UVEditPro Manual
UVEditPro Manual
UVEditPro Manual
Introduction
UV Edit ProTM is a LightWave 3D® Modeler tool used for creating and editing UV
texture maps. The most important capability this plugin adds to LightWave 3D is the
ability to edit UVs without having to unweld points in the model, as is required by the
native UV tools in LightWave. Beyond that, UV Edit Pro provides an elegant and
intuitive suite of tools for creating and editing your UV maps, with clear and concise
views of the UV map and the object that you are applying it to.
UV Edit Pro provides a variety of mapping projections, easy control of the Texture and
Model viewports, and includes the ability to assign or re-assign surface names to a set of
polygons without leaving the editor. Snapping tools are also included, and can be
adjusted for the level of precision you need. You can export an image of the UV map that
you can save to a file and load into your favorite paint application. In sum, UV Edit Pro
provides a complete professional toolkit for UV map creation and editing.
Step 1. Place the ZIP or SIT archive file that you downloaded in a location that you won't
forget.
Step 2. Extract the plugin from the archive file into the Plugins folder in your LightWave
installation.
Step 6. The Tool will automatically show up in the Additional drop down menu but that
isn't the best place for it.
Step 7. Let's give it a proper home. Launch the Configure Menus panel (Alt + F10) and
assign it a proper home on the Texture Menu.
Registration
After being installed, the plugin will run in demo mode, with save functions disabled,
until you purchase a license and register it. Until you register the program and enter the
registration code you receive, the plugin will open a registration requester each time you
run it. The requester provides the internal ID number for your LightWave hardware key,
and you will need provide this in order to receive your unique registration code.
If you are purchasing from NewTek, contact NewTek Sales to make your purchase, and
you will receive a 10-digit serial number for your copy of UV Edit Pro, as well as a link
to a registration page. Point your browser at the registration page, and enter your 10-digit
serial number and the internal hardware key ID, and a working email address, and you
will receive your registration code by email. Enter the registration in the registration
panel the next time you run the plugin, and UV Edit Pro will then operate with the save
functions active.
Grid Toggle- The G button will toggle the Grid display on and off.
Texture Toggle- The T button will toggle the background texture on and off.
Keep Aspect- The A button will toggle the Keep Aspect Ratio setting on and off.
View Drop Down Menu- The View drop down menu located next to the Keep Aspect
button (A) gives you the ability to Reset View, Fit UVs, and Fit Selected UVs quickly.
The Pan and Zoom Widgets- These widgets allow you to quickly navigate the UV
window. Use the Left, Right, Up and Down arrows to move one increment per click in
the given direction.
Use the Pan widget to Left click and drag the UV window around. Use the Magnify
widget to Zoom in and Out of the UV window.
UV Workspace Edit Window- This is where you will do all your editing on your UV
map.
UV Map Selection and Creation Drop Down Menu- Use this drop down menu to
select the UV map you would like to edit or to create a new UV map.
Selected Point Info display- This area will display the UV information for the selected
point. Nothing will be displayed in Polygon mode and if multiple points are selected
“mixed” will be displayed unless all points share the same location.
Point/Polygon Info Display- All points and Polygons that make up the UV map will be
listed here. This is a handy way to select specific points or polygons and to get detailed
info about them.
Selection Info and Image Info Window- Located in the Left hand bottom corner of the
UV Edit Pro window is information about the amount of geometry selected and the size
of the image map used.
Points- This mode will display all the points that make up the object.
Wireframe- This mode will display the object's wireframe. All faces on the object can
be selected.
Front Face- Like Wireframe mode, this mode will display the object's wireframe. The
difference is that only the front faces will be selectable.
Wireframe Color- This mode will display color and textures with the wireframe
overlayed. This mode is ideal for working with UV maps.
Lighting Shade- This mode is identical to Vertex Color mode but will take advantage of
the OpenGL lights. Note the specular highlights on the eyes.
Backround- The Background toggle (B), toggles between the solid color and
checkerboard backgrounds. The colors for these can be selected by the user – see the
sections on the Command and Control Tab for Model View.
Left: Solid Color Background Selected, Right: Checkerboard Background Selected.
Texture- The Texture toggle (T) toggles the texture on and off.
View Options- Next item to the right from the Texture toggle is the drop-down button
for the View Options menu. The Model View offers several view types and a number of
view control options on the View Options drop down menu.
View Type- Choose from Front, Back, Top, Right, Left, and Bottom as a starting view.
Each view can be adjusted by using the navigation icons in the upper right hand corner or
by holding down the Alt key and dragging in the Model View Window.
Pan and Zoom- Choose between Fit Model, Fit Selected, and Face to Selected
Polygons for quick panning and zooming.
Hide Options- Choose between Hide Selection, Hide Unselected, Hide Invert, and
Unhide to change the visibility of the geometry.
Orthogonal/Perspective- Use this drop down menu to toggle between perspective view
and Orthogonal view. When in Perspective mode use the FOV (Field of View) mini
slider to adjust the perpective amount. In Orthogonal view FOV sets the width in degrees
of the field of view.
Window Widgets- Use these widgets to navigate the Model View window. The first
widget Pivots the object around the 0 point on the Z-axis, regardless of where the object
is currently locate in the Model View. The next three operate the same way as the
equivalent buttons in Modeler, adjusting the object position on the X and Y axes of the
viewport, adjusting rotation on all three axes, and adjusting zoom.
Note: Holding down the Alt key and left clicking and dragging the mouse will allow
you to rotate the object. Use the (,) and (.) to zoom in and out of the view.
Copy- This command will make a copy of the UV information from the selected
geometry and place it on the clipboard.
Paste- This command will apply the UV information that is stored in the clipboard on the
selected geometry.
Clear- This command will delete UV information for the selected geometry.
Map UV- Map UV is another option for adding geometry to a UV Map. It will allow you
to map the UVs to the selected geometry based on the direction they are facing in the
perspective view. Follow the steps below.
Step 2. Rotate the view so that the selected geometry is facing towards you. A quick way
to do this is to use the Face to Selected Polygons option in the Model View drop down
list.
Step 3- Click the "Map UV" button.
Rot UV- Rotates the UV map for each selected polygon 90 degrees.
Note: Clicking Apply four times will get you back where you started.
Sel All- This command will select all geometry that makes up the UV map.
Sel Pnts- This command will select all the points that make up the selected polygons.
About- Clicking the About button will bring up the Configure Shortcut Keys panel that
works just like Modeler's Shortcut Keys panel. You can also find version number
information here as well as your registration code.
Assign- Select a command in the Left list and a Key in the right list and choose Assign to
map that command to the keyboard shortcut.
Unassign- Select a command in the Left list and a Key in the right list and choose
Unassign the command.
Load- Load a previously saved UV Edit Pro menu config file (cfg).
Edit Modes: UV Edit Pro has three edit mode options: Points, Polygons, and Symmetry.
Points- Points generally appear in two ways on screen, selected and unselected. Selected
points are highlighted in yellow, while unselected points remain small white dots.
Note: Points can only be selected in the UV window. If you attempt to select points in the
preview window , polygons will be selected and nothing will be selected in the UV
window.
Polygons- Polygons generally appear in two ways on screen, selected and unselected. A
selected polygon will appear highlighted with outlines in yellow.
Symmetry- When you select or edit polygons on the positive X axis and Symmetry mode
is active, polygons on the negative X axis are also edited or selected (or deselected).
Polygons must be exactly opposite each other on the positive and negative sides of the X
axis for this command to work properly.
Edit Tools:
Drag- Freely drag points and polygons using the Drag tool. This works very similar to
Modeler’s Drag tool with a couple of differences. Point Mode- When Points mode is
active, you can freely drag points around. Points that run along the edges of the UV map
can be adjusted as if they were un-welded so they will not affect the connecting points.
This is one of the major benefits of using UV Edit Pro over Modeler’s built in UV tools.
Polygon Mode- When Polygons mode is active, you can freely drag polygons around as
if they were all un-welded from each other. This is one of the major benefits of using UV
Edit Pro over Modeler’s built in UV tools.
Snap To Grid- Snapping helps with precise placement of points and polygons. You can
enable or disable snapping using this option. You can also specify the Grid Step
increments and whether or not it will display UV or Pixel Information. This information
will be displayed in the lower left hand portion of the UV window.
Left: Pixel, Right: UV
Snap To Point- Snapping to Points helps with precise placement of points and polygons.
You can enable or disable Snap to Points using this option. When you are dragging a
point or polygon near another point it will snap to its location.
Limit Region- When Limit Region is selected points and polygons will not be able to be
placed out side the UV region. The Offset options allow you to set the distance from the
edge of the UV map that the region will be limited to. The Offset can be set in UV or
Pixel Information. This information will be displayed in the lower left hand portion of the
UV window.
Move- The Move tool is a basic tool used to reposition the geometry on the UV map.
Snap To Grid- Snapping helps with precise placement of points and polygons. You can
enable or disable snapping using this option. You can also specify the Grid Step
increments and whether or not it will display UV or Pixel Information. This information
will be displayed in the lower left hand portion of the UV window.
Offset- Use the Offset fields to numerically reposition the selected geometry.
Rotate- The Rotate tool is a basic tool used to rotate the geometry on the UV map.
Angle- Use the Angle field to numerically rotate the selected geometry.
Center- The center of the rotation (Pivot Point) is determined by the Center setting.
Size- The Size tool is a basic tool used to scale the geometry on the UV map. The scaling
will be constrained on the U and V coordinates (scaling maintains the aspect ratio
between U and V).
Stretch- The Stretch tool is a basic tool used to scale the geometry on the UV map.
Stretch is similar to the Size tool, except you can scale the geometry independently on the
U and V.
Factor- Defines amount of sizing, as a percent.
DragNet- A Drag tool which has a range of influence. With DragNet, the spherical range
is always centered around the initial point of dragging. When you drag other points in the
influence area will also move.
Snap To Grid- Snapping helps with precise placement of points and polygons. You can
enable or disable snapping using this option. You can also specify the Grid Step
increments and whether or not it will display UV or Pixel Information. This information
will be displayed in the lower left hand portion of the UV window.
Edit Commands:
Planar- Creates UVs as if you were projecting an image through a slide projector onto a
wall. Planar UV maps are best used on flat, or nearly flat surfaces like the sides of
buildings and the screens of video monitors.
Cylindrical- Creates UVs around the selected axis like a paper towel wrapped about a
cardboard tube. A soda can or tree trunk are both good examples of surfaces that would
use Cylindrical UV mapping.
Spherical- Creates Uvs as if you were stretching a flat piece of rubber around a ball, but
without having to worry about the edges all meeting. Planets, basketballs, and marbles
could all use a Spherical UV mapping.
Cubic- Creates UVs essentially the same as Planar, except that you cannot select a an
Axis. Cubic creates UVs from all three axes at the same time. Use Cubic where you wish
to apply the same image to all sides of a rectangular shape, such as an image of tiling
bricks wrapped about the sides of a building, or wallpaper on the walls of a room.
Axis-. UVs are initially positioned referenced to the X, Y, or Z Axis. For Planar, think of
the axis as a nail used to hold a photograph to a wall. For Cylindrical, think of the axis as
the cardboard center of a roll of paper towels. Spherical can be thought of in much the
same way. You cannot select an axis for a Cubic, however.
For example, a soda can would use a Y Axis because it sits vertically. The fuselage of an
airplane, on the other hand, would probably use the Z Axis.
NOTE: You should generally model objects so that they face the positive Z axis.
Width and Height Wrap- Cylindrical and Spherical maps have tiling (i.e., repeating)
options, which you can set independently for the Width and Height. 1.0 has no repeating
where 0.5 would repeat twice.
Auto Sizing- will automatically size the geometry to fit the map region or you can use the
Manual mode and define specific Center , Size and Rotate parameters.
Note: Clicking "Apply" four times will get you back where you started.
Flip UV- Reverses the UV map along the U, V,or both axes.
Note: Flip only works in Polygon Mode.
Fit UV- Fit UV will auto-scale the selected geometry to fit the UV map region.
Mirror UV- Mirror can be used in two ways. You can select geometry on one side of an
axis and Mirror UV will take the UV data from the selected geometry, reverse it, and
apply it to the matching geometry on the opposite side of the selected axis. You can also
select a symmetrical set of geometry on both sides of an axis, as in the illustration below,
and Mirror will take the geometry and UV data from one half, reverse it, and apply it to
the other half to make it match.
Left: Before Mirror, Right: After Mirror
Add- Will move the selected geometry in the UV map by adding the parameters.
Subtract- Will move the selected geometry in the UV map by subtracting the parameters.
Multiply- Will Scale the selected geometry in the UV map by multiplying by the
parameters.
Divide- Will Scale the selected geometry in the UV map down by dividing by the
parameters.
Unwrap- The Unwrap command will generate an image of the UV map that you can save
to a file and load into your favorite paint application.
Use the Image Format drop down menu to choose the image format. Choose Save As to
save the image to a file.
Band- Band is a polygon loop-detecting tool that works in Point and Polygon Selection
mode, although it will only select polygons. Simply select a few polygons and choose
Band. This tool will automatically select any edge loop that the current selection is a part
of.
Note: If you are familiar with the way Bandsaw selects loops you will feel right at
home here.
Invert- Invert will deselect all selected polygons and select all unselected polygons.
Expand- The Expand command is a single-step version of the Connect command. All
polygons that are adjacent to selected elements are themselves selected.
Contract- The Contract command is the exact opposite of the Expand Selection
command, except that any elements that are adjacent to unselected elements are
deselected.
Connect UV- This command works the same way Connect works except it will select all
polygons sharing the same UV map that are connected to the currently highlighted
polygons.
Statistics List- The Statistics List works very similar to the Point and Polygon Statistics
panel in Modeler. Here are your options:
Mapped- Selects all geometry that has been added to the current UV map.
Unmapped- Selects all geometry that hasn't been added to the current map.
Surface- You can select by surface name.
>4 Vertices- Will select all polygons that consist of more then 4 points.
Surface- Lists the names of all the surface applied to the object.
UV Map- This list shows what UV map is applied to the Surface. Left Click on the item
in the list to choose.
Function- This list lets you choose between Modulate, Decal, and Replace. Left Click on
the item in the list to choose. Modulate, Decal and Replace are how the texture is applied.
Modulate- Blending.
The modulate option will use the surface color to modulate the texture color. This is
equivalent to the multiplication of the surface color by the texture color according to the
equation (C=Cf*Ct). An alternative way to view color modulation is as "color tinting".
The surface color and the UV texture color are mixed using the alpha component of the
texture. (C = Cf * (1-At) + Ct * At)
Replace- Replaces.
The UV texture color overrides the base surface color regardless of the value of alpha. (C
= Ct)
Set Current- Sets the selected surface in the list as the current surface in the UV and
Model views.
Use the Name field to give your polygon selection a unique identity. Use the Color
Picker or RGB mini-sliders to change the new surface's color.
Change- This panel works just like the Change Surface panel in Modeler.
Choose an existing surface from the Surface drop down menu, or select New Surface to
create a new surface.
Use the Name field to give your polygon selection a unique identity. Use the Color
Picker or RGB mini-sliders to change the polygons color.
Contrast- Will change the background image's contrast. Values lower than zero will have
less contrast and values higher than zero will have more contrast.
Repeat U and V- You can have the background image tile by increasing the Repeat
values.
Invert- You can invert the image's color with this control option.
Keep Aspect- This option will force the Texture (UV) view to keep its aspect ratio.
Backdrop- Choose to display your backdrop texture in Color, Gray Scale, and Black
and White.
Snap Precision- Adjusts how precise the Snapping features will be.
Resolution- Adjusts the level of resolution with which the backdrop image will be
displayed.
Color- Adjusts the colors for the Background and Checker pattern.
Checker Pattern 1- Sets the RGB value of one of the two colors used in the
Checker pattern..
Checker Pattern 2- Sets the RGB value of the other of the two colors used in the
Checker pattern..
The Model View tab gives you several options for adjusting the Model View display.
The modulate option will use the surface color to modulate the texture color. This is
equivalent to the multiplication of the surface color by the texture color accoring to the
equation (C=Cf*Ct). An alternative way to view color modulation is as "color tinting".
The surface color and the UV texture color are mixed using the alpha component of the
texture. (C = Cf * (1-At) + Ct * At)
Replace- Replaces.
The UV texture color overrides the base surface color regardless of the value of alpha. (C
= Ct)
Offset- Changes the center of symmetry based on the value in this field.
Wireframe/ Front Face- Changes the color of the wireframe in the Wireframe
and Front Face modes.
Checker Pattern 1- changes one of the two checker colors for the backdrop
checker pattern
Checker Pattern 2- changes the other of the two checker colors for the backdrop
checker pattern
Save UVs to- Choose what type of Vertex Map to save to. Your choices are Only
Discontinuous VMAP or VMAP and Discontinuous VMAP.
Patch Division- If your object is a SubPatch object this setting sets what the display level
will be.
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thereof is being or will be shipped, transferred or re-exported, directly or indirectly, into
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The above limitations will not apply in case of personal injury only where and to the
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the exclusion or limitation of implied warranties or liability for consequential or
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UV Edit Pro is a trademark of D-Storm, Inc.
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