Paint Select UV Seams?

[freesaint]

Howdy. Is there a way to paint select uv seams rather than clicking and shift clicking? I looked around but, didn't find anything. Basically like Maya's paint selection tool that uses the Artisan functionality. Would speed up seam creation even more!

http://download.autodesk.com/us/maya/2010help/index.html?url=Basics_Tools_Paint_Selection_Tool.htm,topicNumber=d0e88893

Thanks!

[simmsimaging]

Howdy. Is there a way to paint select uv seams rather than clicking and shift clicking? I looked around but, didn't find anything. Basically like Maya's paint selection tool that uses the Artisan functionality. Would speed up seam creation even more!

http://download.auto...Number=d0e88893

Thanks!

+1 for this.

b

[simmsimaging]

Paint Select would be utterly useless in this case. I use it from time to time in Max, and I certainly understand it's usefulness there, but when talking about edgeloop/seam selection....think about it. You are going to be painting edges that cross the ones you are trying to select.

The seam selection in 3DC is already ridiculously fast, so I'm really surprised to hear someone ask for something better. Please watch the UV tutorials. I don't think you understand just how easy it is. It's WAAAAY faster than even paint selection would be, if that were an option.

Actually I think I understand it pretty well, but I still think painting selections is useful. I used that method all the time in the program I used to do all my unwrapping in (UnwrapUV) and the painting of edges for creating shorter loops etc is very handy and I find it means less click related mistakes.

That program also had a slightly cleaner method of doing point to point selections. The current 3DC way is workable for sure, but adds an extra step. It would be better to select a starting edge, and then to be able to just hold down a modifier and click the end point and have the loop go to that point, instead of having to define a start and end edge and then shift-click the loop between.

[simmsimaging]

Can you show a link to a video where that Paint selection of edgeloops occurs? I can see it if you're paint selecting vertices, but even then, it's not very practical on anything but a low poly mesh. The current seam selection is MUCH, MUCH faster than trying to select by painting. In fact, it's faster than the Point to Point seam selection you are describing. I know because I have a Max plugin (XRay UnWrap 1.5) that unfolds LSCM and ABF++ like 3DC does, and the closest thing it has to 3DC's method is Max's point to point, selection...or selecting entire loops on the model and then clicking "Convert Edges to Seams." I find, in practice, 3D Coat's seam selection to be the fastest there is....period, and why I use its UV tools instead.

When you hold down the SHIFT key, it will stop wherever it finds a seam. So for a head, you would use one (SHIFT) click for the neck. One for the eyes. One for the nostrils. One for the mouth. Two for the top of the Forehead and then one to split from there, down the back of the head/neck. And depending on the topology, it might take a few clicks around the ears. It doesn't get any easier than that, no matter what you use.

Sorry, it's actually called Unfold3D. You can see a vid on their site that shows how the interface/selection works:

http://www.polygonal-design.fr/e_unfold/tuto9.php

I understand that paint selections can be a hassle on dense meshes, but they are super fast for cleaning out (de-selecting) areas and can be quicker than repetitive shift-clicking.

I know the shift thing in 3DC and it works pretty well. Unfold had that as too, but it also had the option of holding shift and as you moved along a seam it would pre-select up to the point you were at, then when you clicked down it selected the edges along that path. I haven't used Max's point to point, but this one works very well and is super fast. 3DC cannot quite emulate that without multiple clicks. Some meshes and selections would matter more than others.

Anyway, it's one of those things - if you don't use that method and don't like it then so be it, but it's far from useless and would be an improvement upon the 3DC tools if it were there as well.

Another thing of use that Unfold had was marquee selections to quickly select/de-select large blocks at once. That would be nice too.

/b

[freesaint]

Paint Select would be utterly useless in this case. I use it from time to time in Max, and I certainly understand it's usefulness there, but when talking about edgeloop/seam selection....think about it. You are going to be painting edges that cross the ones you are trying to select.

The seam selection in 3DC is already ridiculously fast, so I'm really surprised to hear someone ask for something better. Please watch the UV tutorials. I don't think you understand just how easy it is. It's WAAAAY faster than even paint selection would be, if that were an option.

First, I said paint select in Maya, not Max. I use both programs of the paint select tools in Max are terriable. Try Maya and you will see it's paint selection tools are superior.

Second, it works in proxy to the center of edge so, it doesn't select edges you just cross over. Again, you've obviously never used Maya's paint select tool and if you did you would know it doesn't select edges you just cross over. You should try it, it's awesome.

Third, why would you have such a strong opinion about something you've never tried or used in Maya? What's the harm in adding another feature anyway especially to a newer program that needs to mature? btw, I watched all the UV tutorials and yes they are great.

Fourth, I am UV'ing low poly triangulated meshes so, there aren't edge loops to select. I agree UV'ing in 3DC is way faster than any other program I've tried but, with other great features it will be even faster and better.

Don't be suprised if someone asks to make something better. Everything and anything can be improved upon.

[polyxo]

Fourth, I am UV'ing low poly triangulated meshes so, there aren't edge loops to select. I agree UV'ing in 3DC is way faster than any other program I've tried but, with other great features it will be even faster and better.

This is a very good point! The current implementation of the Edge-Selection Tool does work perfectly on nice Edge-Loops.

It perfoms much worse though when it doesn't find Loops.

[simmsimaging]

This is a very good point! The current implementation of the Edge-Selection Tool does work perfectly on nice Edge-Loops.

It perfoms much worse though when it doesn't find Loops.

Have to agree with the last few posts: I think you are assuming it will be slower based on experience with a different tool, and it just doesn't necessarily apply. I am not guessing that it can be faster, I *know* it can be, for me anyway, because I have used both.

Anyway, if Andrew can see fit to add a more flexible point to point, or a paintable pre-select based on a similar approach, it would be great. It doesn't need to replace the existing toolset, so you don't have to use it if you don't want to.

/b

[simmsimaging]

How about a little speed test, then (since you....know )? You do a full character (seam selection and unwrap) as fast as you can (with this new method) and record it...and I'll see if I can't do the same and beat it (recorded). Andrew already has a full plate, with a lot of long-standing requests yet unfulfilled, not to mention having to try and address a host of stability issues. Asking for features that don't offer much, if any, added benefit can only fragment his development efforts further. That's why I'm outspoken on these things, sometimes. I've seen them repeatedly jump ahead of the line...ahead of things with much greater priority.

I'm good with leaving it up to Andrew, and the general level of demand.

/b

[freesaint]

How about a little speed test, then (since you....know )? You do a full character (seam selection and unwrap) as fast as you can (with this new method) and record it...and I'll see if I can't do the same and beat it (recorded). Andrew already has a full plate, with a lot of long-standing requests yet unfulfilled, not to mention having to try and address a host of stability issues. Asking for features that don't offer much, if any, added benefit can only fragment his development efforts further. That's why I'm outspoken on these things, sometimes. I've seen them repeatedly jump ahead of the line...ahead of things with much greater priority.

No offense man but, you are not understanding my point and I'm not going to argue with you because you don't know what you are talking about.

[freesaint]

I'm good with leaving it up to Andrew, and the general level of demand.

/b

Exactly. Andrew is a big boy and obviously smart enough since he wrote this amazing software.

[Taros]

Please come back to topic, guys.

In my opinion a paint selection is a regular feature request. Why not to implement it into the UV room? I think too, it could expand the uv selection functionality for 3D Coat and make it more flexible.

There is no reason to begin to offend someone. So come back to the "startline".

@AbnRanger: A video comparison would not help in this case and is off topic related to the thread topic. The main topic is the question about paint selection and later the wish to have it inside 3DC. No more.

Additionally: The amount of postings doesn't describe the experience of someone, so be cool, please. If feesaint says "you don't understanding his point", it looks like you misunderstood him, in this case maybe you need a better explanation.

Facts are:

1. In 3D Coat it is currently not possible to use a paint selection for UV seams directly on the model in the viewport. There is a paint selection inside the UV preview window, but only useful for island splitting.

2. The current UV seam selection modes are ok, but could be better, of course. (As always in all Apps.)

3. The wish to implement a paint selection is legitimate, it would expand the functionality.

A technical discussion with comparisons to other apps is completely ok, but please, stay friedly to each other.

Thank you

Chris

[simmsimaging]

So I had a look at ABNRanger's UV demo vid that was posted the other day - thanks for that, it's a nice overview of the methodology. I think it helped clarify where we are differing too.

The points in your process where you are working on things like fingers and toes, where you need to click an endpoint edge, then a starting edge, then shift-click to join them: that is the part that I think could be simpler with the "paint" pre-select of the sort in Unfold3D. Your approach works of course, but it does depend on multiple clicks, and some experience to visualize the flows and put those end points in good places on the first try.

What Unfold would let you do is click your start edge, then as you hover over and trace out the line you wish to mark it would highlight it as you go, so you would draw out the seam and it would flow point-to-point as you painted along. When you got to the end point you would click and it would create that seam all in one go.

Of course you can also just click a starting edge then go straight to the end point and it would try to connect them up by the shortest continuous path. I just preferred the 'paint along' approach of pre-selecting because sometimes the path it chose was not the one I liked/wanted, particularly on long runs with less than perfect edge flows. Having the point-to-point paintable approach is, I think, also just a whole lot faster when you have messy meshes that don't have nice clean edge flows where the full edge loop function of 3DC falls down (as did the loop function of Unfold of course)

This is function that would only enhance what is already possible in 3DC and make even your worfklow a bit faster/easier. A true paintable selection is possible too, and can also make for pretty quick selecting/deselecting, but even just adding the first option would be great. I think with that minor tweak 3DC would have probably the best UV mapping tools I have ever tried - it probably already does

/b

[freesaint]

Sorry, it's actually called Unfold3D. You can see a vid on their site that shows how the interface/selection works:

http://www.polygonal-design.fr/e_unfold/tuto9.php

I understand that paint selections can be a hassle on dense meshes, but they are super fast for cleaning out (de-selecting) areas and can be quicker than repetitive shift-clicking.

I know the shift thing in 3DC and it works pretty well. Unfold had that as too, but it also had the option of holding shift and as you moved along a seam it would pre-select up to the point you were at, then when you clicked down it selected the edges along that path. I haven't used Max's point to point, but this one works very well and is super fast. 3DC cannot quite emulate that without multiple clicks. Some meshes and selections would matter more than others.

Anyway, it's one of those things - if you don't use that method and don't like it then so be it, but it's far from useless and would be an improvement upon the 3DC tools if it were there as well.

Another thing of use that Unfold had was marquee selections to quickly select/de-select large blocks at once. That would be nice too.

/b

Just watched the video and this is exactly what I'm talking about. There are some other awesome edge selecting features too. Would be awesome to have for meshes that look like the ones in my screenshots. Again, I got them UV'ed way faster than I would in Maya or Max but, paint selecting would make it super fast and would inherently reduce production time.

[Carlosan]

Sorry necropost

 

Is in 3D Coat currently possible to use a paint selection for UV seams directly on the model in the viewport ?

 

ty

 

[AbnRanger]

Sorry necropost

 

Is in 3D Coat currently possible to use a paint selection for UV seams directly on the model in the viewport ?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_JTJjUDnTg&list=PL0614F2A03AD725CD&index=61

Edited September 18, 2013 by AbnRanger