In this lesson, you use the UVW modifier to map a T-shirt onto a helicopter pilot. The materials have already been provided, you need only apply them to the objects and then use the proper mapping techniques.
Apply the material to the shirt:
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In the modifier stack display, expand the Unwrap UVW modifier and then choose Face sub-object level.
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Adjust the zoom factor in the Front viewport so that you see the T-shirt in its entirety.
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Using Region Select, make a window around the shirt. Only those polygons facing the Front viewport are selected. Notice in the Selection Parameters rollout that face selection is set to Ignore Backfacing by default.
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On the Map Parameters rollout, click the Planar button. In this case the planar gizmo was created using the correct orientation and the correct size.
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On the Parameters rollout, click Edit. The Edit UVWs dialog appears, displaying the selected polygons against a checkered background.
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In the top-right corner of the dialog, from the drop-down list, choose the map that displays the texture of the T-shirt. This turns the checkered background into a tiled version of the map that is part of the material applied to the object.
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In the bottom-right corner of the dialog, click the Options button.
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In the Bitmap Options group that appears, set Brightness to 1.0. This makes the background image easier to read.
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On the dialog’s main toolbar, make sure the Freeform Mode tool is active.
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Place the cursor on the bottom-right corner of the gizmo surrounding the red area representing the selected polygons. The mouse is now in Scale mode. Click and drag to scale the selection until it is about the size of the t-shirt in the background.
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Zoom in on that area in the dialog. You can use the mouse wheel to zoom and pan much like you would do in a viewport.
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Place the cursor anywhere inside the area of the selected polygons. You are now in Move mode. Reposition the selected polygons over the T-shirt with the label “Army” on it.
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In the Selection Modes group at the bottom of the dialog, choose Vertex sub-object mode.
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Drag a region to select all the vertices that make the top half of the torso, including the arms.
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Using Scale (corner boxes) and Move (cursor inside the selection area), adjust the vertices so they are all contained inside the t-shirt image.
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Select the bottom vertices representing the lower section of the shirt. Adjust scale and position to equalize the flow of vertices on the 3D-object structure.
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Continue selecting and adjusting groups of vertices to fit the wireframe structure to the image in the background. Always try to keep the flow of the vertices even to prevent any stretching in the texture, especially when the texture has patterns or labels on it.
Map the back of the shirt:
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Right-click the label in the top left corner of the Front viewport. From the menu that appears, choose Views > Back.
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In the Modifier stack, switch the Unwrap UVW sub-selection level to Face.
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In the back viewport, drag to region-select all the polygons that make the back of the T-shirt.
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On the Map Parameters rollout, click the Planar button once to reset the mapping coordinates of the selected faces.
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Using Scale and Move modes as you did earlier, position the back faces on top of the back of the T-shirt in the background picture.
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In the Selection Modes group at the bottom of the dialog, choose Vertex sub-object mode.
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Adjust groups of vertices as you did earlier to fit the wireframe structure on top of the background image.
