Texturing cars

[jaq Seriman]

I'm not sure if this belongs here or not.  I race cars in SL that have scripts in them to change gears, steer and other functions.  I've bought already set up cars and can sometimes change the color easy enough.  Although many have textures on painted areas that have parts manufacturers logos much like in real race cars.  I've had limited luck in adding my own personal logos which I created in Photoshop and placed on a prim to add to the car.  I know this is not a great way but it's the only way I can get it to work, at least on some cars.  I do not have the UV maps for the cars so I cannot work that way.  Also on some cars when I add the prim it messes up the scripts and they do not work or work in odd ways.  I've tried unlinking parts and many other ways but most times I have problems with the scripts.  On some brands of scripts I can turn off the script and get it to work.  With other scripts this does not work.  Since I'm not a builder nor a scriptor I have limited knowledge.  I've asked people in SL that build cars and can add graphics but with limited success.  It seems if they have the knowledge they either don't want to give it up or maybe they really don't know as much as they think.  

I'm pretty good with Photoshop and Illustrator but that only takes you so far.  I need to know how to work with objects already built and scripted without screwing them up.  I'm sure the best way is to have the UV maps for each surface and create a texture to fit it.  Seems very few things in SL are sold with the UV maps included.  

Any help or where to look for help would be appreciated.  I've searched the web but without much luck with regard to my specific need.  Thanks.

[Rolig Loon]

There is no "one size fits all" answer.  Every creator makes things his own way, so there's no standard way to link pieces and no standard way to write scripts for the various functions of the vehicle.  Unless you have a full perm object with full perm scripts, your options are limited and you have to guess a lot.  That's exactly how creators would like it, of course, because they are hoping to sell you finished products that already look good and function properly.  They're not likely to want you fiddling around under the hood.  As you have guessed, too, many creators only understand part of what goes into making a car. They may be great at 3D modeling and texturing but have absolutely no clue about scripting.

The most you can do is to ask the creator if he'll sell you UV maps or a custom model or, of course, you could learn how to make vehicles yourself from scratch.

[Theresa Tennyson]

---

jaq Seriman wrote:

I'm not sure if this belongs here or not.  I race cars in SL that have scripts in them to change gears, steer and other functions.  I've bought already set up cars and can sometimes change the color easy enough.  Although many have textures on painted areas that have parts manufacturers logos much like in real race cars.  I've had limited luck in adding my own personal logos which I created in Photoshop and placed on a prim to add to the car.  I know this is not a great way but it's the only way I can get it to work, at least on some cars.  I do not have the UV maps for the cars so I cannot work that way.  Also on some cars when I add the prim it messes up the scripts and they do not work or work in odd ways.  I've tried unlinking parts and many other ways but most times I have problems with the scripts.  On some brands of scripts I can turn off the script and get it to work.  With other scripts this does not work.  Since I'm not a builder nor a scriptor I have limited knowledge.  I've asked people in SL that build cars and can add graphics but with limited success.  It seems if they have the knowledge they either don't want to give it up or maybe they really don't know as much as they think.  

I'm pretty good with Photoshop and Illustrator but that only takes you so far.  I need to know how to work with objects already built and scripted without screwing them up.  I'm sure the best way is to have the UV maps for each surface and create a texture to fit it.  Seems very few things in SL are sold with the UV maps included.  

Any help or where to look for help would be appreciated.  I've searched the web but without much luck with regard to my specific need.  Thanks.

---

Many current Second Life cars are based off of full-permission kits by a limited number of makers. If you right-click the car and select "Object Profile" (might be "Inspect" on some viewers) and hit the "Details" button you'll see the creator of each individual part. Once you know the maker you can then see if you can buy the same kit and get the editable textures  from it.

A cheaper but less-precise way that might work is to put a texture on the body that has a grid or other means of mapping it, and then see where the areas you want to put your logos fall on that map.

[jaq Seriman]

Thanks for replying.  I have tried different things to sort of cheat to find a way to determine placement.  I tried taking a screen shot of the car and bringing it into Photoshop.  The problem is sizing the object properly.  I suppose if I had nothing to do all day but play around with this I might find a way to create properly fitted textures. Having the UV maps would help quite a bit I would think.  Some of the people I bought cars from say the person they bought the shell form didn't include the UV maps.  Quite convenient.  I can't say I blame people from trying to protect content.  It's not like I'm trying to steal anything from them but just alter what I already have for my own use. I suppose I'll just have to trudge on.

[Callum Meriman]

---

jaq Seriman wrote:

Thanks for replying.  I have tried different things to sort of cheat to find a way to determine placement.  I tried taking a screen shot of the car and bringing it into Photoshop.  The problem is sizing the object properly.  I suppose if I had nothing to do all day but play around with this I might find a way to create properly fitted textures. Having the UV maps would help quite a bit I would think.  Some of the people I bought cars from say the person they bought the shell form didn't include the UV maps.  Quite convenient.  I can't say I blame people from trying to protect content.  It's not like I'm trying to steal anything from them but just alter what I already have for my own use. I suppose I'll just have to trudge on.

---

As a person who repaints a lot of things a UV colour grid will help you a lot. I use http://webglbasic.com/compiler/textures/grid/grid02.jpg mostly.

Rez 2 of the object, apply the grid to one, then make it a 20% or so opaque layer in photoshop. Set the other object up with live textures so that you can preview your changes fast in world and use the coordinates to place, size and rotate your logos better.

[Amethyst Jetaime]

I don't make vehicles but my partner does (mostly motorcycles but other types occasionally) and I make the textures he uses for custom orders or special models.  I do script for other kinds of builds so I have some knowledge of scripting.  My partner and I have talked a lot about the scripts he uses and has used, which are general vehicle scripts that can be used in motorcycles, cars or trucks, etc.

All vehicles are physical.  Some scripts are limited in the number prims they allow.  Some scripts require that you name and list all the prims so the script can turn the appropriate parts physical or not as needed or otherwise do things to them, like set performance parameters, change color etc. These scripts generally inventory the prims when you start it and if they run into a prim not listed in the script they don't know what to do. This requirement can be in addition to the prim limit.  So this is why when you try to add your prim with the logo on it the scripts stop working for some of your cars.

I don't know why but people that sell vehicles for builders or parts for them rarely include a UV map with them.  So when I do custom textures for his vehicles, unless I'm lucky enough to have the UV map, I have to use a generic texture grid, aka UV grid, as a guide for where the picture (logo) should be placed.  I then use the same grid as a layer in the background of my texture to give me a guide. 

It takes a lot of patience as most of the time due to the shape of the part I am texturing, you have to also distort the texture by making any design other than solid colors narrower or wider, taller or shorter, on the actual texture so that it comes out right on the part.  When I do this I always use a split screen looking at the vehicle area I'm texturing with the grid on it and the program I am using.  When I have the first version done I texture the part with it it using local textures on the part.  I then know what kind and how much distortion I still have to work into the texture.  I repeat this with each version until it's right.  If the texture is a design on a solid background, I also make a texture of the same color for the other parts of the car that are solid colors.  The reason is that it is next to impossible to match the color exactly using the color picker, even if you use the RGB numbers.  But using a solid color texture makes all the parts match perfectly.

I've gotten better at it the more I've done it of course but those first few times I was bald from pulling my hair out over it.  :smileyvery-happy:  It's probably the most difficult texture work I do.

 

[jaq Seriman]

Since I first posted this I've become more knowledgeable about textures and "painting" objects in SL. Most vehicles you buy in SL, either the completed car or a shell, almost never has the UV maps included. Why? Laziness on the creators part I'd say. Many create the objects/cars in Blender which can create the maps for you. 

So, since I seldom get maps (twice so far) I use the grid method or the trial and error method. I've done some pretty nice textures for cars among other things.

Now the problem I'm trying to solve is having the text I create in Photoshop or Illustrator displays in SL as sharp as the original. Yes I know Photoshop doesn't handle text as well as Illustrator but Photoshop handles gradients and special effects better than Illustrator. It's a trade off but what can you do. The text when imported looks decent at a distance but if you zoom in closer it looks fuzzy and a bit out of focus. I've been experimenting with different methods but so far nothing seems to keep the text crisp and clear. It seems to be a common problem as others cars text looks fuzzy too. Perhaps there is no solution to this and I'll just have to live with viewing from a distance and not being bothered by the visual blur.

Attached is one of the cars I've painted. I've also am including the Slurl for the sim I race in. Most of the textures for the buildings and such were created by me for our track.  Visit sometime if you're interested in drag racing for some great fun.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Phantom Isle/20/63/3301