Hey everyone,
might be the question had been asked for a loads of time, but I cant really move on making good uv maps. I have checked many tutorial videos, but none of those could really help me.
So I’d just like to ask what do you suggest to make a good quality uvw map in 3ds max?
thanks for the answers in advance.
All you really need to know is where to put the seams, it’s usually very logical to figure out–like a character’s arm, you’d put a seam around the shoulder and the wrist, and then a line along the bottom of the arm, and that would unwrap like a cylinder. For the hands you’d run loops from the wrist along the fingers to the other side of the wrist and you’d end up with a top and bottom to the hand. Stuff like that, not difficult once you get used to it.
Lots of watching youtube training is my advise. It is a simple thing once you grasp it but I had to watch a number of different people before it clicked. That was a long time ago now but I still watch new videos as sometimes new techniques arise. Also software wise uv unwrap is very good. The tools in max also work very well once you spend some time with them. I’ve also seen that Modo and blender are good tools.
Once you set your seams Quick Pelt and Relax(Relax by polygon angles) tools in Unwrap UVW modifier help a lot.
Thanks you guys, I will check the suggestions.
have a look on polycount etc too to see how other artists have placed their UV’s. Usually you can see shell correlation between UV maps done well, characters especially.
UV mapping takes a lot of practice, and time. Over time, you’ll learn what makes a good UV map and what doesn’t. I know this isn’t the answer you want, but I’ve been where you’re at and I still hate UV mapping, but now I understand it.
LOL yeah. UV mapping is a time sucking vampire that unless you like to watch grass grow is no fun. If one ever gets a job interview tell them you LOVE to make UV maps. 
I never understood people that hate UV mapping, I spend maybe 20 minutes on it. Mark seams, take in 3d Coat, make sure seams are right and hit unwrap and then add more seams where needed and unwrap again, fix anything you don’t like in your 3D package of choice, pack with IPackThat, done.
Welllllllll if it was “just” one object.
Well the object that I’m working on now is a destructable fire hydrant that breaks into 4 parts, but yeah, there are certain types of models where I’d spend a lot more time getting things perfect. I probably spend more time on the cage for baking than the UVs, depending on the object again.
Try Youtube you can learn a lot from them. 
It just puzzles me how ppl own a software like this but have no idea how to use it.
Blender RULES!!!
Lucky you 
I just got done mapping 60 buildings, about 20 map objects and 24 weapons.
I got lucky because someone else offered to map the player models.
Yeahhhh uv mapping is not fun.
Yeah for buildings I’d create the base texture first before modeling. Then create modular assets based off that texture/tiling textures, and then create the light map UVs to snap to the lightmap grid to avoid seams as much as possible. With that workflow you kinda create the UVs as you model, which is nice, you kinda get instant results.
Why would you create a texture before the building,you have no idea what the building is going to look like.
As for light maps,if it is a baked light map,it is a light map.
Too bad all of the images are broken in this thread, but here’s how you do a modular building where you create the texture first
http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/1386/oe2wip12qo9.jpg
Source: CGTalk | Environments for a Crysis mod
More examples here Modular environments - polycount
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=79177
http://3dmotive.com/series/sci-fi-modular-floor-workflow.html
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/ModularMountAndBlade
Snapping lightmap UVs to the grid really reduces artifacts, particularly with modular assets that might not do well with seams.