Blender 3D UV Mapping and Texturing Tutorial

In this tutorial, I will show the basics of UV mapping in Blender using the default cube object. We’ll create a simple box, start by applying textures in an unwrapped state, then add some 2D shapes to the texture using curves and extrude them out to make a 3D object. Finally, we’ll assign textures in both states to our 3D object and animate it.

What is UV Mapping?

UV mapping is a process that is used to textures and paint objects in 3D software. UV mapping is similar to texturing in that it is used to give objects a more realistic appearance. UV mapping is done by adding three-dimensional textures to an object using the coordinates of the UV (Uniformly Varying) surface. This surface can be seen as a grid of lines that represent the position of the light in a 3D space.

How Does UV Mapping Work?

When creating a texture for an object, you need to decide what information you want to include in the texture. You can include the color of the object, its texture coordinate, or its normal vector. Each of these types of information is called a vertex attribute. When you create a texture, you assign each vertex attribute a corresponding value from 0 (invisible) to 1 (fully visible).

The UV map is created by taking all of the vertex attributes and assigning them values that correspond to where on the UV surface they should be displayed. This creates a map that shows which vertex attributes are displayed where on the UV surface.

UV Map Location

1. UV mapping and texturing are an important steps in 3D rendering, and it can be a bit tricky to get the results you want without making some mistakes. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to map UVs correctly in Blender so that your textures look perfect.

2. First, you’ll need to create a UV map for your object. To do this, open up the UV editor by clicking on the ‘UV’ button in the properties window. This will open up a new window where you can map out your object’s UVs.

3. Start by creating a square box in the center of your scene and fill it with white (0, 0, 0). This will be your reference texture, and all other textures will be mapped onto it.

4. Now, create another square box next to the first one and fill it with blue (255, 255, 255). This will be your shadow texture, and all other textures will be mapped onto it.

5. Next, create a third square box and fill it with green (0, 255, 0). This will be your highlight texture, and all other textures will be mapped onto it.

6 . Now, we need to fill these boxes with objects that will have things placed on them. This can be done via the Scene and Objects windows.

7. The first object you should add to your scene is a Plane object. Create that in the Scene window and make it invisible by unchecking its checkbox in the Visibility panel.

8. Select your plane and click on the Texture Atlas icon (the one with a big circle) in the asset browser.

9. From here, click on Vertex Colors, then pick any of the three textures (the white square, blue square or green square). You’ll see a preview of how your texture looks when mapped onto your object(s).

10. Repeat this process for each color channel ( red, green, and blue) that you want to use.

11. If you want to use this texture on more than one object in your scene (which is a good idea), copy it to the clipboard by renaming it ‘_Copy’ and select all of them in the Object list. In each case, click on Vertex Colors and pick the exact same texture as above but with _Copy appended to its name (e.g., ‘_Copy White Square’).

12. To apply your textures to objects, select that object in the Object window, go into Edit Mode, then click on the Texture Atlas icon again (the big circle).

13. When that’s done, save & close your scene file! You can get a lot of icky results by using a textured cube in animation without applying the textures. You can avoid that by making sure you’re always going to apply your textures when you are done.

14. To check, select any object in your scene, which should now have a white name next to it in the Object list; if so, your texture is applied correctly and you can move on to step 9 below… If not, try step 9 again.

15. Save your scene file. I recommend creating a new Scene file so that you don’t overwrite any of the files already in your project (aka: ‘prevent problems).

16. Now go back into Edit Mode and remove the texture from all of those objects one at a time…

17. When you’re done, you should have one or a bunch of duplicates; that’s fine. Go back into Object mode and add each of these duplicates the same way you added the original.

18. Make sure that each duplicate is set to ‘Apply Diffuse Texture’, then press the Ok button once more, and go back into Edit Mode to add in any new textures (if necessary).

19. Selecting an object should now have a white name next to it in the Object list; if so, your texture is applied correctly and you can move on to step 8 below… If not, try step 8 again.

20. Save your scene file. I recommend creating a new Scene file so that you don’t overwrite any of the files from step 5. If you do overwrite any files from the previous steps, just make sure to go back into Object mode and/or Edit Mode and re-apply your texture as described in steps 6 – 9 above. (If you do end up overwriting files from the previous steps, just save a copy of your scene file and start over with a new Scene file.)

21. Next, we’ll add some decorative stuff made out of cubes in an empty space otherwise left blank by the default values for ‘Size’ and ‘Position’.

22. In Object Mode, select all the cubes (which will be white).

23. Copy them all by pressing Ctrl + C on your keyboard, then paste them (Ctrl + V) somewhere else within the scene, then press Enter on your keyboard (or click on the Play button in the lower-left corner of the editor).

24. Select them all again, but now copy them (Ctrl + C) and paste them somewhere else within the scene, then press Enter on your keyboard (or click on the Play button in the lower-left corner of the editor).

25. Now these cubes will be copied four more times for a total of five copies.

26. Select all five cubes by pressing Ctrl + A.

27. Now select one of these copies by clicking on it with your mouse’s left button and dragging it around to reposition it anywhere within your scene. Press Enter or click ‘Play’ to see how they look when placed exactly where you want them.

Creating a Basic Box UV Map

In this tutorial, we will be discussing the steps necessary to create a basic box UV map for our Blender 3D model. This map will be used to texture our 3D model.

To begin, open up Blender and create a new 3D file. You can use any file size or resolution you want. We recommend using a high-resolution image file so that the final product looks good on a desktop monitor. Next, we will need to import our image into Blender. To do this, click on the File menu and select Import -> Image. Navigate to the folder where your image file is located and select it. Once you have selected the image, Blender will automatically load it into your 3D scene.

Now that we have our image loaded into our scene, we need to create a box UV map. To do this, select the Object button ( ) in the toolbar and select Box from the list of objects that appears. Next, click on the UV Mapping button ( ) in the Properties panel and enter the following information into the Mapping dialog box:

-Name: ‘Box UV’

-Category: Base Mesh

-Type: Polygonal

-Offset: 0-Scale: 1.0

Now select the drop-down menu from the top of the dialog box and select ‘Unwrap’. This will allow you to see your mesh in its native form.

Next, we need to create the polygonal mesh that is attached to our box shape. To do this, click on the Object button ( ) in the toolbar, then select Poly from the list.

Next, choose Mesh from the pulldown menu and select Simple Box from the submenu that appears.-Name: ‘Box Mesh’ -Category: Meshes-Type: Polygonal-Mesh Type: Box (Simple)-Vertex Count: 2 x 2

Note: This meshes type is one of two types used in Blender for modeling 2-D boxes. The second type of box is a plane, which is discussed in the next section.

Vertex Count: 2 x 2 -Scale: 1.0-Position: X: 0 Y: 0 Z (Z-axis) : 0-Rotation: X (X-Axis) : 45 degree / Counterclockwise Y (Y-Axis) : 45 degree / Counterclockwise Z (Z-Axis) : 15 degree / CounterclockwiseNext, we need to create a plane mesh that will act as our base for all of our other shapes. To do this, click on the Object button () in the toolbar and select Plane from the list. Next, choose Mesh from the pull-down menu and select Simple Box from the Mesh Type pull-down menu.

Combining Box and Sphere UV Maps

One of the most common tasks that you will need to perform when working with 3D models is UV mapping. UV mapping is the process of mapping textures onto 3D models. This is done by assigning a specific texture to every point on a model’s surface.

Box UV maps are usually used for objects that are round or rectangular in shape. They are created by combining a sphere UV map with a box template. The box template defines the size and shape of the box, and the sphere UV map determines the color and texture of the surface inside the box.

Sphere UV maps are used for objects that are not round or rectangular in shape. They are created by taking a photo of an object or drawing it using a vector software program. The sphere is then cut out and used as the basis for the UV map. The texture and color of the surface inside the sphere will be determined by your chosen template.

Texturing

One of the most important processes in 3D graphics is texturing. Texturing is the process of adding details to a 3D model that make it look realistic. This process can be done in a number of different ways, but one of the simplest methods is to use UV mapping and textures.

UV mapping is a technique that allows textures to be applied to surfaces without having to create them from scratch. Instead, UVs map the textures onto the surface of the object. This means that the texture can be applied to any part of the object, without having to worry about where it will show up on the surface.

Textures can also be used to add detail to a model. By using specific textures, you can create complex textures that look realistic. You can also use textures to create fake materials, which will make a 3D model look more realistic.

There are many different ways to apply textures and UV maps in Blender, and this tutorial will show you how to do it step-by-step. By following these instructions, you’ll be able to create realistic textures and UV maps for your 3D models

Conclusion

In this blender d UV mapping and texturing tutorial, we will be looking at how to create a realistic wood texture using the Blender software. By following along with the steps in this tutorial, you will learn how to properly map and texture your 3D objects using various techniques. Finally, we will show you how to export our textures so that you can use them in other projects. I hope that you find this blender d UV mapping and texturing tutorial helpful!