missile launcher UV mapping

[gpdesigner]

Hello everyone,
I thought I would post this project here on this forum because I came here to learn a bit about photoshop painting and skinning. I haven't looked at any of the tutorials in depth yet but hopefully I will get a chance to see them this week. Serval suggested that even though I am not aircraft oriented posting my image would be ok.

If you didn't see my greetings thread I will do a quick recap. I am a 3D modeler like some of the folks here, I do hi poly meshes used for photo real renders and for highly detailed images. I am a hobbyist so my skills are slow in coming. I am an intermediately skilled modeler with a good grasp at texturing with imaps and procedurals, however just recently I am interested in learning UV mapping. I understand the concept of UV's but it's my Photoshop skills that need help . . . . so I figured I would come and hang out with you guys and try to learn a few things . . . . hope you don't mind.

Ok here is my project:
Any of you familiar with Battlestar Galactica will appreciate this project.
I built a Cylon Base for a Fanfilm that is currently in live action production.
In and around the base are fixed missile positions, Here are the MSL platforms that I need to texture.

The first image is in modeler, just the mesh in digital form and wire frames to show the meshes composition.
The second image is how Lightwave brakes down a particular section for UV maps, it looks just like the plates you use for your aircraft models.
The last image is an actual render . . . nothing fancy just a 3 point light plot and some soft shadowing.

From here I can start the real texturing with photoshop.
gp

[e-b-o-]

It's looking good

If I understand you correctly, it is for a film? If this is the case I'd change the uv-layout that you have as less seams as possible. Mostly it's easier & faster adjusting the uvs for a better workflow than matching the parts together in the texture

[gpdesigner]

I am afraid I will have to learn how this is done, Lightwave can break up the surfaces along different axis, which will give you less seams but the amount of surface detail will less. Insead of painting on 4 faces you will paint on 2. it would be like whatever you paint on the top of an airplane wing will show up on the underside.
I know there is a way to select surfaces and put them in the map but I don't know how to group them . .
I hope I explained that correctly.
gp

[e-b-o-]

sounds like planar mapping to me...
I'm not common with lightwave at all,
but I'm for 95% sure that there's a way moving & splitting
the uvs after applying a planar map.
But like I wrote before better don't ask me how

Anyway, once you figured out how this could work you will
need less photoshop work

[gpdesigner]

OH!, I know what you mean . . .
it's called unwrapping . . . yes you can do this, I know how this is done in theory but I have never actually attempted it. What you do it split a mesh along a seam and open it up so that it is "flat" so to speak. youre right that would probably be a good way to do it. I would have to study this technique in depth as I have never done it before.
LW has no built in feature for this but there are numerous 3rd party plug ins, the typical issue with that is I am on a Mac and you know anything good that is made 3rd party is all for PC . . .

I will see what I can come up with
gp

[gpdesigner]

havent had much time to work on the texturing but I did go through some of the tutorials here and this is what I have done so far . . . .
gp

[e-b-o-]

do you know already [CG Textures] - The worlds largest free texture site?

There's often no need painting in a photorealistic way if you can use good images as a base It will still need a lot of customization, but it might be a good start

[gpdesigner]

E-B-O, I never knew about that site . . .
I have your usuall Mayang and LeMog but this site is off the hook . . . .
you know you have a good point about base textures, I will see what I can come up with . . .
gp

[gpdesigner]

E-B-O thanks for the cgi texture site . . good link . . .
here is what we have so far.

the first image is a regular spotlighting technique the second image is radiosity
gp

[Jesters-Ink]

Very smart texture map.