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ROTATIONAL
TEXTURING USING ACE DXF
BY DARKSABER |
Note: This file can be saved to your hard drive for browsing
or future reference. All I ask it that you DO NOT place them on your own site, if you wish to link to
them please do so, but only through my main site address.
Darksaber's
X-Wing Station
Thank
you.
Please
read the Disclaimer
and Copyright |
I know your going
to ask, what is rotational texturing? Right!
Well I try to explain,
I think I'm the only one who uses this method (not
sure), so here goes. Rotational texturing is when
you can't texture something that you would normally
using the
stitching buttons.
So if you used the
normal method your textures could turn out like the
picture on the left:-
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When
it could look like this --> |
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Your probably thinking
well there isn't much difference, but take a closer
look! You will see the textures a more symmetrical
on the picture on the right.
Now you might be thinking
how does he do that, and what does he mean by Rotational
Texturing?
Well I do not mean that you rotate the model with the arrow keys
as this would achieve nothing, except the same effects
as the picture on the left.
Oh no no no, rotational
texturing is when you actually rotate your model using
the Rotate Editor found in the Scale Editor.
Normal texturing or
stitching in Ace Dxf, only allows you to texture on
a horizontal or vertical plane, i.e. Sides, Front/Back,
and Top/Bottom, so the texture applied stretches around
the faces. So if you can't move the textures to fit
the model (without distortion) you move the model
itself. |
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First I'll try to
explain the X, Y, Z Axis, it's very simple
really, first all Z Axis's rotate from the centre-point
of your model.
Side
View |
Front
View |
Top
View |
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X
= Forwards/backwards |
Y=
Up/Down |
Z
= Left/Right |
For for this example,
I'll use the Artoo head to texture,
First you will need
the best all round view of your model, so for the
head, it's the top view

As the
Artoo textures are custom made to fit the head exactly,
(refer to Decoy's Basic
Textures Tutorial) so with the first few they
are straight forward stitching, Sides, Rear/Front, and Up/Down we'll skip those. |
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Now we come to the
main body, you will notice the head is divided into
18 (eighteen) sections and I will use a section of
3 (three) for texturing:-

Again the first few
are straight forward Rear/Front applied, so
select the faces you wish to texture, i.e. the front
faces, remembering your working on a horizontal or
vertical plane, then apply the texture by selecting
your texture and click on the Set Multi button,
next go to the Stitcher box and click on Rear/Front repeat the same for the back faces:-
So now it looks like
this :-

Now here where the
fun starts, before you go any further Save Your
Project, now make sure you have a writing pad
and pen handy. |
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Now we have to texture
the side of the head, so on the Rotate Editor,
which is by default set to 90 Degree Angle, replace
that with 1(One) and click on the Z Axis box.
You will see the model rotate slightly, now if you
wish to rotate it back to it's original position,
enter -1 (minus One) in the box and click on Z Axis, the model will have moved back to it's original
position.
OK! now you can start
to rotate the model so that part of the side faces
are horizontal, There are a few way you can rotate
it, if your not sure of the angle just enter 1 (one
in the box) and click on the Z Axis box counting
in your head for each time you click on the Z Axis
box until you reach your horizontal position, (Remembering
to write down the number of times you have clicked
on the Z Axis box) but as I know it's a 60
Degree angle, I'll just enter 60 in the box and press
Z Axis.
You might have to use
your arrow keys to manoeuvre the model so you can
see it!
So now your model should
look like this, with faces you wished to be textured
in a horizontal position: -

Oh yes, you have to
Z Axis rotate your model before you select the faces
you wish to stitch, selecting the faces then rotating
will have the same effect as if you hadn't of rotated
making the texture stretch around the model.
So remember
rotate then select. |
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So one the faces
are textured it should look like this: -

Now to get the model
back to it's original position for example 60 degree's
or what ever you have written on your paper, enter
in to the box -60 (minus 60) and click on the Z Axis box, your model should be back to it's original
position.
At this point if you
have do it right save the project, if not you will
have to reload the project and start again.
So now you have it
back to it's original position, you will have to rotate
it the other way to textures the other side of the
head, so if you have done this correctly, just click
on the Z Axis box to rotate the model -60 degree's
(minus 60).
Again select the faces
you wish to texture and apply them.
To rotate back enter
60 in the box and press the Z Axis button,
now it's back to it's original position, texture the
top of the model.

Well that was easy
wasn't it, pretty straight forward, well you right
that was easy, you will notice from the pictures that
one of the eyes is at a weird angle, as it leans back
and to one side. |
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This is where it
can get very confusing, so again Save Your Project and rotate you model to a position which you think
is best:-

Because of the angle
of the eye, you will have to rotate it at two angles,
first we will rotate it forward so the bottom of the
faces on the eye are horizontal.
So again in the Rotate
Editor, type 1 or -1 (one or minus one) in the box,
and as we want to rotate the model forward we will
click on the X Axis button, in your head again
count how many time you have to click on the button,
so that the eye is horizontal, write this down on
your paper, remembering which Axis your using (X Axis) for this example the figure is 24 degree's
so I'll write that figure down (X 24).

So now you have that
angle, with the arrow keys rotate the model so it
faces the front: -

Now you can see the
eye isn't vertical so we have to rotate it again,
this time with the Y Axis button, now this
Z Axis works slightly different from the other
two. |
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OK! for example I'll
enter 60 Degree's in the box and press the Y Axis
box

Now to rotate it back,
with the other Axis's you would type in -60
(minus 60), NO not for this Axis, I'll
show you, I'll enter -60 (minus 60) and press the
Y Axis box:-

You will see the model
stay's at the same angle but it has flipped up, so
to rotate this back to its original position leave
the box set at 60 Degree's and press Y Axis:-

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Ok! now I have tried
to explain that I'll rotate it to the correct angle,
this is a bit hit and miss so you know it's not going
to be 1 (one) so type in the box 10 (ten), if that's
not the correct angle click on the Y Axis box
again (with out changing the value) and type in 11
(eleven), same again if that's no right click on the
Y Axis and type in 12 (twelve), continue this
until you have the correct value, which happens to
be 14 (fourteen) degree's:-

So now select the faces
on the side of the eye, or which ever part your texturing
and apply the texture, as this used the same texture
as the other eye, you might have to rotate the texture
so its at the same angle as the other eye.
So again select the
same faces and select the Manual Texture Editor and click on the 90 (ninety) degree box:-

Well I've nearly finished
so, deselect the faces that are highlighted by pressing
backspace, and start selecting the bottom (top) faces
of the eye and again apply the texture. Ok leave it
at that for the moment, and rotate the model back
to its original position, so click on the Y Axis
button, (which still should have the 14 (fourteen)
Degree's entered into it, take note of what you have
written on your piece of paper (X 24) and in the box
type in -24 (minus 24) and click on the X Axis
button.
Hopefully you haven't
done anything wrong and the model is to its original
position as when you first started.
Now to finish the head
off, you will notice the eye texture is rotated around
the wrong way. So I'll select the faces for the top
of the eye again and rotate the texture.

It's easy, I use it
all the time, just along as you write things down
and or remember at which Axis and Angle you rotated the model you should be fine.
You can also rotate
the model in three directions but, I would advise
you to practice just rotating at one angle and then
two, just to familiarise yourselves with the technique.
Oh last but not least,
you can enter a decimal in the box, so if you fine
that your have rotated your model but it's not quite
horizontal or vertical you can enter in **.56 or something
like that.
Anyhow, have fun. |
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