Blender 4.0: How to UV Unwrap Anything

After watching this tutorial, you will learn how to master UV unwrap in Blender 4.0. We are using vanilla Blender with no Add Ons or plugins.
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Instagram: / onmars3d
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Software used in Tutorial:
Blender 4.0.1
Substance Painter 8.3.2
#blender #uvmapping #3dart
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Table of Contents
0:00 Introduction
0:13 Understanding UV Mapping
1:40 Let’s Begin!
1:47 Apply Scale
2:11 Project from view
3:04 Mark Seams
3:12 Unwrap
3:22 4 Step Process
3:37 Auto select edges
4:03 Orient your islands
4:13 Review UVs with a checker map
5:00 UV Distortion Overlay
5:28 Packing UVs
6:12 UV Tip 1: Avoid long UV Islands
6:18 UV Tip 2: Organize UVs
6:26 UV Tip 3: Select UV islands with ‘L’
6:33 UV Tip 4: Mark seams in UV Editor
6:38 UV Tip 5: How to minimize UV distortion
7:02 Channel support!
7:17 Wrap Up
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[@OnMars3D]

Check out my Patreon/KZbin Membership for all my project files, 3d models, bonus videos, Discord and more or just to support this channel 🙂 www.patreon.com/OnMars3D At 2:39 I talk about the UVs not being sync'd with the the mesh selection, you can just enable 'UV Sync Selection' next to the 'Select Mode' icons in the top right of the UV Editor window. Thanks to @dalerose4958 for pointing this out!

[@PersonWithDreamz]

You might need to pin this

[@OnMars3D]

oops, thanks @@PersonWithDreamz

[@homemade_vancity]

Dude!! This is the most clearly put UV unwrapping video I've seen ... thank you for not explaining things like complex object UVs with a cube as the example 😍

[@OnMars3D]

Glad to hear it, thanks for the kind words!

[@kunemann]

Great tutorial. One thing that often times gets overlooked is „follow active quads“ for straighten uvs

[@OnMars3D]

Thanks for the tip, I'll cover that in a future video!

[@PDD555]

One of the best and more precise tutorials. You just explained settings I didn't even know existed and I'm grateful for it

[@zana3d]

I have to reiterate what everyone else is saying: this is the absolute BEST tutorial on UV mapping and unwrapping I have ever watched...and this is after years of fighting with uv maps and islands and wondering what was going on. You deserve a million thank you's, more likes and subs.

[@jankasperczyk53]

And its still totally useless for professional work

[@OnMars3D]

Appreciate it, thanks for the kind words @zana3d!

[@2tired2sleep2]

I’ve seen plenty of uv vids and this actually made everything click. Thank you thank you thank you

[@V3GAS4CE]

Amazing. You make it look so simple! Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@sanse4409]

Perfect Tutorial! Thank you soooo much! Straight to the point and very helpful tips!

[@stedbenj]

Man! I've watched a LOT of UV unwrapping videos and yours makes the most sense, and is succinct. Kudos to you, kind sir.

[@OnMars3D]

Glad it was helpful!

[@NycroLP]

Everything on point. Probably one of the best tuts ive seen on youtube.

[@SqueakRecords]

I remember trying to look into how to do this between 2008 and now and it has always been complicated and confusing to me, and while it's clear the technology has advanced to make this a more streamlined process, i've also never seen someone explain such an enigmatic topic to a beginner like me so easily like this before. Thanks!

[@22kaybee22]

You finally answered my question, how to select one island at a time! It's one of those things that's so obvious to most regular users that it's not easily searchable. But not so beginner that it wasn't in other tutorials. I learned a lot of other stuff too!

[@bazibada]

Excellent tutorial on a complex subject !

[@AmbroseReed]

This made things feel so much more straightforward, thank you!

[@j_productive]

Best unwrap video. Thank you!

[@MyBlenderOdyssey]

Amazing! Keep up the good work!

[@CarlosMontelara]

WOW, so simple. Thank you!!!

[@HankHillspimphand]

thanks mate......many videos seem to assume you understand everything BEFORE telling about UV mapping. you make it very clear for beginners.

[@OnMars3D]

That was my goal, glad it helped!

[@Ostnizdasht206]

Best UV unwrapping tutorial I've seen.

[@shynnobi]

That video comes just in time, right when I wanted to learn about UV mapping 🤩 Thanks

[@OnMars3D]

Hope it helps!

[@mikailmaqsood818]

Thank you for such a clear and helpful tutorial :)

[@jfcomposition]

Respect: Knowledge, Presentation, Video and specially your speaking and voice control is on a high professional level. One of the best videos about UV !

[@OnMars3D]

Thank you, I put a lot of work into this video, glad it's being well received!

[@Babalous]

Amazing video, thank you for your wisdom!

[@graemeh6345]

Great tutorial. Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge!

[@OnMars3D]

My pleasure!

[@WasUpBea]

As a beginner in blender this is extremely helpful and straightforward, thank you.

[@tratorista4136]

this is the best tutorial ive ever seen

[@andyengine7582]

Fantastic video! Thanks for this, One of the easiest and most informative unwrap video's I've come across for Blender. Great Job 👌

[@OnMars3D]

Appreciate it, thank you!

[@FlightDeckMagazin]

Perfect tutorial. Thank you very much.

[@OnMars3D]

You're welcome!

[@imretherenderer]

What a great tutorial! Thank you for sharing!

[@OnMars3D]

Happy to share!

[@4chinny]

Really excellent explanation. Thanks!

[@danilocoelho9915]

Really good material, really easy to follow along and packed with good info.

[@OnMars3D]

Great to hear!

[@MrRuedigers]

Thank you so much. That's the first video that teachs short, exact and clear. My workflow is much better now. Thank you.

[@OnMars3D]

Happy to help!

[@ZXAMVs]

This is clearly one of the best and most concise uv tutorial I have seen. Totally recommended video 💯. I already knew the information but that's after expermenting and checking tutorials. If possible I think a video about uv techniqes would be a good part 2, stuff like UV Overlap, texel density and UDIMs.

[@OnMars3D]

Awesome, thank you! I'll cover those topics in future videos!

[@maumaqueda70]

Those were some tools I didnt know about, thank you!!

[@astedroid]

no un-needed crap, straight to the point. This is why I love simple tutorials!

[@OnMars3D]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@lucyfaire1980]

Excellent tutorial, thank you!

[@OnMars3D]

Glad it was helpful!

[@andrew_golubev]

Very useful video; thank you very much for the advices!

[@OnMars3D]

My pleasure!

[@salemmelas4515]

Very happy seing you making blender content, i often watch your tutorials on maya and try to convert some of the tips to blender. I hope we'll see more of blender in the future.

[@OnMars3D]

That's the plan!

[@3dtrip870]

You know your stuff, good to see on KZbin! Great tips, been using this same workflow for many years, it is best technique I know of.

[@OnMars3D]

Great to hear!

[@Totorus]

Great tutorial, thanks for sharing!

[@GrimGrotStudios]

Finally a UV Unwrap video that makes sense to me, thank you!

[@OnMars3D]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@arcangeel4828]

Man! You are so professional! Thanks for the video

[@OnMars3D]

Thank you!

[@leonoliveira8652]

This is absolutely amazing, whish I knew about it sooner. As soon as I get more energy, I WILL go back to blender!

[@OnMars3D]

Great to hear!

[@vivianmello1278]

tutorial soooo good, finally understood it! Thank you

[@OnMars3D]

You're welcome!

[@tientam779]

Very clear explanation of how to UV unwrap! Better than the intro texturing class I took in college.

[@OnMars3D]

Glad it was helpful!

[@aslkdjfalsdkjfasldkfj]

Wow! No BS, clear explanation, and good audio?!? Immediate subscription! :D

[@OnMars3D]

Thank you!

[@youssefmostafa8003]

Thank you greate tutorial

[@gamefabler9693]

Yo, dude. Your tutorials are insanely good. Thanks a lot. This helped my jump a head so fast.

[@OnMars3D]

Glad to hear it!

[@MohamedNasser-tu3uh]

after watching a lot of videos to under stand seams , that was the shortest and the best video , thanks man

[@OnMars3D]

Glad it helped!

[@garazi9531]

I love how straight to the point the tutorial is, just what i needed... I already know abour UVs but changing from 3dsmax to blender was a bit confusing for me

[@brycec9372]

Any tips on changing from 3ds max to blender I am under going the same transition as my student subscription is soon to expire. I’ve noticed that the selection and navigation controls are a bit different and from max and it’s been frustrating.

[@StudioHoekhuis]

Great tutorial, thanks! 👍

[@OnMars3D]

No worries!

[@n1trosl889]

Thanks...you are the best🎉

[@ibrremote]

Great tutorial. Really needed some tips to fix my model's UV. Thanks.

[@OnMars3D]

Happy to hear!

[@OutlawRobot]

Omg, can't believe how much I learnt just from one video!!! Thanks brook, thanksss

[@OnMars3D]

Happy to help!

[@faryanblender8946]

You are really really really good

[@samtse9382]

so helpful,,thanks a lot!

[@wonchung9627]

There are so many good videos on your channel that I really appreciate for understanding 3D. I also want to learn your tips and techniques on Substance Painter and environment lighting.

[@OnMars3D]

Awesome, thank you!

[@spdavis37]

UV mapping was the hardest thing to ~wrap my head around~ but thanks to your video, the mysteries have been ~unwrapped~ Thanks!

[@OnMars3D]

Glad to hear it!

[@nahlene1973]

I really enjoy your speed.

[@OnMars3D]

Glad to hear it!

[@claudiadelgado8631]

thank you so much!

[@shhubhaam9468]

Thanks Buddy

[@alfredb.4485]

Excellent!

[@heitorhiguchi1430]

thank you!!

[@SemageNamalSurendra]

3:24 Lifesaver ❤❤❤ Thank you so much

[@protraheric5097]

This seams really important.

[@LittleCaira]

pretty neat! Thx!

[@Onlygoodsir]

Brilliant

[@nemesisxs10]

I'm a solo game dev and this was a godsend of a video. Tysm

[@OnMars3D]

Happy to help!

[@Inferryu]

If I remember correctly, the reason for "less seams = better" is because UVs are stored per vertex, having a seam will double the UV data for each vertex on the seam increasing memory consumption, a resource that has become less "scarce" over the years.

[@GranokGab]

Nice video! Lots of good tips. The only thing I would add is to try allign quads to the uv, I use the "UV Squares" addon for that, works great and is pay what you want. When baking texturers, if the edge move diagonally on the uv it can cause artefacts, the addon lay down the model following the quads, so that they allign pixel perfect to the texture. It needs to be used correctly, so I guess that's why he didn't talk about it in the video, but in the example of the wheel he is unwrapping, i would have split the cirlce geometry and unwap everything perfectly alligned.

[@Boris-ui8sk]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!

[@OnMars3D]

😊

[@Dach101]

the unwrap from view is a new one for me, thank you"

[@OnMars3D]

No problem!

[@sosmanoriginal7048]

I now finally understand why my textures used to glitch out, thank you!

[@OnMars3D]

No problem!

[@pro_suh6994]

so helpful!

[@OnMars3D]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Canadian.Reacts]

UR A LEGEND

[@OnMars3D]

Appreciate it!

[@chryssdale5747]

Was trying to uv unwrap an oven where the edges were curved. This one helped

[@OnMars3D]

Glad it helped!

[@CelestineMoon]

Thanks !

[@OnMars3D]

No problem!

[@onjofilms]

Very well done. Would have liked to see about having different UVMaps though.

[@santitabnavascues8673]

Despite seams not being an important matter in UV mapping, it is better that there is the least amount of them, as separate uv coordinates translate later in duplicate vertices when exported, especially for real time graphics

[@OnMars3D]

Very true, I will be discussing this in future videos!

[@noctology]

thank you 🙏

[@OnMars3D]

You're welcome!

[@danieluorji]

Thank you

[@RiseTheDrake]

Project from View is actually a laughably good solution to resetting your UV map, there is a "reset" option only in viewport edit mode UV context menu, but it collapses all the faces of the mesh into 0-1 of the UV tile, and overlaps ALL of them. This means if you have like 15.000 faces, your Blender will probably cascade into a black hole.

[@CarlosSaulRodriguezA]

Easily the best video about UV unwrapping, by far. Not only explains it and gives good advices but also about being efficient, logical...

[@-whisper-]

I'm currently studying at an art college where 3D is part of my graduation, sadly I wasn't taught the basics of 3D. So this is a life saver for my graduation.

[@OnMars3D]

Happy to help!

[@TheJovialBrit]

That's what I love about Substance Painter. It can hide the seams rather efficiently.

[@OnMars3D]

Agreed, it's a great tool!

[@yourdreamboy891]

This is the basic and main thing we learn about UV unwrapping. I came here to know something extra but I watched it till the end anyway.

[@OrcaGuyreal]

"if you have clean topology" in my dreams.

[@rajendrameena150]

so simple explanation, if you put some objects to unwrap in the end of the video, it will be super helpful to practice and fear of uv will be disappear.

[@OnMars3D]

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll include that for future UV Mapping videos!

[@mikeha]

very easy to follow, great tips, thanks. do you ever use the addon UV Squares? It allows you to convert a curved section to a straight rectangular one to make it easier to place on the uv grid

[@soggybreadst1cks812]

blender tutorials are usually over complicated or of poor quality. This is neither and I really appreciate the help.

[@OnMars3D]

Glad to hear that!

[@Radiocactive_garlic]

Very clear and well explained ! Maybe you could have mentioned how to lay your UVs in a perfect grid patern, other than that, great job ;)

[@OnMars3D]

Thanks for the tip!

[@MrExtendet]

Throw some plugins in there and this really would be a goat tutorial. Also when talking antialising it would prob be interesting to showcase the follow active quads feature.

[@tim_arterbury]

Wow! This is the best Blender UV unwrap tutorial I’ve ever seen! Thank you!!

[@OnMars3D]

You're very welcome!

[@KiyoshiKenji881]

first tutorial where I felt like I actually understood what was happening.Its probably all going to go down hill once i try it but now I have confidence for at least the first few hours until i run into an issue that I don't understand and give up on blender once again ;~;

[@OnMars3D]

Glad to help!

[@andrewclarke3529]

This is the clearest tutorial on UV unwrapping I have ever seen, thank you so much

[@saberofld]

Besides how great this is at explaing UVs and how to UV and unwrap in Blender ( and it is great), I really want to know how you animated the 3D model unfolding into the UVs.

[@OnMars3D]

I actually used an old Maya script for that animation. I tried to do it in Blender but ran out of time. I had the Maya script sitting in an old folder :)

[@petebateman143]

FYI Texture Coordinate UV is the default input to Image Texture if it's left unconnected. Adding Texture Coordinate node is superfluous unless you need to change source or transform the UV.

[@OnMars3D]

Thanks for the clarification!

[@petebateman143]

@@OnMars3D Great tutorial btw......should have lead with that...

[@juanseverino5651]

excellent tutorial but I got a problem I don't see does tools that you have in your UV Editor in my UV editor and am using blender 3.6 🤔

[@exoqqen]

Hey! :) This is probably a whole topic in itself, but what is UV packing and when would/should one do it? Thanks!

[@pawnix4122]

I teach more or less the same in terms of UV-unwrapping. What I say to people when it comes to hard surfaces, in particular, is for them to always place seams between smoothing groups. This is the case because it allows Substance 3D Painter to properly stitch together the normals on the model without leaving ugly black seams or aliasing issues between shading groups. There is a lot of maths involved in a good UV map, and it is something I have been teaching people who are interested in learning why something works, as opposed to just doing it.