Best method for mapping a knight chess piece?

What's the best method for mapping a knight (or any other chess piece for that matter)?

The method I have been trying to use is:

A. Apply a uvw mapping modifier
B. choose cylinder + cap, then fit
C. Apply an unrap uvw modifier, then click edit.
D. in the edit uvw window, click tools, then pack uv's, then recursive packing.

When I do this, the whole thing is split up into loads of different bits, no good for mapping at all. I've also tried the other options under uvw mapping, but to no avail.

I was hoping for it to be "unpeeled" like an orange peel, all in one.

How do I do this?

ontop of uvw map put uwrap uvw (in modifyer list) and hit the edit this is where we generaly take a screen dump and take that into photoshop and with a bit os a clean up use that window as a template for mapping characters ect

hope it helps

Drew

that's what I said I did, when I do it, it comes out in loads of small sections, I want it where it peels out into 1 large connected section

got ya right i see what your after .... in the bottom of the uvw editor you will see all ID's you can select each seperat ID from there but ... for a single peice of uvw map

your uvwmap should be cylinder with no cap as cap gives a seperate uvwmap

all polygones should have the same material ID this will cause it to unwrap as one

now with the uvwmap gizmo selected and look at the orange cage in the viewport and you will see one of the cage lines are green this marks the start and end of your uvwmap so you can rotate this so that it starts at the right place for your unwrap, making it easyer to see the shape ... ex:- if you were to do the horse (knight) then straight down then nose would be a good place to put it so when it unwraps you sort of end up with two horses joined back to back not one square with a blob of mesh for a face in the middle if you get what i mean

I've had a quick go at that with the little time I have had today, and that's more along the lines of what I wanted.

There is 1 problem though, it doesn't display the bits on the back faces of the ears, as well as a few other parts.




As you can see, there are red parts on the skin that show the overlap

I was kind of hoping to have the whole main part in 1 part, then maybe the ears and mane seperate (but also together) from the main body.

nice work like the atention to detail sweet

looking at your model it would work better with more material ID's might even work with meshselect and seperate uvwmaps to seperate the ears and other bits that overlap. but i would be tempted to try to meshsmooth after the uvwmap on top of the stack ....

like it

Respects

Drew