Is there a tutorial on how to use ready made alphas or uv maps?

[Evilynda Baphomet]

I have bought a few ready made mesh things, they come with uv map and alpha, is there a tutorial somewhere that I can learn to use these? As it is now they are useless to me and I would like to learn to use them. I don't want to make them just how to use the ones that come with things I buy. Trying to learn but don't know where to look.

 

[markkemp]

The UV map is a map of how a texture is applied over the various faces of the mesh. Each mesh has 1 texture that has to cover all its faces. That's why UVs are usually very tightly packed.

Usually a mesh maker will provide something called a "shadow map" which is basically the ambient occlussion channel baked into a texture.

Take that shadow map into photoshop and apply it as with a "multiply" layer style or perhaps a linear burn. Then in the layer underneath you can paint your personalised colorization and designs.

[Chic Aeon]

If you ONLY have a UV map (so a transparent texture with lines showing you where the shapes lay out) and not an ambient occlusion map (usually black with grayscale shadows) you will have to DRAW your design using the UV map as a guide (not particularly easy ).

 

IF you have an ambient occlusion map, this tutorial may help. It is from a full perm furniture maker but the general rules work with clothes I am thinking.

 

http://nakedmesh.blogspot.com/p/mesh-faqs.html

 

Good luck.

 

EDIT: To use the alpha you simply make a new alpha layer in the inventory and then drag the alpha texture into the appropriate slot (top, bottom, head -- whatever). Then save and it becomes YOUR alpha  layer so to speak.  

 

 

[Zed Tremont]

Sorry this is quite a bit too late, I only joined the forum a couple of days ago and still going through.

Made some tuts for this topic quite a while ago, they're intended for Ps but the principle goes as perfectly well for Gimp.

if you have more knowledge about these programs I would use masks, though I didn't include this in the tuts