Unwrap Special - Full guide to efficient and fast UV Mapping - 3Ds Max 2017

Confused about what's the best way to unwrap or just not sure how to start? This unwrapping special episode got you covered! Understand the basic idea behind UV mapping and learn about important rules with an ideal baking pass in mind. Learn how pack your map and how to enforce the same Texel Ratio throughout your 3D model. Get to know the essential tools as well as a handy script and plugin to make the job easier.
Part #3 of special episodes covering frequently asked questions when it comes to the workflow as seen in the ChamferZone game art tutorials.
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[@ChamferZone]

Hi guys, I hope you enjoy the latest special episode and that it's useful to a lot of you! I remember good when I started out 3D modeling, the unwrapping part was always a bit of a challenge in getting the full picture. It turned out a little longer then the other episodes but it IS a complex issue that needed some thorough explaining. :) Cheers, Tim

[@thedirtypaw]

dude, you save lives, i swear to god :)))

[@Ki7suneGF]

Never used 3DS Max before - Big Maya user. I have a great and easy understanding and actually prefer Max to Maya for modelling now thanks to you! You are amazing!

[@fishie_wishes]

nearly every tutorial on UV mapping Ive found has been HERE IS A BASIC BOX - now here it is with a texture! Its great to find an easy to follow guide that has lots of smaller parts in the mapping and fully explain it. Thanks dude

[@potatonots]

Thank you so much. Your lessons are extremely helpful.

[@ChamferZone]

Hi Corman, thanks for watching it and glad that it helps! :)

[@evetodew]

I love your process and workflow. Neat and clean execution! I can't imagine how anyone can do the same job in fewer clicks. Your method seems the best I have seen so far.

[@abes6982]

Best tutorial on UV Mapping I've seen so far. Was interested the whole way through and didn't doze off like the other hour long tutorials. Thanks so much!

[@PolygonAcademy]

this is an awesome example of an efficient and well thought out UV mapping process. Love it, thanks for sharing dude!

[@noahnoah4526]

I know you've been told this thousands of times now but genuinely these tutorials and videos are absolutely amazing. Coming from blender tutorials these are a world of difference. Not only are they presented better but they are much more "correct" and in depth, this is a big stepping stone for me as an aspiring 3d artist so thank you.

[@shinjihirano3545]

All jokes aside your tutorial really makes my day meaningful. There are so much stuff to learn from this. I really appreciate your work.

[@gerulfdosinger9869]

Hands down the best UV-Unwrapping Tutorial. Highest quality for free.

[@TheRabidgoalie]

I have one regret about watching this video...I can only 'Like' it once! Great tutorial. I don't feel it was too long at all. Thank you so much for this.

[@MicrosoftsourceCode]

I honestly did not think I was going to learn anything new about UV Unwrapping: But I now know why some of my meshing looks messed up. Thanks to the gentle man with the cool accent.

[@ChamferZone]

Thanks MsCode! Appreciate it and glad you learned something new. Thanks for watching! :)

[@rocaro88]

Thanks. This came at a perfect time. I am unwrapping my first MAX to Substance PBR workflow project. Buildings, vehicles, and a 100 props. I was making some mistakes breaking the islands, and also, not taking full advantage of the use of the smoothing groups. The normals would have looked terrible, I still can go back and check what has ben done and improve my future workflow. Thank you sooooo much. You just saved me hours of work.

[@ChamferZone]

Hi R2Arts, I am glad to read it that it came just in time for your project and that it's being useful! Thanks for watching!

[@jjjames4484]

Everytime i need something usefull i always end up on this channel... coincidence??... i dont think so. More hugs from Argentina

[@ChamferZone]

Thanks Jaime, glad you dig it and thanks for subscribing. More vids will come for sure, I wish I could produce these videos faster but I got a ton of other stuff to do all the time so it always takes a bit :)

[@marcosdimagi128]

wow! smoothing groups from uv shells...i have missed that!...i already love this tutorial thanks!

[@ChamferZone]

glad you discovered it! :) and thanks for watching!

[@BrentVIDSZ]

Dude, you are a legend! Amazing tutorials! you just give all the details a "student" needs. Some tutorials go over the stitching and packing,.. But you also explain that you have to seperate hard edges, smoothing groups by UV,... Very awesome and very helpfull!! nothing but positive feedback from me!

[@R3dfi3lD]

Thank you, Tim. All the questions that popped up about UV, when I was following the grenade tutorial, were clarified + I learned new stuff. 😄

[@ChamferZone]

Hi Felipe, thank you very much! Yes I had quite the list of things that I got asked a lot in the past. Glad it helps and that I could cover it in this :)

[@Shennzo]

Thanks for this tutorial mate.. a bit lengthy but worth it. I usually organise the UV map manually but after this I think I'll start playing around with the automatic packing tools. Keep it up!

[@Super-id7bq]

I've always managed to get away with simply texturing with selections and triplaner projection etc but last week decided it was time to get down and dirty with Substance Live which required me to produce UV's. I've spent literally ALL WEEK trying to learn how to unwrap properly (using 3D Coat which is actually SUPER fast for unwrapping). All other tutorials only cover HOW, they don't cover WHY. Shit like why you should place you seams where and what's generally a bad idea. YOUR tutorial just taught me everything I needed to know in half an hour! I owe you dude! Thank you!

[@ChamferZone]

Hello Kraig, I am super happy to read that from you! Motivational boost to keep on producing more special episodes. Currently finishing the next big tutorial (Battlemech) after that it's time for the baking special. Thanks for watching, Cheers !!

[@leandrosn962]

Best 3ds max UV tutorial I've ever seen!

[@konon667]

Hi Tim! Recently I was wrote to you that i have only left to pray about unwrapping my custom akm correсtly but now i am pretty much sure that everything will be fine =) Thank you so much and cant wait to watch your next video!

[@ChamferZone]

Oh hey hi-man! ;) Glad that it's a help on the way and look forward seeing it baked and textured!

[@nemsix4185]

Thank you so much, i have really learned a lot. I had so much hard time doing UV's and i'm really confused and how everyone does it, so many different pipelines, but since i find your lessons so much clearer and the results are awesome from now on i will follow this road. thanks again.

[@ChamferZone]

Hello Mohamed, thanks a lot for the feedback and glad you find it being useful!

[@tonyOvarela]

we're in 2019 and you're stuff still super Helpful dude... you're my reference. thx

[@tamaraorlova]

Great video! I am new to UV mapping and it is wonderful that you explained even why do we do it. Thank you!

[@timhernandez1174]

Thank YOU! this is soo useful and helpful. You go at a speed that anyone can understand.

[@jeffreywarrenpark9149]

Although I do not make video game assets, or work with 3D Studio Max, this tutorial was surprisingly helpful, and easy to follow! Thank you! I learned some things, and would be glad to recommend your tutorials to other folks. Good job!!!

[@ChamferZone]

Hello Jeffrey, thanks for the feedback, that is great to hear! I appreciate it. Yes, the rules of unwrapping are all the same, doesn't matter too much which software you are using.

[@Gotodrphil]

I loved this video! and thank you so much for the script ideas! My college was closing while i was finishing up, so they really took shortcuts when teaching us these things. your video just saved me years of stress. (wish i watched this three years ago haha)

[@neels]

You have totally different ways of unwrapping things :) never knew unwrapping could be this simple and easy. Cant thank you enuf..

[@henrichkruty8952]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. Your tutorials are comprehensive and effective.

[@ChamferZone]

Hello Heinrich, thank you very much. Appreciate your feedback and I'll produce more as long as people dig it. :)

[@LVGi]

I've been watching your tutorials and purchased what I could since the Grenade tutorial, I'd love to see more full length weapon tutorials as well as vehicle & environment tutorials to see how you'd approach such tasks, I'd buy them all, by far the clearest and best instructor, please continue doing what you do.

[@ChamferZone]

Hello Jack, thanks a lot for your support and trusting in my tutorials. I certainly have plans for everything you mentioned. The only downside is that finishing each one of these tutorials (I mean the actual ones) is crazy time consuming. Nevertheless, I'll keep on producing them and the next one will be a battle mech :-)

[@iastudentst7678]

this is the most helpful uv tutorials i ve ever seen,thanks a lot ! not only the usage of tools,but the meaning of use every tools, that need experience ,and patient, i log in my google account just for this:)

[@ChamferZone]

Very happy to read your comment, thanks for watching and subbing! More content soon(ish)! :)

[@xermy1648]

I've learned more from this video than my Teacher ever thaught me about unwrapping...

[@yasaipicles6295]

Taught*

[@Smarglenargle]

I realized something important... tucking all the edges into 1 vertex for flat areas saving space is really the next step in the mindset for modeling. We mostly all do quads and it gets crazy over time but this is an entirely different work flow we have to think about.

[@enginy.5328]

very good tutorial. i was looking for a tool like this for so long! thank you very much

[@Mephi1995]

OMG Thank you so much that is helping a lot ! :) starting with 3d Programs and getting into the endless amounts of possibilities is a procedure as long and painful als licking a hole in steel . You do a great job thanks !

[@ChamferZone]

Thanks Mephi! I appreciate it very much and absolutely that is my aim with these tutorials. Showing the whole pipeline. I know the pain figuring it out.. everyone started fresh at some point :) More videos soon!

[@ChrisBeatsRecords]

Thank you! Defenitely a few useful tips (for example the seperate smoothinggroup uv islands, straight uv borders for better normal maps)

[@ChamferZone]

Thanks for watching Christoph and good to hear it!

[@Kennnyboy888]

Awesome tutorial. Loved watching your work flow. Really efficient! Thanks.

[@ChamferZone]

Hey Kenneth, thank you very mich for watching it and glad if it works for you too!

[@Nexen_11]

those renders at the end were insane wow

[@AlleonoriCat]

wow, i was just getting ready to unwrap my next model, but i'm sure i will do better now after this video. Thanks a lot!

[@ChamferZone]

That's awesome Leon. Glad if it helps along the way !

[@clorox1676]

Thank you so much for taking time to share your knowledge.

[@FesterThanLight]

some crazy high quality tutorial, gold!

[@chexmix0101]

Tim your videos have all been awesome so useful and informative!

[@ChamferZone]

Thank you cherxmix, I am happy to read it!

[@sixingchen5034]

Im so grateful for your tutorials.It help me a lot.thank you so much !!

[@BigPooPooKaka]

This blew my mind, thank you very much :)

[@Kazlyan]

Pure gold! Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge!

[@ChamferZone]

Thanks for watching good sir!

[@tokimatsu]

You're really a MASTER at UVWmapping! Thank you so much!

[@ChamferZone]

Thanks for watching the tutorial Venner ! Much appreciated.

[@Dach101]

Thank you so much for putting these up. So useful. Cheers!

[@ChamferZone]

Thanks for watching Dach! I am currently super caught up with work but there will be more updates here on the channel soon enough.

[@theranike]

Hi, Tim! You are amazing. You are my hero ;) I'm doing my first steps in 3D, and your tutorials put me to the next lvl of studying!!! I can't find a good teacher in my country, so your tuts are the solution for me!!! Thank you so much!!! Keep going, you help a lot!!!

[@ChamferZone]

Hello theranike, that's awesome to read! I wish I had more tutorials out already but they always take long to produce. That baking special episode will still come but I am currently finishing the next big tutorial first. I'll post a trailer for it once its done :)

[@theranike]

That would be nice!!! I'm waiting with impatience!

[@dprousalis]

the best uv unwrapping tut !!!

[@enaig07]

I personally could not thank you enough.. youre amazing!

[@selfdevstuff7398]

Man i love your tutorials! Thank you!

[@Arikiatrukido]

90% of tutorials are shit, they try to explain stuff but never do, they avoid the main subject la cancer, but you're stuff :))) damm....i am always glad to see one of you're vids :))) thank you man.

[@ChamferZone]

Thanks good Sir! Appreciate your feedback and good to hear:- )

[@ripx932]

What did I just read

[@neumann1940]

lol at the beginning i though like WTF dude , why you hitting on him so hard !

[@lebaquette]

I used this as a guide in blender, worked really well.

[@MrKafteji]

Great tutorial Man. Thanks.

[@joeeyaura]

I have always hated UV mapping, and looked at other professional model maps and wonder how they do it. After watching this i'm a bit closer to getting to that level. And that smart stitch is freakin awesome.

[@soorenaasl9519]

Best video tutorial I ever see Thanks 🙏

[@nalissolus9213]

Thanks! That smart stitch script seems very useful!

[@nalissolus9213]

I recently tried to export a 3ds max model to substance painter. I get errors when I try to bake it: [Material view] Cannot set world space normal slot: map selected is already used by curvature slot [Baking] Baking failed (color map from mesh) Could not find vertex colors [Baking] Baking failed

[@martacasalini4834]

awesome tut, it helped me A LOT!

[@pawpotsRS]

thank you this is really clear, tbh I really hate unwrapping in 3ds max instead I chose to do that on 3DC but now for sure I'm gonna practice this on 3ds. thank you. SUBSCRIBE!

[@akcg4397]

Thank you very much for your time and effort. Very nice tutorial and it helps me a lot!

[@ChamferZone]

Thank you for watching AK, glad you like it and that it's being useful !

[@Gallamanji]

Your tutorials are the best thanks a ton!

[@ChamferZone]

Thank you Sam ! Appreciate it and new tutorial almost done now!

[@artinstroukeprod]

It is very useful! Thank you for lesson and sharing!

[@maritarakova]

An amazing tutorial! Thank you so much!!

[@mix3r11]

Absulutelly brilliant lesson. Thanks a lot.

[@af6310]

Excelent tutorial! Much apreciated!

[@raizel2457]

this helps me unwrap models faster... thnks man....

[@dogactekman2288]

good tutorial. thanks for making this with max 2017.

[@ChamferZone]

Hi Dogac, thanks for watching it and yeah.. 3DS Max all the way (for me) :)

[@zaparine]

10,000 Subscribers Congratulations!

[@ChamferZone]

Thanks zaparine, yes I was quite to happy to see this! :)

[@neels]

u talk in a very sweet way :) like teaching a kid, thanks..

[@zacharycieszinski5465]

I been using the pelt and relax mostly, but i will give these techniques a shot

[@gamingsolutions7272]

... i dont know how to thank you... u r a legend sir 🙂

[@hannardee]

Thank you for sharing your resources!

[@davidmercadel9300]

great video man thank you!

[@counterrage]

Big thanks! Very helpful.

[@jonathanevans5453]

Excellent tutorial thanks

[@Gusando]

Thanks for saving my life!

[@rosstaylor1820]

Hi ChamferZone, thankyou for the awesome tutorial! I did have to watch it about 4 times for my brain to actually absorb all the knowledge but its very good! I think the problem i have is i had too many hard edges for my models, you seen to have alot of very smooth edges and clean meshes where as mine look too sharp (due to me using too many extrudes and insets i think to create 'detail') any tips for modelling so that i will have an easier time with unwrapping it? Trying to nail a workflow for a small university project! thanks

[@KC-fr5vo]

What a great tutorial thanks a lot!

[@levyan4718]

This is a very good tutorial

[@danielcastellanos8434]

Hello @ChamferZone, is there a quick way to overlap Uv islands, like the repeated ones with the same shape? Thank you for the turorial, it is great!

[@darnedghost2008]

Love your videos. Great explentions!

[@ChamferZone]

Thanks for your comment, I am happy to read it !

[@SoliDxBill17]

Hey thanks for your tutorial! I have a simple question, i'm making a 3D car and it's in 3 objects, there is the body, one door on the left and the other one on the right. Did you recommand to make differents uv's as you show us in this tutorial with sight? Or to collapse all the objects to make one uv?

[@Vendetti]

excellent tutorial 👌

[@mikhailnovikov6388]

Thanks, Tim!

[@elvingao3538]

Awosome video bro! Cheers!

[@ChamferZone]

Thanks for watching Elvin !

[@MihezLive]

wow...this video makes me happy....thanks man...good job done...i need moreeeeee))

[@ChamferZone]

Hello Mihez, glad to read it and more to come out very soon! Stay tuned :)

[@22shads]

Thank you for this great tut..my question is I didn’t understand how “Flatten Map” works depending on how much the angle is?

[@HanSolocambo]

Thanks for this nice tutorial. Never used Textools but wow I'm getting it right now ! :) I was using more or less the same technic until maybe 9 months ago when I began to use 3DCoat and advice : forget 3DSmax for unwraping, try 3DCoat. Their UV tools are amazingly fast and clear (UV islands have different colors) and the way it auto-organizes the UV islands is just blow minding (and you have different auto-organizing possible, you can of course move islands manually, define a pixel-gap between island, regroup multiple UVs from different objects already textured in litteraly ONE click, etc. insane :) ). And when you move UVs already textured, 3DCoat moves the pixels accordingly in all the images in your hard drive (diffuse, NM, AO, and so on). Hard to use anything else after that at (I use it only for unwrapping, sometimes for baking, especially organic objects, and also for all my re-topology as it's the fast I've ever tried, better than topogun) For baking Max is really powerful and precise BUT doesn't understand ZBRush polypaint and takes ages to compute high poly objects, a shame in 2017.... XNormals does an amazing job AND understands polypaint (nothing more than vertex color). 3DCoat baking tools are amazing but I still haven't figured everything out when it comes to hard surface baking (can't define smoothing groups or polygroups equivalent, hard edges are defined by angle and there doesn't seem to be a manual way to modify the "smoothing groups" of your lowpoly before baking). Good luck :)

[@ChamferZone]

Hi Han Solo, appreciate your recommendation for 3DCoat, i also find that software very interesting looking! The only thing is that even if Max might be old and sluggish in some parts its still the number 1 tool that every company I ever worked for uses for their pipeline. I guess that part of being established (or old lol) also means that there is a whole lot of work done for it already. So the bottom line is that for me there is no real reason to switch to something else. However I might check 3Dcoat out when I get the chance, what you told me sounds very interesting for sure. Don't they also have something in it that is basically like Substance Painter? Saw a video a while ago and was impressed. Cheers, Tim

[@Daegmonicus]

I hated to mapping until saw this video. Thanks a lot, friend

[@ChamferZone]

I am glad to hear that man! Yeah I also used to hate it.. nowadays it's just well.. a puzzle game :) (almost fun)

[@khalidvfxartist]

this is awesome! keep it up yo! thank you!

[@ChamferZone]

Thanks mate, glad you dig it!

[@jaymkultra]

great tutorial, could you do one for baking high to low poly on an object like a gun? I feel my normal map is never perfect and requires a lot of tweaking

[@3dbomb962]

Thanks a lot for this tutorial,its amazing

[@ChamferZone]

Thanks for watching it 3D Bomb, glad to read it!

[@KGBterminator333333]

great tutorial very well instructed thank you

[@ChamferZone]

Thanks Nick, appreciated !

[@ShereefHisham]

Most impressive .. thanks a lot

[@gregdelise2872]

you rocks man, I love you

[@user-lk5tt3wc1r]

You are the best! Thank you so much! :)

[@RetepOdaged]

Great job!!

[@ChamferZone]

Thanks Peter! :)

[@pixelscholar]

Awesome tutorial. I may have missed it, but is there a quick way to convert a circular ring shaped UV island like the one at the end of the barrel into a straight edged ribbon? My only thought was to cut a single seam, pelt unwrap it, and then use the straighten edge tools but I'm wondering if there's a quicker way. Thanks!

[@Granada1]

Just seen this, thank you very much

[@A.MythKumar]

keep doing stuff like these

[@Crazykilla626]

Your tutorials are really a great help and they've allowed me to achieve triple-A quality content so thank you! I have a request if you're willing for complex geometry unwrapping. Something that has more wild and non-uniform UV's that would have too much distortion if you straightened them.

[@ChamferZone]

Hi Ayy lmao, thank you very much I am glad to read it. About your feedback, my next battlemech tutorial might have some interesting shapes on them. However it is part of the ultimate tutorials series that goes over hours so it'll be a paid tutorial. There will be more free ones as well but always one piece at a time :) My AKM tutorial might also have some more non uniform shapes on it, at least for the grip. But yeah I ll keep it in mind for potential more special episodes regarding this topic. Cheers!

[@Crazykilla626]

Thank you!