Import to Blender 2 UV channels

[tobiasniva]

This is maybe not the forum but I´ll try anyhow since someone maybe knows this;

I recently joined this forum to try to make some Ages. Since I´m a 3DS Max user I´m trying to import my models/scenes into Blender for later export.

Now I want to texture and lightmap in 3DS Max...so is there anyone who knows how to import my model with 2 UV sets intact? Tried with .3ds and .obj but since I´m really new to Blender (and the GUI is TOTALLY different from Max/Maya) I´m quite lost. I can (with .3ds) get my model to import with texture coords still there, but no 2nd UV to have the lightmap in.

Looked at the tutorial at this site for lightmapping with Blender...but I think it will take some time to learn Blender to the level of my 3DS Max knowledge...so I´m throwing this out here in case someone has some tips.

Thanx in advance.
Toby

PS. I´m browsing forums at both blender.org and blenderartists.org but haven´t found any solution yet...

[Grogyan]

You might actually find something within Max that exports UVs only

Then import your Max object then import the UV

I personally use TGA format for all or most of my texturing, thats what I would have done

Another method I found
http://blenderartists.org/forum/archive ... 16011.html

Edit:
Here is an even better tutorial
http://www.david-laserscanner.com/wiki/ ... in_blender

[teedyo]

Couple of links to other options mentioned on this site:

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2453#p26796

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2304#p26754

It may be worthwhile to have these methods wiki-fied by someone who can test them.

[tobiasniva]

Thanx guys!

Not sure about the tga-part though (thought this was just a bitmap format and has nothing to do with UV coords?!).
I will check out those links right away.
Just have to get familiar with Blender I guess (installed it today...).

[ardent red]

Glad to hear that your problem is solved! Grogyan meant that if you have to retexture in blender, it would be a good idea to use images in the .TIF format. Actually, it would be good to use .TIF in Maya too- it's a nice file format .

[tobiasniva]

Hmm...my problem is not yet solved unfortunatley.
I tried the *.nif format (one of teedyo's links) and it´s ok...but it will still NOT import my second UV set.
To see that it´s not my 3DS Max exporters f-ing things up, I imported my model into Ultimate Unwrap 3D - to see that both my UV's are intact...and they are.
So I exported from there as *.3ds, *.obj, *.x, *.dae, *.lwo ...and none of them imports my 2nd UV set.

Is there any way to import UV-files (*.buv or *.tuv) onto a model in Blender?!

...OR...

If I import 2 models - one with UV1 and a second with UV2 - is there a way to 'transfer' one of these UV sets to the other model? (can´t seem to find any 'copy/paste' near the UV layer buttons or the UV/Image view in Blender).

[Grogyan]

http://www.david-laserscanner.com/wiki/ ... in_blender

Did you try this tutorial, I don't have max so I can't really try it out.
it looks like it should work, as that is the most common way to apply a texture to a mesh

Export your UV image in Max to TGA, and open it with Blender as the tutorial describes

Or post a simple mesh that you have modelled in Max as an OBJ file, as well as the texture that you UV mapped in Max, in TGA format, and maybe we can have a go?

Edit: Good news, I had a very very quick go with this
http://www.geo-metricks.com/geo-shop/fr ... arsail.zip

It includes the texture as well, jpg format (never mind the TGA format, thats just my preference), and with Blender 2.48a, it imported first go, had to press "A" to deselect it then select the mesh, and just split a UV image editor window and press "TAB" in 3D view and saw the mesh already unwrapped exactly to the image

[tobiasniva]

@Grogyan: Thanx for the help...but I´ve actually no problem getting in ONE (1) UVset on my models...
But I think I´m on to something here - even though it requires two obj-exports (one with the tiled texture UVset, and another one with the lightmap UVset).

- Export two obj's (identical) with different UV's from 3DS Max - one with tiled texture, one with lightmap
- Import both of them into Blender
- Add another UVset to the one with the tiled texture - and thus the one we´ll keep later on
- In Object Mode, select both of them - the lightmapped one last
- Then in 3D view, click the Object>Scripts>UV Copy from active
- Delete the object with only the lightmap UVset...and use your first object - now with 2 UVsets

Now you have transferred the UVset with LM-coordinates onto the tiled textured one.
This new UVset is ready to multiply a lightmap (baked from 3DS Max) over the tiled textures.

I´ll have to check this...but it seems to work - when I check the UVsets in UV/Image view it look right anyways.

EDIT:
It works...here are some images of where I use this technique:
http://forum.guildofwriters.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2545