UV mapping using the bonus tool

Re-discovery of the Maya UV editing bonus tool!

This was a great way of creating quick border edges.

Not sure what happened at one point, but I managed to actually select and create two unwanted border edges, randomly on the shins. Took a while to find and select them, but once found, even though it wasn't possible to delete a border edge, I was able to shift select and choose the 'merge border edge' option...

I've put this checkered material on the model, so I can see how the UV map is laid out and scaled...

UV mapping in Maya

Continuing UV mapping...

I've decided to make the seams run down the sides of the body and the under side of the arms...

Image below shows the UV editor interface and the shell selected both on the UV space and in the perspective model

UV optimise tool using a large brush size (yellow circle). Optimise tool evens out the map and removes distortion

UV mapping Maya

Iceman is ready with new geometry, rigged, weighted...

UV mapping now, using the UV editor, automatic mapping and then cutting the map to make sure that the seams are at the back...

This really reminds me of costume design and paper pattern making at Wimbledon School of Art...

Using the sew UV tool, with a brush size that will only select and incorporate the edges that I require to be sewn (if the brush size, indicated by the faint black circle in the image below, is too large it will cover a multitude of edges - and will attempt to sew them all together - and the result will be a mess.

Only the two edges of the arm - as highlighted by the orange line - will be sewn together. The last segment on the right show edges highlighted in red. These will be sewn together by click and drag select...

Using the unfold UV tool, to smooth out the map...I am using the space outside of the UV area to work on, and will move and scale the map accordingly, once done, and fit it all onto the UV area

New knee geometry with weighted deformation in Maya

New knee geometry with weighted deformation

This low angle shot has given me an idea for one of the opening shots of the ice men...glimpses here and there, but we're not sure exactly what we're looking at to begin with

Default paint weights - prior to re-influencing

New hip geometry - retopoligised with quad draw tool.

Default paint weights shown, prior to adjustments of the influences with the paint weight tool

New geometry and rig - skinned

New geometry and rig - skinned

Creating new topology for the knee joint, for good deformation

During the paint weights process I realised that the geometry I'd created (particuarly the knee joints and shoulder joints) would have poor deformation...

So, whilst it was time consuming, I decided to make my existing model a live surface and re draw the topology with the Maya quad draw tool.

tip: if the quad draw tool begins to lag, then delete history..

I then selected my geometry, and exported the selection as an .obj file. imported it directly into my scene that includes my rig, made sure everything was lined up and re-skinned it...

Below is a shot of the old knee topology and the new knee topology.

Although my ice men won't move much, they do need have a lot of knee, shoulder and hip deformation, and this process was definitely a great practice exercise in modelling