headus 3D tools

[WilliamDocherty]

Hi

I've just started to evaluate UVLayout as I need a tool capable of repainting texture files based on optimised/repacked UVs. I've watched the video tutorial for the "repaint map" feature and it seems IDEAL. However, when I click on the button after setting everything up nothing happens. Is this feature disabled in the trial version? I can successfully load in the correct model, texture & repack the UVs the way I want. It looks as if all I should need to do is click the "repaint map" button - am I missing something.

If the feature is disabled - is there a way I can evaluate it properly? A visible watermark over the end result would even do.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
William

[headus]

Yes, sorry, anything that saves out is disabled in the Pro Trial version. I didn't think of doing a watermark though, which is a good idea actually.

Are you using the Win, Mac or Linux version? I can add the watermark quickly and will upload a new demo for you to try out.

Phil

[WilliamDocherty]

HI

Wow - that would be an unprecendented level of support - Thanks.
I'm using the Windows version.

Cheers
William

[headus]

OK, I'm still working through this mornings emails, but should be able to do the watermark thing later today. I'll post here again when the new demo is ready for download.

Phil

[headus]

So the new Demo version for Windows is now available from ...

http://uvlayout.com/tmp/headus-UVLayout-Demo-Repaint.exe

You can now repaint maps in the Pro Trial version, but you get a "Demo" watermark over the results.

I'm in the middle of a couple of changes, so didn't want to risk breaking the official Demo by over-writing it. Actually, one of those changes is the ability to repaint from and to multiple UV tiles. The current repaint tool only works on single UV maps with UVs in the 0 to 1 square.

Phil

[WilliamDocherty]

Thanks for doing that so quickly!

I've been testing it out and it seems to be able to do what I want, which is great. However, it crashes a lot when I repaint to lower resolutions than the original source (I'm testing out going from 1024 to 512). Sometimes it works, sometimes it just hangs. Wonder if it's something to do with the new watermark feature & the fact it's an interim build? Is the feature normally stable?

The stacking UV option is also good, the model UV data I need to work with frequently uses a mixture of stacked & non-stacked layout (which is fun) - is there a way to have the tool automatically detect stacked UV "islands" on load/import? When working with models that have many UV "islands" - working out which ones are stacked is difficult, so auto boxing & locking them would be handy.

Regarding the new feature you mention - is this support for multiple UV sets/channels (eg lightmap UVs) or multiple materials per object/model (or both .. or something else?)

Cheers
William

[headus]

"going from 1024 to 512"

Hmmm, weird ... I did those exact same numbers quite a bit when working on the watermarking. It could be a bug from the other changes I've been making to the repaint tool, because normally its quite good. Are you able to email your files at all? No worries if you cant, because I can do some more testing to see if I can get it to crash here. I need to do that anyway before I can release the next version.

"is there a way to have the tool automatically detect stacked UV "islands""

Not currently, but its certainly something I can look in to.

" is this support for multiple UV sets/channels (eg lightmap UVs)"

No sorry, not yet, but that is top of the wish list. I was talking about UV tiles, where shells are placed outside the normal 0 to 1 UV space. The changes I was making to the repaint tool were to support UVs outside of 0 to 1 ... the current release only does shells inside the 0 to 1 UV space.

Phil

[WilliamDocherty]

No problem - I can downsize the art in Photoshop easily - so no big deal there.
The other features would be handy if they become available later.

I've placed an order for the pro version - thanks for your assistance.

Cheers
William

[headus]

OK, thanks for ordering a copy. Now that you have the Pro version up and running, I was wondering if the repainting was working OK now at all resolutions? Then I'd know if the bug you found was in the watermarking or maybe the other changes I've made recently that are in that Demo version but not the latest Pro version.

Phil

[WilliamDocherty]

More than happy to test that again once I'm up and running.

I've downloaded & installed the latest non-demo version and followed the instructions regarding copying the license key from the "details" page.
However, when I press "Refresh" in the app nothing seems to happen.
Do I need to wait for the dongle to arrive through the post?
I got the impression I'd be able to use the software before the dongle arrives as the license type indicates "temp dongle".

On that subject - is there a way to just use a single floating license with a server?
When I looked at the purchase options it looked as if you'd need to buya a minimum of 4 licenses?

Cheers
William

[headus]

"Do I need to wait for the dongle to arrive through the post?"

No, but I need your Ether ID to generate the temp key. You should have received an email saying that the dongle was shipped, and further down that message was the instructions for getting a temp key.

"is there a way to just use a single floating license with a server?"

There is, but a single floating license is $400, so it would cost you $100 to upgrade to that from your current dongle license. When the dongle arrives, I can set you up with a temp floating key if you want to test it out before deciding.

Phil

[WilliamDocherty]

Yep, you're correct - the instructions are included in the other email - which I somehow managed to miss.

Thanks
William