I can texture pretty easily in Sketchup. Import your image, then just drag onto the face. Simple as pie. Of course, the unreal engine doesn’t accept that format. All these other programs I keep trying are either too expensive or require you to cut your box into segments and unfold in a very complicated process, like in blender, wings 3d, etc. Why does this have to be so?Does anyone know of a 3d modeling program that is as simple to use as SketchUp and which is supported by the unreal engine? My monitor is about to be thrown out the window again. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Yes things are difficult. I’m as blown away as you are that you can’t just press a few buttons and things happen. I whine about it daily.
UV mapping is actually one of the easiest things because there’s not many ways to go wrong, things unfold in a very predictable manner. If you’re having trouble with it, that’s just part of the process of learning.
unless we talk about oprimization and design.
uv mapping become harder.
It depends on what you’re working on. Unfolding is pretty easy, yes, but it’s actually pretty easy to screw up UVs by having inconsistent densities and/or warp their projections too much(think fisheye lensing). That and seam placement is pretty crucial for things like characters. Once you learn stuff like “oh hey, let’s put this arm seam on the inside because it’s not really all that visible” then it starts to get easier and makes more sense.
The good news is that a lot of modelling packages make it super easy to get consistent densities. Even blender has a pretty ■■■■ good unwrapper and makes it a breeze place seams. Once you have your islands, you can then scale them around for more/less pixel densities. Like on a face, you might want 2x the pixel density, so you’d scale it up and scale other things down.
Texturing is a pain in the ■■■, but it’s essential and you may as well get used to it or prepare to pay someone else to deal with it.
There’s programs and extensions that do make it easier, 3d Coat is probably the most straight forward application I’ve used for unwrapping.
The first and main concern is seam placement.
Second if you are baking a normal map, you must split your uvs where you use hard edges. But you don’t need to use hard edges on every UV seam.
Yes, modern graphics technology is complicated. I guess next you are going to create a thread called “why can’t I create photorealistic textures in MS paint???”
duke22 and splattenburgers, get lost and stop trolling. I’ve put many hours in to learning and have used sketchup because I have been using unity for so long. I’m transitioning into unreal, so you guys don’t have to be jerks about it. ZacD , IronicParadox , vincentslee, darthviper107 thanks for the input and for not acting like 12 year olds.
Thanks for emailing my boss malosal. We all had a good laugh.
Wait a moment … are you saying malosal sent and email to your boss? Really?
I did. He or whoever got the message replied back saying:
“Stop whining and perhaps learn difference between trolling and genuine, valid, differences of opinion.”
I don’t mind, as you stated, having “genuine, valid, differences of opinion”.
Can you explain to me how what you replied back to me on this forum fits this description. This is what you wrote:
“Yes things are difficult. I’m as blown away as you are that you can’t just press a few buttons and things happen. I whine about it daily.”
Can you explain to me how that sarcasm is a genuine, valid, difference of opinion? You basically called me an idiot and a whiner.
Should I, who has spent many hours and many dollars in contribution to epic games in the asset store, have to expect that when I need genuine help that I will receive such statements like this on this forum? Tell me where I am being unreasonable. Can you tell me that the statement falls in the category of a genuine difference in opinion or an insult?
Honestly, no one cares if you spent or not. Buying things on the marketplace isn’t the same as pay for dedicated support. Ok, the guy gave an sarcastic answer, but don’t use the fact that you bought something on the marketplace to backup you.
Talking about texturing:
That’s just the way that things are!
To start, sketchup isn’t the best application for gamelike 3d modelling. It’s more for architects who wants things fast and visible. [imo]
UV is a pain for ones, a piece of cake for others. But it’s necessary.
Seems you put your effort of learning on a “not sooo useful application”.
Spare some time to learn uv mapping and how it works and you will see why it’s necessary.
So no, there is no click and drag kind of program today as far as i know.
Right, everyone please calm down. Please refrain from personal attacks on each other and if you don’t have anything positive to say or positive to contribute to the discussion, rather not say anything. Please bring the discussion back on topic or the moderators will have to close this thread,
You just need to learn about modelling, UV’s, and the material system in Unreal.
Then things get really easy. You can use sketchup for some things in UE4, but it isnt ideal.
Modo indie is on steam, Maya lt is easy to use, and Blender does everything free. Mesh lab works but doesnt have fbx.
Gimp and krita are free. They’re probably the best free programs for game dev.
Click on learn in the launcher, and you can download plenty of free content examples. Look at how materials are applied.
I was paying for the engine month to month before it came free. And I understand that the marketplace helps epic games.
But I am not saying that I deserve to have the full attention of epic games. I was merely asking for basic dignity and not mockery.
And thank you for the information you posted. Even information from a few people that care can go a long way.
“**malosal **Join date feb 2016” UE4 blog post “if you love something set it free” 3/3/2015
when exactly did you pay the monthly sub?
when you buy assets, you support the developer of said assets, not epic. the 5% deal is between epic and the asset developer, not you and epic, THEY are helping support epic by selling on epics marketplace.
anyway, more to the point, uv maping and texturing a 3d model you create is a very basic step in game art and development, if you find this difficult, perhaps game creation isn’t for you.
ixicalibur, I have more than one username which is why you don’t see it under this one. If you wish I can show you the proof. But I don’t want to publically share it, plz send me a PM. Also if you are part of the unreal team let me know, just for safety purposes. Thanks.
you also wrote “anyway, more to the point, uv maping and texturing a 3d model you create is a very basic step in game art and development, if you find this difficult, perhaps game creation isn’t for you.”
I don’t think that if something is difficult that you should drop it completely. Think how the world would be if everyone followed that philosophy.
this is exactly how it works, everyone has a job that is within their means.
we humans like to tell ourselves a nice little lie, that we all have the ability to do anything we want, the truth is, just as everyone is an individual, completely unique, we all have an affinity towards different things. i would love to design spacecrafts, but no amount of hard work, blood, sweat and tears will help me do it, to any degree of proficiency, as someone with a natural affinity towards it.
and you can say, “hey, but you could go learn the things you need to learn in order to build spacecrafts, you just need to put in the effort!” but i wouldn’t, it’s not something im good at. i recognize that limitation in myself, and so i don’t go to spacecraft building forums and say “hey guys why is this so hard for me? make it easier for me please”
just the same way you could learn C++ and modify the engine source code and enable it to accept the textures that you drag and drop in Sketchup, i mean hell, while you are there you can redesign UV coordinates, or do away with them completely, you have the engine source and as much blood and sweat as you want to put into the effort, but will you?
what exactly is it that you think you could possibly do for me?