United3dArtists Archive

When is the best time to apply textures?

I usually do it before I construct something, I figure it's easier to line up the uv projections. If I make duplicates of geometry, the texture comes along.

But I was looking at some other people's work and it seems they do the textures last.

Which is best or is case by case the answer?

texturing is a pain for me, but i do it last too.

I usually enjoy texturing as I go along.

Saves a lot of digging through the hierarchy later.

On the other hand, it's sometimes easier and faster to set up lighting scenarios (hi Norm!) without textures.

No hard and fast rule, I guess case by case would be the way it usually goes.

I usually setup the lights as "textured" or "overcast" presets - then I create the skins as I create the geometry, that way I don't have to go down the hierarchy, aligning textures to rotated geometry (what a pain).

But I'm self-taught and I wasn't sure if there was a better / faster way, or how other people do it.

Thanks for the input!

Depends which program you use to generate textures.

A program like lightwave3D almost requires that shading domains or as they call it "Surfaces' that are named to be set up in order to create an easily recognized hierarchy which can be used if textures are added.

Hmm - well I use Photoshop for textures and Truespace for modeling.

I usually do textures as I go. I might change them at times too.

In TS I've found it is important to set up the lights first or before you to the textures. Different lights show textures differently. The global environment light (HDRI) in TS 7.6x model side especially.

I think it might be easier to find modeling errors without a texture getting in the way. It might hide a problem that you won't see until you do a render.

That's a good point, but the textures can be turned off in the modeling window so they don't hide geometry while modeling.

On the other, other hand, I've had textures clue me in to bad geometry by appearing smeared in the questionable area.
trueSpace usually has two ways to do everything!

If your making a really complex object that will negate using the standard UV projection types, then the object will have to have it's UV space "unwrapped" and that can't be done until it is complete. However, during the models construction, it is often well worth applying a basic grid reference type texture to help you see how the model/mesh is flowing. HTH.

you know what i miss in tS? i dont know if any modeler has it. But i would make deformation tool for UV projection object. That would be cool to model UV space right outside the object and then apply it.