Fastest and Easiest Way to UV Map in Maya

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Tutorial showing the fastest and easiest way to UV map using the new tools in Maya 2018 combined with a special script I developed to speed things up further.

[@malcolm341]

Hey everyone, I've released a free update to this script. To get the update simply download the script again from gumroad. You can see a demo of the new features here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKW8oYxpoLt_pJo

[@Centauro0821]

Hello .... Was thinking of buying the bundle, ... Do the scripts work on Maya version 2018.5 ?

[@malcolm341]

@@Centauro0821 they should work in any version of Maya 2018. If you run into any problems send me a message on artstation and I'll try to figure out what's wrong. If we can't figure it out I'll be happy to refund your money.

[@Centauro0821]

@@malcolm341 Thanks Malcolm ..... Will do ..... Thanks for replying ! .... I am just starting learning Maya ..... and your videos are very helpful .

[@jasonpace4891]

I grabbed this script about 6 weeks ago and I can't live without it. One of the best Maya scripts I've ever used.

[@malcolm341]

That's great, thanks for sharing your feedback, much appreciated. I'm glad you're finding it useful.

[@ejwgamez4264]

I had bought your MEL script and has sped up my workflow. Thanks for creating this. This is worth every penny.

[@malcolm341]

That's great I'm glad you're enjoying the tool, thanks for commenting and letting me know.

[@devjitpaul1191]

i am going over all your scripts, and holy shit, this script saved like 30 minutes of exhausting uv mapping, why did i not find you before, you sir are a lifesaver. hats off to you

[@malcolm341]

That's great, thanks for letting me know the script helped you.

[@BBSsongs]

I was struggling with UV mapping for 2 days. Then I bought this script. Work DONE.

[@malcolm341]

That's great, glad it helped you. Thanks for commenting.

[@boycie18]

life saver thanks! I'm at home during the corona virus outbreak doing uving for work and wanted a way of cheating! had no idea this tool existed! THANKS!

[@malcolm341]

Thanks a lot for this great review, glad you're finding the tool useful. Check out the latest tutorial video for the tool here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqStkGV5obutf9k

[@Ureroll]

Best plugin ever, I am happy people can buy it now and that I made a backup before the new pc build! best of luck for everything in life dude!

[@malcolm341]

Right on, thanks for that feedback. Glad you're still enjoying the script!

[@Authersinemascop]

Cool, man. I never used 3d-coat but what you have done here in Maya is great thing. It works perfectly.

[@Jaba-hs6vd]

Thanks you for the tutorial ,iam coming from blender to Maya and the new UV mapping it's really a huge step forward

[@malcolm341]

Agree, I've never used Blender, but I've heard good things.

[@GamesandBacon]

Hey man thanks for all your videos ! I'm not really a big fan of Maya, but your teaching method as well as working smart not hard suits me very well and you've definitely helped me simplify a lot of things that frustrated me.

[@malcolm341]

Awesome, glad it helped.

[@SheetMusicDesu]

My UV mapping life has been a lie

[@malcolm341]

Roger that, lots more good tools in the UV mapping toolbox these days.

[@starryshark]

I'm scared to watch this now lol I had a friend tell me that she didn't UV her assets for her demo reel. I nearly broke my neck when she said this. How the heck do you texture something without Uv'ing! The benefit of watching tutorials is that there are plenty of people who have shortcuts. So they're lifesavers when it comes to helping people speed up their workflow.

[@starryshark]

Omg! I'm only 6 minutes in and now I know the feeling lol When I took my core classes I hated UV mapping, now I'm excited to model props because I know it won't take long to unwrap everything! :)

[@artistjohnwoolley]

default uv's are actually not that bad so it doesn't surprise me she textured an asset without uv'ing it, probably not efficient though

[@Tdray24]

@@starryshark Remember PTex in Mudbox? didn't require UV's. Im highly surprised I don't see this anymore

[@rhutchins88]

Great script addition to the tool!! Easiest money I spent today. Thank you.

[@malcolm341]

That's awesome, thanks a lot for the feedback.

[@MNK_Games]

I have been using Maya 2018 for almost two years and didnt knew it existed.

[@malcolm341]

Yeah it's good for certain shapes.

[@josechowyi]

i love you, you saved me HOURS of my life

[@malcolm341]

That's great, glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for your comment.

[@starryshark]

I'm gonna say thanks now before I even start the video! lol I just downloaded Maya 2018 a few days ago and was surprised by the layout of the UV editor compared to Maya 2017. I already thought there were some pretty handy tools that came with the UV editor, but I'm sure I'll be sorely mistaken after I finish watching this.

[@malcolm341]

Right on, yeah lots of good stuff in 2018. I've created a UV toolbox as well, I'll upload the video this weekend showing what it does.

[@butchpeddlin4767]

Bit late to the party here but I gotta say this video was very helpful. Thanks man!

[@williammendoza001]

Wow, I didn't even know this existed. Thank you!!

[@malcolm341]

That's great, I'm glad the video helped you.

[@jintarokensei3308]

If you Shift+Drag you'll get a contiguous loop, it's faster than just dragging over edges.

[@jintarokensei3308]

My bad, I rewatched the video, yeah, gotta select an edge then convert to contigious with ctrl+rmb. That or drag. Still, the Shift thing is pretty cool, tho dunno who would use it instead of just double clicking a loop :/ Also, it seems this screws up Creased Edges. Just an FYI. Wasted a ton of time creasing, figured be better than bevel. Boy was I wrong.

[@Gottsnus]

Awesome video man, this makes UV mapping sooooo much faster.

[@malcolm341]

That's great, more tips and trick videos coming soon.

[@mikecurran2593]

Fantastic script. I use it all the time.

[@malcolm341]

Thanks a lot for letting me know you like the script.

[@mikecurran2593]

​@@malcolm341 for sure!

[@DutchGamers]

Instead of doing camera based u could've done planar from X or Z axis so the things wont be bended in uv editor

[@Edo3VO]

Thanks Bro i just Bought it, and it wooorks like a charm!!

[@malcolm341]

That's awesome, thanks for supporting the channel enjoy the script.

[@outtoplay]

Outstanding Lesson. Really appreciate the effort

[@malcolm341]

Thanks a lot for the feedback much appreciated.

[@wahcky]

Hi Malcolm, this is so cool and very useful. Thank you for sharing ,keep it up and more power :)

[@malcolm341]

Thank you for that very motivational feedback. More videos on the way.

[@amandawarner8072]

Your a life saver!!! Thank you!!

[@malcolm341]

You're welcome, thanks for commenting.

[@mateocosta3d]

This is gold. Thanks.

[@malcolm341]

Hi everyone, it appears when I changed my youtube channel name it deleted any replies I had done before that time, apologies if you're looking through this thread and the answer you're looking for is missing. If you have a question post it and I will answer as soon as possible. Also I've updated the script with better instructions on how to install it for those that are new to Maya. If you download the script now it will be straight forward to install and use.

[@mikhailkonstantin9927]

shit .. can't solve it for you .. but it hurts i know that .. sorry for you man

[@00RaiserRock]

May I know which script is this? I log on to your site, there are so many of them. Currently still studying, I would like to use it for educational purpose.

[@malcolm341]

Sure here's the direct link. gumroad.com/l/XAIE

[@00RaiserRock]

thank you!!

[@rocketlegs6933]

This is an amazing tool, thanks so much man!

[@malcolm341]

Right on, glad it helped.

[@whitewolf41581]

Nothing was working. I was doing everything in the video and it never unfolded correctly.

[@malcolm341]

Hi Jonny, did you purchase the script or just using the Maya default tools? If you did not purchase the script give this a try: Select all the UV shells before you press d and see if that fixes it. If not, in the UV editor right hold click and choose modify> layout uv options box, then edit reset settings, then change shell pre-scaling to preserve 3d ratios and change shell padding to 6 or more. Hit layout uv's at the bottom so the window closes. Then try again by selecting all UV shells and pressing d.

[@wei55_]

You absolute legend, thanks.

[@ghillahill]

Awesome :) Very clear and very useful ;) thank you sir

[@malcolm341]

Thank a lot for your comment, glad you enjoyed the video.

[@tukor]

Beatifully working. Thanks a lot and subscribed!

[@eddieandersson5570]

Really nice, but surely just using the mark up menus to click once on the bottom&top so select that poly then go into convert selection to edge via the same menus, must be faster? Even if that selects the edge loop and the edge ring, deselecting that ring with a quick mouse selection is done so fast that it's literally no time at all.

Great tutorial! The button "d" hotkey does not work for me when unfolding. Any ideas? I am on Maya 2019. Cheers!

[@malcolm341]

Thanks, Autodesk has updated the tool since I recorded that video and the workflow has changed slightly. Enter 3d cut and sew too, then right click and go up to component, then UV shell, then hover the mouse over a UV shell in 3D viewport so it turns red then press d to unfold. I've written a custom tool which makes this process much easier check out the newer video here which also shows more hotkeys. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKW8oYxpoLt_pJo

[@TheRedjinator]

I liked where you were going, but by not stating which buttons you were pressing on your "Custom tool shelf @ 1:09 sec" I found I needed to take a few minutes and pause the video just to figure out how I could follow step by step exactly. It wasn't the end of the world but I was quite annoyed. Please use either default UI as is the better choice when making instructional videos, or at least verbally identify the custom tools that are listed in your custom tool shelf by name as you use them so your viewers can follow along. That being said, thank you for taking the time to make this video. It was helpful.

[@TheRedjinator]

So I've now used your method and take back what I said above. I now feel like i owe YOU time. I'm literally humbled by how easy you've made this workflow. Thank you!

[@TheRedjinator]

And... subscribed :)

[@DerikTheCreator]

Thank you so much, man. This is awesome :)

[@malcolm341]

That's great, thanks for commenting.

[@drinnerd8532]

Your video is clearly very informative and is obviously helping many, based on the comments. I guess my problem is that I can not seem to wrap my mind around Maya and how it works and this entire UV wrapping process. How is it that I am having an easier time understanding Blender then I am understanding Maya?!

[@malcolm341]

Hi Drinner D, I haven't used Blender so I'm not sure of the UV process in that software, but I'd imagine it's similar to Maya. Stay tuned I hope to create some more UV mapping tutorials in the future that go over the more basic methods available in Maya.

[@maksenDK]

boom. just bought it. boom. thanks malcolm. boom.

[@malcolm341]

That's awesome! Thanks for supporting the channel and contributing to more free content.

[@ayer10y]

You are awesome, thank you very much for this awesomeness

[@malcolm341]

You're welcome, glad it helped. Thanks for the feedback.

[@Trusebruse]

Really nice tutorial, thanks! :)

[@Drkr996]

When I unwrap my UV's they all overlap each other. Is there an easy way to get them to sort nicely like yours did when you unwrapped?

[@malcolm341]

Yeah they changed the tool after I recorded this video. Here's the new video which shows how to do it with the updated tool, it's still pretty annoying though using the Autodesk method the toolbox I created takes care of that problem, but you be the judge. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKW8oYxpoLt_pJo

[@JMTBFLOW]

Life changing - Thank you! :)

[@malcolm341]

That's great man, glad it helps. More tips and tricks coming soon I've been out sick for a while now so look for new stuff coming up.

[@hirennyx]

You are best man❤️

[@malcolm341]

Thanks a lot for your positive comment.

[@glennortiz7831]

amazingggggggggg broooooo! love it!

[@malcolm341]

That's great, glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for commenting.

[@Rubberglass]

Thanks for this!

[@malcolm341]

You're welcome, glad it helped.

[@BradleyStilwell]

Hi Malcom. Great tools thanks! But I am getting a crash when I use the unwrap button in the unWrapper Window. I'm using maya 2020.2

[@malcolm341]

Thanks, please confirm you're using unWrapper v1.9 and then are you getting a crash of Maya to desktop or just an error in the script editor. Is the crash happening on all models or just your one specific model, can you link me to the model you're working on so I can try it here.

[@BradleyStilwell]

@@malcolm341 Hi Malcom yes I'm using v1.9. I'll check to see if I can get some more info from editor or shell. I am working remotely on a box overseas so I can get you any models. I am working aound the issue using the unfold then layout button in uvMapper v2.9so I can carry on.

[@malcolm341]

@@BradleyStilwell If you can repro it on a specific model send it to [e-mail] my computer is in the shop this week so there will be a delay, but I'd like to take ak look I can't repro it here

[@BradleyStilwell]

@@malcolm341 ok will send what i can Thanks! :-)

[@RSSpeacemaker]

The only problem I am running into is that the UVs aren't really changing colors when I separate sections of the object. I would really like to replicate the 3D Coat experience but I can't really visualize what I am doing efficiently without that color coordination.

[@malcolm341]

RSSpeacemaker In the UV editor? Or in the 3D viewport, shells should change colour in both if you have the UV editor open and turn on shell colorization, in my script I automatically turn this on when ever you enter the tool so you don't have to dig for it.

[@RSSpeacemaker]

@@malcolm341 Oh sorry about that. I was trying to follow along without the script you provided in your description. I thought the color coordination came default with the tool.

[@malcolm341]

@@RSSpeacemaker It does, if you right click the shaded icon in the UV editor instead of left clicking it to turn it on you'll get the coloured shells.

[@RSSpeacemaker]

@@malcolm341 I was using the mac version at the time and once switching to a desktop it worked. I think it had what you were talking about is set to default on the pc version. Next time I load back up the mac version I'll get back to you on whether the method works or not. I was worried that I needed the correct plugins to do so.

[@fabian7463]

Whats the name pf the script? Theres so many plugins on your umroad

[@malcolm341]

Here you go, be sure to watch the newer video with all the new features. gumroad.com/l/XAIE kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqStkGV5obutf9k

[@bladex264]

Do you have any tutorials how to Uv in Maya and take to photoshop?

[@malcolm341]

I actually created a tool that exports the UVs to Photoshop. You can take a look here if you like. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXfTpmaNm7uGeNk

[@xO_oxDK]

Did you see the bonus tools auto unwrap in 2019? It's really really good for a start as well...

[@malcolm341]

No, haven't tried that yet. I'll check it out.

[@SPRidley]

Hi malcom, great tutorial, but just wanted to ask something. I just started with Maya 2018, and I can follow this tutorial until you start pressing D and you start to unfold the faces. Yours appear straight and one near the other, while mine are all one in top of each other and totally straight pieces appear diagonally. Is that because im doing something wrong and not clicking some hidden mode in maya that tries to put every piece inside the same square of the uv editor but each one in their own space, instead of making them as big as they can and putting them on top of each other? Or is just only because your script is the one doing that? From the video seems that the script is useful for making every piece the same pixel aspect ratio, something that seems super useful and probably will get for that, but maybe it also does the automatic placing the pieces all in the same grid? Thanks in advance.

[@malcolm341]

Hi SPRidley, thanks for commenting I'm glad you're enjoying the video. Yes my script will do it's best to fix diagonal shells, make them all the same pixel aspect ratio, and will lay them out so there's no overlap. I just tried pressing d and it's also stacking the shells on top of each other which is weird. I've had a couple people run into this same problem you're having when pressing d and the shells are stacked. As a workaround, you can either use the script, or just drag select your whole model before you press d and that will lay everything out without any overlap. Just tried that and it appears to work, maybe they updated how the tool works in one of the service packs this video is getting a bit old.

[@SPRidley]

Thanks for the help malcolm, tried the select everything and still puts the completely straight faces on diagonals and things like that but at least it doesnt overlap anymore. Will surely buy your script as it saves incredible valuable time with the pixel ratio of textures and making things straight, and of course just subscribed to your channel and watching all your other videos. This is not about your video, but ive been pulling my hair trying to search for tutorials about this but nobody seems to know the answer (and sadly our teacher at the master that teaches modelling is pretty bad at maya). Im trying to make a coaster track with the bezier tool to create curves where you can extrude a face to make it, its all fine and dandy as thats what everyone shows in their videos, but once i touch the bezier curve to create hills and loops on my coaster track, the track banks wherever it feels like (outward for curves or 90º sideways for straights after the loop). I thought that would be fixed by trying to rotate the bezier vertices like if I was banking them, but the vertices dont seem to want to rotate that way, I know 3ds max has an option for that, but seems to be hidden or non existant in maya. Do you know how I could fix my problem, or is there another way to do what I want using another method. I know this question its not about the video, but you seem to have a ton of experience with the program and Im really struggling here.

[@malcolm341]

That makes sense without the script you'll always have the diagonals, the default toll will only give you the non overlapping.

[@malcolm341]

The short answer is there's no good way in Maya (that I know of) to extrude a spline and have control over banking. Max has a much better system for spline extrusions. In Maya by default when you extrude along a spline and it's not completely flat in the top down view it will auto bank the corners based on the vertical height of each control point relative to the point beside it, super annoying. First give this a try, create your spline using the CV curve tool and draw it how you want. Next create a EP curve set to linear in the options box, this will be the profile you're going to extrude along your curvy path. Think about this as the width of your track. Now select width spline first then shift select the path spline. In the modelling menu go to Surfaces and open the Extrude options box Use these settings and hit apply drive.google.com/open?id=1o4l9v4fzzHvEYbKk10tX4mkhJRsFTBev If that doesn't get you what you're looking for try this. If you use a birail extrusion you will have control over the banking because each spline has it's own independent height relative to the surface, I find birails really hard to control, but give it a try and see if this works better for what you're doing. This is how our level designer on Joy Ride created all the roads, he would first create a spline for the whole track int he top down view so there was no banking, then he'd extrude a nurbs profile along that so he has what looks like a race track in the top down view. Next he would select the edge of the road isoparm and extract a new curve from the left and right side of the road, then he'd create a birail from that, can't remember if it was 2 or 3 birail curves, than from that he would move the birail splines in the corners to create the banking the way he wanted, and then convert that birail surface to polygons and export it into the game. If that doesn't work out you could investigate some of these free scripts and see if they help. www.highend3d.com/maya/script/duplicate-along-curve-for-maya

[@SPRidley]

I forgot to give you thanks for this amazing tutorial. At the end I used different stuff to create what I wanted (made an animation snapshot of the rail and then banked the curve the animation and akeyframe paramenters where i wanted, although inversions were really hard to fix this way), but if I need to do something similar next time I will try the examples you posted here.. Again thank you, you are an amazing teacher!

[@viivcreations9161]

Would you still prefer this over 3dCoat right now or should we still stay on 3dcaot until maya fixes some of these issues? 3d coaot is just way to amazing to dump for mayas new uvmapping kit

[@timofeyrenski2775]

What are you think about UV-mapping tools in Blender? Just intresting. Also, thanks for this great video

[@malcolm341]

I haven't tried Blender myself, I've heard it's good though.

[@lawrencelawine9082]

For some reason, such straight cylindrical shapes are getting unfold very uneven and not like a squared shape like in your case, same with round uv shells, they get asymmetrical instead of a perfect circle.

[@malcolm341]

Are you using the default Maya way, or my custom toolbox? It depends on the shape, some will turn into a donut and some will turn into a strip. Have you watched the second video the tool changed after I recorded this video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKW8oYxpoLt_pJo

[@icmz]

Thank you for the tutorial it was very helpful knowing there's a faster method in Maya. Not sure if this happens to anyone or just me but, at times using the script causes faces to not have any UVs. In the UV editor they are invisible as well. One thing I haven't tried yet but, will it organize the UVs with multiple objects?

[@malcolm341]

The script will work on multiple selected objects, unfortunately Maya's 3D cut and sew tool does not support multiple objects, so I recommend combining your objects and then separating them when you're done. For the invisible face thing this could be 2 things. First make sure all the geometry has UV coordinates before you begin, I usually start by projecting a camera based planar map through my whole model, the other thing to watch out for will be that each UV shell has enough border edges to unfold. Maya's unfold 3D has issues if you give it a sphere for example with a camera based planar map through it, it will look wonky until you have cut enough border edges for it to unwrap correctly. This often causes shells to stack on top of each other. I just ignore this until I've naturally cut all my edges, it's also I good way to see which shells still need to be worked on.

[@saebr]

Hi there.. Thanks for a great quick tutorial. My question is.. I don't see it very different from the auto uv unwrapping that comes with the bonus tools. Am i mistaken? Thanks again

[@jintarokensei3308]

It's pretty much the same, just u don't get a preview in the uv editor.

[@arturperzyna1997]

Hi Malcolm, Not sure where to write this suggestion. Is it possible to write a script which would allow to select UV Edges in Maya 2018 UV Editor? By "UV Edges" I mean mode which would allow us to select edges without automatic selection of corresponding edges on other UV islands as well. Often it is much easier to select an edge than vertices.

[@malcolm341]

Artur Perzyna I think that one might be impossible, or at least out of my area of knowledge. I don't think there's a way to select only one edge because Maya considers both edges in the UV editor to be a single edge when selected in code. I think the best we could do would be a script that converts your selected edge into UVs, then tries to deselect the other two UVs, but that would probably only work on a single edge.

[@arturperzyna1997]

@@malcolm341 I see. Thank you for your reply. :)

[@arknickalove]

You just have saved me!! Thanks alot!! New subscriber 👌

[@malcolm341]

That's great, stay tuned for more tutorials.

[@seanhamilton7469]

Super awesome button is awesome!

[@birmy945]

Hi Malcolm! Where can I find this script/Button! This would increase my workflow 10 fold!

[@malcolm341]

Hi, this is a really old video the tool has come a long way since then and has become a pay to own script check out some of the newer videos here kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqStkGV5obutf9k and if you want to you can purchase here app.gumroad.com/malcolm341?sort=price_desc

[@TheLegoMaxter]

So I don't know what happened with your script but now it doesn't work anymore. I get totally messed up UVs on simple mesh like on a cylinder :/ . It worked perfectly last month.

[@malcolm341]

Very strange I haven't changed anything with it lately, perhaps some other setting in Maya is messing with it. Give this a try and see if it fixes it. Close Maya Go to C:\Users\yourname\Documents\maya\2018 Rename the prefs folder to prefs_backup Restart Maya Download the script again and load the shelf as usual. See if it works, let me know if that fixes it.

[@malcolmrains2426]

this used to be free when i got it but then i had to reinstall maya and i don't have it anymore but the script costs money now so it is only logical that i should be entitled to a free copy now and for life

[@malcolm341]

Cool name, send me your e-mail address and I'll see what I can do.

[@malcolm341]

I sent you the link via artstation messenger. Give it a try and see if it works.

[@carlostrujillo375]

How do u make it to change colors when u cut edges? I got maya 2020 but everythings looks with the same color

[@malcolm341]

Turn on multi-coloured shells in the UV editor, right click the button that looks like a green tetris piece at the top left of the UV editor right beside the wireframe button. I have a much better video here, with better kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKW8oYxpoLt_pJo

[@Dakshohri]

The fuck man, this is amazing.

[@postmodernerkindergartner960]

Just curious, i'm quite a beginner still in 3d.. how would you properly unwrap your brown shell on the top? I'm asking because, by straighten something like that out you get distortion from the tapering, you know? Same problem with your blue shell..

[@malcolm341]

For me personally I generally try to reduce the number of UV shells to a minimum so for this particular object I would unwrap the entire thing into a cylinder shape with one seam up the back, then the top most shell and the bottom I would create a planar map. There shouldn't really be any major distortion except on the green slanted part, but that's probably okay when textured in Substance Painter, alternatively you could add an extra edge loop to remove distortion as well. If you'd like I can post an image later tonight if none of that makes sense.

[@postmodernerkindergartner960]

Thanks for taking the time! A screenshot would be great

[@malcolm341]

Here you go, this is how I'd personally unwrap a shape like that for texturing so it reduces seams and also fits nicely into a square layout. Ideally you have some other shells that could fill up all that wasted space I left in my example, if not you could investigate overlapping the circles with the square part and scaling the square up to fill the wasted space, really depends on the shape of your model. drive.google.com/open?id=11Yy_DBjPMueiwfzfGGig6oFCBrg_qUoE

[@postmodernerkindergartner960]

Great! That helped me out, thanks alot for taking the time!

[@i20010]

How are the uv shells snapping into layout automatically? (very helpful tutorial, thank you!)

[@malcolm341]

itai bachar what time stamp are you referring to? Also this video has a newer and more clear outline of the workflow if you're interested. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKW8oYxpoLt_pJo

[@dmitrymishur2225]

Awesome. Where in code may change padding to 32?

[@haroldkrivell2524]

I have a problem with the Shelf items not appearing for Unwrapper. I have Maya 2018, I clicked the gear, added the mel. Then a blank shelf appears. Please tell me how to fix this.

[@haroldkrivell2524]

Update. I used unWrapper2017 and it looks like it worked.

[@malcolm341]

@@haroldkrivell2524 Great, glad it's working. Sounds like you don't have the latest Maya service pack installed. -Open Maya and at the top click on Help> About Maya and it should read Version: Autodesk Maya 2018.6 If it doesn't please install the latest update. To get the update follow the below steps: -Go here www.autodesk.com/products/maya-lt/overview -Sign in. -Click on your icon to the right of the search bar and choose manage products and downloads. -Click on all products & services. -Click version 2017, 2018, or LT depending on which version you're using. -Expand it and click updates & add-ons. -if you're using Maya 2018 get 2018 update 6 or later - Win or Mac and then install it. -That should get everything working, let me know if you need further help.

[@haroldkrivell2524]

@@malcolm341 I really need to update my licenses before all else. Thanks.

[@FireManiac58]

Does anyone know why I can cut things out but they always end up being distorted or not changing at all after I press D?

[@malcolm341]

@FireManiac58 I think the workflow changed after one of the updates. This video is pretty old now, I think the new workflow is to just go into UV shell mode and then hover over the shell you want to unfold and press d to make it work. Try this video it's newer with a better description. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKW8oYxpoLt_pJo or just grab my script since it's quite a bit better than Autodesk's workflow and won't bug out. gumroad.com/l/XAIE

[@anubhav462]

Thanks & Subscribed

[@malcolm341]

Thanks for commenting and lettting me know you enjoyed the video.

[@Spyder638]

Having an issue with the script where it doesn't seem to orient the shells correctly at all. Very frustrating.

[@malcolm341]

Hi Spyder, can you send me the model the script is not working on, it will be hard to figure out what the issue is without seeing the unwrap on my end. Also are you using Maya 2018, and is the unfold3d.mll loaded in the plugin manager? Also transforms and history may be interfering with the unwrap in rare cases, or you may have non-manifold geometry which can cause Maya's unwrap to fail. I've recorded a short video here for you which is a test you can do on your end to see if you get the same results. Let me know. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iGimZnWcqch6nLs

[@kaaspatou]

thank you for this excellent tutorial but I have the same question as Son Drogon, how to install the script please ? Yes im newbie

[@malcolm341]

kaaspatou, sorry it appears when I changed my channel name it deleted all my previous comments so I actually replied to Son Drogon, but that message is now gone. To make things easier I have updated the gumroad download, if you download the file again it now has easy to follow install instructions, just download the .zip file and let me know if you need further help.

[@SeanLake3D]

I noticed you have two different UV tools, UV mapping toolbox and The Fastest and Easiest Way to UV Map in Maya , are they the same or one is an all in one?

[@malcolm341]

@Sean Lake, they are two separate tools. The UV mapping toolbox is a more in depth tool with more manual control to really fine tune UVs, but can take longer to map things. The unwrapping toolbox (easy UVs) is a more simple automatic UV solution without a lot of fine tuning and sometimes requires some clean up later. You can grab them both at a discount in the mega pack, or if you're just interested in UV tools you can get all the UV tools in the UV pack at a discount. Kind of depends on how you want to work and how anal you get with UVs. The main reason for not combining the tools was to keep the interfaces readable and easy to learn, as well as to offer solutions at different price points depending on what the artist was interested in UV mapping.

[@vickmure]

a quick one I just started the video but got stuck at the first step....how did you create the UV shells to begin with

[@malcolm341]

Sorry I just used planar map set to camera mapping. But for this tutorial you can apply any planar projection since you'll be cutting up the UVs in the 3D Cut and Sew tool. In the Maya menu at the top of the screen UV> Camera based.

[@vickmure]

Thank you

[@teynix3389]

Awesome!!)))

[@malcolm341]

Thanks a better video here kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKW8oYxpoLt_pJo

[@selina5933]

will you make an updated version for 2019? I already purchased it though :)

[@malcolm341]

@Selina, you can just load the 2018 shelf inside Maya 2019 and it will work.

[@selina5933]

@@malcolm341 I tried doing that and the panel is empty, I can see the plugin in's name in the shelf, but there are no buttons

[@malcolm341]

@@selina5933 That is very strange, I just loaded the 2018 shelf here in 2019 and everything works fine. In Maya at the top can you go to help> About Maya and tell me what it says at the top left, mine says Version: Autodesk Maya 2019 I'm wondering if you have a different version of 2019 or something. All the 2018 shelves should be compatible with the 2019 version unless something's changed recently in 2019 that I don't know about.

[@selina5933]

@@malcolm341 Mine says ""Autodesk® Maya® 2019"" too.. maybe I installed it wrong? here's what I did, I closes Maya then reopened it, then I clicked on the gear icon on the told left corner, then > load shelf then I navigated the plugin on my desktop. And now there are no buttons but the name is there on the shelf. Idk if this is helpful, but I'm using a Mac.

[@malcolm341]

@@selina5933 Make sure after you open Maya that you first delete the shelf in Maya and then load the shelf from the desktop, if that still doesn't work I'll export you a 2019 shelf when I'm home tonight. I had hoped 2018 shelf would just work like it does for me, but maybe because it's the Mac it doesn't like it? Either way let me know.

[@mycalltolife2651]

Would this work for Maya 2017? Looks really cool! Also how complex can the mesh be in regards to the accuracy of the UV Map? I work in Unreal Engine 4 [primarily for architecture]. UV maps are incredibly important for my lighting scenes. Would this purchasable tool still be suitable?

[@malcolm341]

If you update to service pack 5 in Maya 2017 this tool will work as shown in the video. The script should work on complex meshes, the auto unfolding will give you pretty good results, if you want perfect results I'd still do some clean up by hand after cutting everything up with this tool, or you can also check out the UV mapping toolbox I created which you might like better for architecture work because its UV creation has less curvy shapes. You see the video for that here kzbin.info/www/bejne/roivlImcob50hMk

[@mycalltolife2651]

Ah ok awesome! thanks for the reply : )

[@Pussik]

What about padding while unwrapping?

[@malcolm341]

Right now it just pads to a hard coded value. I usually layout my UVs using the other tool I built, I just use this one for quick unwraps before I clean it up later. Do you think I should adding a padding drop down to this tool?

[@seoindigo6319]

hi i have a question. 8:12 how did you edit the lists of Quick Action menu when you Right click the object? mine doesn't show list as yours. is it possible to customize R-click quick action list? Also, 'D' shortcut for Unfold isn't default right? do I have to manually setup for 'D'key Unfold? oh btw, about 3D uvTool, if you shift drag it cuts along the edges wherever your mouse goes!

[@malcolm341]

That list is context sensitive, I didn't edit it, it just changes because I've entered the 3D cut and sew tool. I think the only way to edit those lists is to hack Maya, I don't believe there is a way to edit them safely with options.

[@seoindigo6319]

@@malcolm341 I get it. Thanks for quick response!! already lots of help!

[@simongarcia8694]

Hi Malcolm ! I really want to buy this in the gumroad website but it wont allow me to pay is there anyway I can pay you and receive this script or the whole bundle you are offering in Gumroad?

[@malcolm341]

If you can send me the money through paypal I could generate you a code for the single script or the full script pack. Do you have a paypal account?

[@frankdsouza3388]

How to change the colour of the edges to black like blender

[@malcolm341]

Frank d souza At the top of Maya, Windows> Settings/preferences> Color Settings then select Inactive tab and choose objects and change polygon surfaces to black.

[@ceciliatulip]

What is the checkerboard used for?

[@malcolm341]

To see UV errors/smearing/texel density, and to colourize the different UV islands.

[@유-p7g2t]

Hello does this script also includes tool which can resize uv?

[@malcolm341]

Here's a newer video showing the latest version of the script, have a look it has a bunch of different UV tools kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqStkGV5obutf9k

[@joelwynd9233]

Hey Malcolm, Great Video, I have a question though.... When I use the 3D cut and sew tool when pressing D to unwrap the shell, Maya unwraps each shell to take up the entire 1-1 space in the UV window. Unlike in your video where it is spacing them out to some degree even before you've run your script. Is there some setting to achieve this? I'm running 2018

[@malcolm341]

@Joel Wynd it appears they've updated the tool since I recorded the video. Now you have to select all the UV shells manually before pressing d to unwrap to prevent overlapping which is lame. If you purchase the script it should take care of this for you and they should all pack 0-1 without even having to switch modes.

[@joelwynd9233]

@@malcolm341 I have purchased it since . Saves me soooooo much time thanks heaps !

[@malcolm341]

That's great, thanks for letting me know you found the tool useful.

[@Kainkun]

Is there any way to get the textile density to match automaticly? im getting really tiny UV shells

[@malcolm341]

Absolutely check out this video which shows three different ways to do this. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5aZq6mAprukoqM

[@Reactiee]

Does the script also work with smoothened models? If so I'll definetely buy it!

[@malcolm341]

Hi Reactiee, yes the script will work on smoothed models, the speed at which it lays out the UVs will be a bit slower because of the higher poly count. If you're working with a smooth mesh preview model you can always press 1 to reduce the subdivision and then use the tool and then press 2 or 3 to see the updated UVs after smoothing.

[@rahkriga]

Hi Malcolm...Quick question... In Maya 2018...is there no longer a "view cube" that used to be in upper right hand corner of every view port??? I cant find how to toggle it on to save my life..just wondering if you know if it still exists or not as I dont see in your video either

[@malcolm341]

Hey Tomax, I think the viewcube has been removed from Maya 2018, as I recall the viewcube was not supported in viewport 2.0, and in 2018 viewport 2.0 is the only viewport renderer available so that would make sense that it can no longer be turned on. In older versions of Maya you could switch to high quality or legacy viewports and those would allow you to turn on the viewcube, but those options are gone from 2018. Feel free to post back if find a solution, but I believe it is gone.

[@rahkriga]

Amazing!! Thanks a bunch for that!! Works perfectly. Just curious..how did you find that trick out?? Ive been looking everywhere and couldnt find it...

[@Encoof]

Hi! I've got some weird baked normal maps when I do the unwarp with UVLayout. Do you know something about that? thanks for the tuto !

[@malcolm341]

Hi, what baker are you using and can you post an image of the error your getting. Normal maps are tricky so there is a lot of things that can go wrong, it will be hard to diagnose without seeing the problem. I have some information about normal map baking in these two videos using Toolbag to bake the maps. And I have some very old videos here if you're using MightyBake. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3OTfaSrpZhghZI kzbin.info/www/bejne/qIXOZH6mftmflas kzbin.info/aero/PLAUgGUDpaMEP_4-9XprjMM1w7quKi6Ih9

[@RyanDuncan5]

Is there any way to buy Maya outright anymore? Is it all subscription?

[@malcolm341]

Crazy, it looks like they have gone fully subscription. www.autodesk.com/products/perpetual-licenses If you have student credentials I believe you can still sign up for a free version using this link. I believe the credentials will work even if you have already graduated, but don't quote my on that. Last time I tried that was a couples year back. www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/maya

[@rickrijkers9737]

Great tutorial but how can I export the unwrap to photoshop in Maya 2018

[@malcolm341]

In the UV editor window open the UV Toolkit, should be on the right side of your monitor. At the very bottom expand UV Sets drop down menu, if you can't see it look for white dotted line, pull that up with the mouse, then expand UV Sets, in the bottom right corner there will be a camera icon. Select the model you want to capture the UV from, then click the camera icon. It will bring up a menu you can use to save a UV snap shot, save the file and open that in Photoshop.

[@BenJi2DxD]

When I start clicking the shells and pressing D to unwrap, it unwraps them on the right panel all on top of each other :/ why is that?

[@malcolm341]

It appears they've changed the tool slightly since I recorded the video, probably in a new Maya update. Try selecting all the shells before pressing d. Or you can purchase the script I created which fixes all that annoying stuff. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKW8oYxpoLt_pJo

[@ivanbrkljacic4073]

Hey Malcolm. I purchased your UV mapping Toolbox for Maya script last week. I'm using Maya 2018 and I updated to service pack 6 as instructed but the script still won't appear on the shelf. I'm not sure what to do. Any help would be awesome.

[@malcolm341]

Thanks for your purchase sorry it's not working. Does the shelf not appear at all when you load it, or does it load but has no buttons in it? Here's something to try. 1. Open Maya and delete the shelf named uvMapper_2018. 2. Close Maya. 3. In windows explorer go to C:\Users\yourUserName\Documents\maya\2018 4. Rename the the prefs folder to prefs_backup 5. Open Maya, this will set Maya back to it's default state. 6. Click the gear icon at the top left and load the shelf from the file you downloaded to the desktop from the gumroad link. 7. Let me know if it works, if it doesn't is there any error message displayed in the script editor about the shelf?

[@ivanbrkljacic4073]

@@malcolm341 That worked perfectly. Thanks!

[@malcolm341]

@@ivanbrkljacic4073 that's great thanks for letting me know.

[@Heroickittens]

I'm having an issue with the script. Sometimes when I click X and left click it won't work on the edge. Any way to fix this?

[@malcolm341]

I have that same problem actually, I think it's a bug in Maya, sometimes it works and sometimes it does nothing. The way I get around it is to select multiple edges when that happens, I think it happens when you have a single edge selected. You can always cut too much then quickly sew back together if required.

[@RyanForneyVFX]

I purchased the wrong script, was trying to get this unwrapper tool but purchased the Uvmapper tool accidentally. How can I contact you to get the correct tool?

[@malcolm341]

Just let me know which e-mail you purchased with and I'll issue a refund, you can then buy the correct script.

[@RyanForneyVFX]

malcolm341 [e-mail] Thanks!

[@malcolm341]

@@RyanForneyVFX Okay refund sent.

[@rachelalvarez3351]

So in your UV editor you have everything snapping prettily into your 0-1 automatically. How do I get that?

[@malcolm341]

What time are you referring to in the video?

[@burgzzz]

getting this weird issue.. // Error: line 3: Cannot find procedure "u3dUnfold". Update: nevermind, i dont know why the "3dUnfold" wasn't on in the PM

[@malcolm341]

Sorry just got home from work, looks like you solved it by turning the plug-in on.

[@Kaelarts_vt]

Which of the scripts in the pack is this one?

[@malcolm341]

The unWrapper toolbox, it has the icon that says unwrap. It's changed quite a bit since this old video checkout the latest features by clicking the help button in the tool and reading or watching the youtube links. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKW8oYxpoLt_pJo

[@waheedkhan-ez1lk]

How do you make the self button

[@malcolm341]

If you go to this link and purchase a copy of the script you can find the install instructions included in the .zip file gumroad.com/l/XAIE

[@joykittymeow]

hi so i got this today and well tried to put the shelf on and i get error messaged that says // Warning: The shelf "malcolm341_uv_pack_2018" has items that cannot be read. // I'm using 2018 version student version of Maya on a windows 10 PC

[@malcolm341]

Hey, thanks for supporting me with your purchase, sorry it's not working. Sounds like you don't have the latest Maya service pack installed. -Open Maya and at the top click on Help> About Maya and it should read Version: Autodesk Maya 2018.6 If it doesn't please install the latest update. To get the update follow the below steps: -Go here www.autodesk.com/products/maya-lt/overview -Sign in. -Click on your icon to the right of the search bar and choose manage products and downloads. -Click on all products & services. -Click version 2018, or LT depending on which version you're using. -Expand it and click updates & add-ons. -if you're using Maya 2018 get 2018 update 6 or later - Win or Mac and then install it. -After the update's installed, open Maya and delete the corrupted shelf and load the shelf from the extracted .zip file. -That should get everything working, let me know if you need further help.

[@joykittymeow]

@@malcolm341 thank you so much it worked! ^.^

[@malcolm341]

Perfect, glad it's working for you now.

[@Mirakuruuu]

This is easy shape UV mapping. I need more advanced UV mapping tutorial on even more complex hard surface lets say on a sniper rifle with 800k triangles i just made....

[@malcolm341]

Give this a try and see if it's helpful, this link will take you to the exact time where I start the unwrapping kzbin.info/www/bejne/roivlImcob50hMk