connect it to the "Normal" input as a 'Normal Map' Before this, I've already set up the lighting and added a camera to the scene. I've chosen the Cycles render engine, and I made some adjustments to the background. Now, you can make some camera adjustments, and then we go to the "Render" tab, and click "Render Image" Finally, wait for the rendering process to complete, and done! We made it!
7. Uv Atlas Creation Second Method: In this lesson, I'd like to demonstrate UV unwrapping for the first character using the second method. Let’s hide the other character. Now, let's focus on the primary character, which is composed of three parts. I had previously assigned materials to these parts, which we will now remove them. Now, we'll proceed to the UV editing section, starting with the character's Cloth. I don't want the edges be visible in the texture, which are known as seams. If the UV mapping is not done correctly and contains excessive detail, it may result in poor texture quality. However, in this case, it's a Lowpoly model. I select the edges, mark them as seams by holding Shift + Alt and left-clicking, and then right-click to choose "Mark Seam." You'll notice that they change from orange to red, indicating that this has been done correctly. Right-click again and select the first option, "Unwrap," to create the UV layout. Here, I navigate to the "Overlays" section and activate "Face Orientation," which shows that it's red. To Fix this, I apply a Solidify modifier to add some thickness, resolving the issue. Then, I apply the modifier to the mesh. I repeat these steps for the other parts that are red. Now, let's move on to the character's face, following the same procedure. For the third part, we perform the same series of actions. In the UV section, I select "Pack Island," set the margin to a minimum of 0.01, and click "OK." I also use "Select Overlap" to ensure there are no overlaps. select all the parts, switch to Edit mode, press "A" to select them all, and then click "Pack Island" again. Upon returning to the "Overlays" section, I notice that a section has turned red due to joining all the parts together. select it using "L" and navigate to "Mesh" > "Normals" > "Flip." Now, I change the name to "character_1" and create a new material with the exact same name. In the "Shading" section, I select the newly created material. Afterward, I press Shift + A, choose "Image Texture," set it to, for example, 5px by 5px, and click "OK." In the previous lesson, we unwrapped the first character and applied an image texture to the material. Now, we'll dive into Texture Paint to add colors to the model. Before we begin, I ensure the model looks natural by right-clicking and choosing "Shade Auto Smooth." Then separate the previously joined character parts for different coloring. Using an orange-colored brush with a 1-pixel radius to match our 5-pixel image texture, I color the clothing part. I proceed to paint the face white while leaving the top part untouched in black. I rearrange the UVs a bit. Note that resizing is optional. In the next method, we can export the image at different sizes without altering its appearance. Finally, in the Shading section, I connect the saved image to the base color of the material, resulting in an effectively colored character.
8. Uv Atlas Creation Third Method: As for the third method, this approach is quite similar to the second method, except for the final part that is done in Photoshop. Of course, other simple software like Paint on Windows can also be used for this. To start, let's unwrap the character's face, selecting edges where textures won't be very visible, as it doesn't contribute much to the model's appearance. Next, move on to the character's body and begin the UV mapping. I did this manually, but for project speed, you can use the 'Smart UV Project' feature. After that, proceed to UV map the character's legs. Finally, select the character's clothing and mark seams in less noticeable areas. Once the UVs are completed, just like in the previous lesson, select all three parts of the model in Edit Mode, go to the UV section, and open the 'Pack Islands' option. Set the margin to 0.01 to create a small space between UVs to prevent potential overlap. After this, tidy up the UVs and try to place each one in The area. Then, join all parts together, naming it something like 'character_2.' Now that UVs are in their specific regions, open Photoshop. Set the width and height to 500 by 500 pixels or adjust as needed. Click 'Create,' choose a rectangular shape, and assign the colors. First, use red for the character's clothing and black for the body. For the face, which is typically white by default, don't make any changes. Name the image 'character_2' and save it in PNG format. And Now We are done with Photoshop. Back in Blender, go to the 'UV Editing' workspace and import the image that We created. We'll notice that the UVs don't match the colors, so we need to rearrange them to achieve the desired result. Place the UVs for the clothing in the red area, the face in the white area, and the body in the black area. Finally, link the image to the 'Base Color' in the material's 'Shading' section and ensure that the colors are in their proper places. I believe that is better than the other methods.
9. Exercise Files: In the exercise section, there are three folders: The first one contains the ID materials we created. The second one contains projects with UV mapping. Blender File 1 is the exercise file, and file 2 is final version that we completed together I've also provided a Substance Painter project for you. In the "texture" folder, you will find PBR maps that we exported from Substance Painter, which are related to project number 2. Using the exercise file from this course is not necessary, and you can work on your own projects. However, it's essential to practice during the lessons to fully grasp the steps.
10. Conclusion: Congratulations on completing this Course! Now You now have the skills to excel in 3D design, especially in UV atlas creation. Thank you for joining me! Wishing you success and good luck.
Nima Heydari, Teacher, Freelancer
