Test Head UV Unwrapping

Unfortunately due to an end of module deadline I haven't made much time for posting updates as of late, so I'll be posting updates on my current work a lot more this week.

Leaving off from the last post, I started to unwrap the individual parts of the robot's head. This took a little while, but in the long run its helped remind me how to go around unwrapping a multiple piece model.

I made large use of the seam selection tools. By using the 'point to point' seams mode, I was able to freely create seams on the 3D model, and then implement these into the 2D UVW unwrap. To make sure that the unwraps were unwrapping correctly, I placed a uv checker texture onto each model piece.

Below is an example of my unwrapping process on the eye piece:

1. I start by applying a uv checker texture in material mode to the model that I'm working on. 

2. I then separate the model into pieces, thus making it easier to work on the unwrap of individual parts in the 3D viewport. 

3. Unwrap begins on all the pieces. The aim is to make them as clean and straight as possible, avoiding any deforming or bending in the UV Checker texture. 

4. The blue lines show the seam by seam selection process in action. When I have the seam I want, I then use the quick peel function to create quick UV checker pieces in the unwrap, an invaluable tool which if used correctly can save a lot of time. 

5. When I'm happy with each models unwrap, I then use the rescale elements function to make sure they are correctly sized, and then pack them into the UV space using the pack custom function. This is for easier editing of different model pieces in the final unwrap when I attach them all together. 

With this done, I went on to attach all the unwrapped parts together and started to pack them in the unwrap. The image below shows the current progression on this front. 

Current progress on the test head's UV Unwrap. Not all the pieces have been included since it is being purely used for testing purposes. 

Further updates on the test head will posted soon, but in the meantime the next few posts will show the start of modelling work done on the design for the robotic military themed mech.