The BIGEST question ever made, PlEaS HelP!

Hi, you might say that I am a beginner in the world of 3D, I haw started with making of balls and boxes... and other beginner stuff, and after two weak of hard work and learning I have made my first X-wing fighter, yes...yes... I now thousands of people did this, but I have no ones help and I did it all alone, and I am proud of it, but, the BIG BUT, when I decided to put some texture to X-wing, the first thing I do was to pout in Google "how to make texture in 3DS max" and my head spin, all the talking of unwrap UVW and Photoshop and mesh and Maya, mapers and this and that make my nose bleed! The only thing I have learned is to take some pictures, put it in scanner make .jpg and applied over some polygon using UVW, in some tutorial I have seen a human head model but not in 3D, but in 2D like it was on a paper, did he make model in 3DSmax and then exported to photo shop, and what kind of format is this, I mean this is cool to work with if you have one complex texture like head, but do you now on what would an X-wing look if I put it in this way, I would not now where is the tale and where is a head!.
So I hope that you realize what is my problem. I want to now how can I take a head or any other model from 3DSmax, put it in photo shop and make and apply texture. Are the others programs like Maya beater for making texture. Is the texture always a picture jpg. bmp.. Where can I found best tutorials on the web for this. What is beater, to make model and then think about the tutorial or should I first make texture and them model. Are the textures made in Maya (example only, it could be a photo shop to) and then put in some format and then imported in 3DS and applied or 3ds is imported to other programs. What should I do step by step like: 1. make model 10. make texture 30. apply texture, I now what should I do for steps between 1 to 10, but I am lost between 10 and 30. I need a complete explanations about textures what are they, how they are made-applied. in witch programs are they made- applied. What is a step by step procedure of making (lets say) complex texture
By this time I haw seen at least 50 web sites about 3DS and texture and frankly this place looks like it holds the answers to my questions, so in that manner PlEaS HeLp! IaM
StArTiNg To Go LoCo! 8)

whoa whoa whoa slow down little guy, u look like u copied and pasted this out of the bible

say what u want in small paragraphs...

like this...

understand?...

thanks...

Joe...

I did not, copy, past, anything, if I head a bible why should I ask you all if this?! this are just a logic questions in witch I a m looking answers, any explanation is really important to me because I do not understand any of this stuff, and buy the way, is there some thing like .pdf version of 3ds bible?!

nvm, u obviously dont have sense of humor...

what i meant is that it is a massive chunk of text like you would see in the bible...

First of all wow thats was one long question!!! or should i say 11 questions!

I'll do my best to answer some of them

• in some tutorial I have seen a human head model but not in 3D, but in 2D like it was on a paper, did he make model in 3DSmax and then exported to photo shop

[Answer]
the model would have been made in Max then the unwrapUVW modifier would have been applied to it to create the flattened out image. This would then be rendered to an image file (.jpeg .tga or whatever) and edited in photoshop.

• 
  but do you now on what would an X-wing look if I put it in this way

[Answer]
an unwrapped image of a model as complex as an x-wing would probably be very different for each person who did it. you would probably have the top and bottom of the fuselage as one part, the two wings as their own sections and the cylindrical engnes as four more separate pieces, kind of like the image below (with regrds to the different section not the subject as its clearly not an x-wing model

• I want to now how can I take a head or any other model from 3DSmax, put it in photo shop and make and apply texture

[Answer]
This is done by using the UnwrapUVW modifier (if you have read as many tutorials on this as you say you have then you should understand what is required for this operation. It si far too complext to write in a post. Then download the Max plugin called 'texporter', google it and you'll find it easy enough. This plugin allows you to render the unwrapped image to an image file such as .jpeg, .tga, .bmp .etc so you can paint over it in photoshop. After photoshop you added the newly edited texture to the diffuse slot in the material editor and apply it to your mesh.

• Are the others programs like Maya beater for making texture

[Answer]
As far as i know Maya is a program not unlike Max and used for 3D modelling not for image editing like photoshop. so you would still need a program like photoshop for creating textures for you models.

• Is the texture always a picture jpg. bmp

[Answer]
The texture can be pretty much what ever format you want, .jpag produced very small file sizes whilst sacrificing some image quality whereas .tga holds alpha channels and better quality pics (i think) and is a lot bigger in file size, its up to you, and your needs.

• Where can I found best tutorials on the web for this

[Answer] the website you're on is great for all sorts of tutorials including this, also try 3dpalace, 3dbuzz.com, 3dtotal.com to name but a few or just google the question.

• What is beater, to make model and then think about the tutorial or should I first make texture and them model

[Answer]you cannot seriously make a texture before doing a model as you need to apply the texture to the shape of your model and if theres nothing there then uou have nothing to reference it to. Saying that, you should have an overall idea or concept of what the model will look like in the end, do concept sketches, get reference inmages all before ytou start as making it up as you go along is rarely a good idea.

• . Are the textures made in Maya (example only, it could be a photo shop to) and then put in some format and then imported in 3DS and applied or 3ds is imported to other programs

[Answer] This was answered before in the question "Are the others programs like Maya beater for making texture"

• should I do step by step like: 1. make model 10. make texture 30. apply texture

[Answer]Step by step is a good idea, get the modelling done first, then do the lighting (do this before textures are put on as textures can give a misleading apperance of the lighting setup), then create/apply the textures. but not too sure about the numbering method there, just take it one day at a time and you'll get there.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There you go that all you're getting out of me im now going to nurse the blisters on my fingers after typing out that lot

only joking, hope this helps you out

Michael

my point exactly

First you are not from earth :-) right :-) or wrong, These are one cool pics! What can I say, thanks a lot, you saved me bunch of time, oh yea one more questions, in witch program did you made texture’s for AT!

If you are referring to my CAD renders, thanks! there isnt a texture for the AT-AT its simply a flat grey colour with two or three different coloured lights around it. Works quite well i think

No problem about the help, its what we are here for

Hi, sorry folks me again8), I am in need of help again! it’s about understanding UVW maper, the thing witch troubles me is this, when I use this modifier on some model the surface witch is textured is just one polygon, like when I make simple 6 side box, and apply the modifier to the model only one side is textured, the other side's are just... wrong! so I presume that I shut use this modifier if I want to texture only one polygon of some model (NO NO wait this doesn’t make seams! right!), if I hade model with 4000-5000 polygon's that one is too little is it?, could you explain me when should i use UVW modifire!, and what are the diference in UVW and Unwrap UVW! and one thing what is the diference betvean polygon and mashes, i haw read that polygons are using two or three times more memory than meshes, and what is the difference when texturing polygon or mesh!, and for the last when I brake my model in peaces, so I could texturing them, could I copy, paste polygons in other programs like Corel! Where I can make sketch of texture?

First of all you only need the UVW Unwrap modifier if you are trying to texture complex things like organic shapes such as animals/people .etc, if you are texturing shapes like cubes and boxes you would use the UVW Map modifier.

The problem you are having when you try to map your 6 sided boxe is that you are applying the modifier and leaving the defualt setting as 'Plane' mapping, this only applies the texture in one direction, you need to change it to box mapping, (once you apply the modifier go to the modify panel and when the UVW Map modifier is selected you get option in the roll out such as plane, box, cylinder, sphere.... You need top select box and then 'fit' further down then it will texture properly.

It seems you are getting you terminology mixed up, the difference between polygons and meshes is that a mesh is the complete object and is made up of lots of sub divisions i.e. vertexs, edges, faces, polygons and elements, so basically a polygon is one of the parts of a mesh.

Unless you are talking about 'Editable poly' and 'Editably Mesh' in which case they are very similar and each give slightly different editing options. Not too sure about the 3x memory thing but from what ive seen, the editable poly is the preferred method with modellers.

You cant copy and paste the polygons into other programs like that, that is what the 'Texporter' plugin is for (talked about in my last post).

Michael