What is the correct procedure for applying textures?

[vershner]

I have been using Wings a lot more over the last few months and I feel there is definitely an issue here.

Whenever I go into the UV segmenting, it changes the material assigned to the face. It either creates a new one, or sets it to the default.

If the face already has a material, segmenting should not change that. It's really frustrating to always have to go back and set the material back to what it used to be.

[micheus]

If the face already has a material, segmenting should not change that. It's really frustrating to always have to go back and set the material back to what it used to be.

If you has already assigned a material to the object and you didn't unwrap the faces before that is going to be the behaviour.

I cannot think that it's wrong if we are considering we should to UV map the object before in this process to setup its material. Wings3D will always create one material by unwrapped object.

What you can do, and I don't think it's so hard, is just after you apply the segmenting UV - with the selection still active - go to Outliner select the "previous" material assigned; activate the context menu and use the option Assign to Selection.


But, I'm going to take note of this and take a look if we can do something to minimise the work.

[vershner]

Often, I already have a texture. I am not creating the texture from the UV map. I am creating the UV map from the texture.
It may be an existing texture from the game I am working on, or it may be a repeating texture that is used in multiple objects.

The process you describe for assigning the material is exactly what I do, but this gets quite frustrating when I have to do it hundreds of times.

[micheus]

By considering that, if you have a new object which you will cut the UV segments (in UV Segmentation window) and then adjust the islands (in AutoUV window), how do you already have a material assigned to this object?
I understood you want to use a pre-existing image (texture).

Just trying to understand better your workflow.

[vershner]

I have usually selected all faces and applied the material to them.
Also, if I adjust an object that I had already textured, and then had to re-segment.

[micheus]

Also, if I adjust an object that I had already textured, and then had to re-segment.

Yeah, the best approach is to UVmap the objects only when all the work on the mesh is done.

I don't think you re-segment the entire object in this cases. Do you?
When I need do that I avoid the UV Segmenting window and do that directly on AutoUV window. There I cut/stitch the mesh combining the selections I do on it and/or on the Geometry window and then use the Remap UV (in Body selection mode) or Project-Unfold (in Face selection mode). Eventually a call for Scale->Normalise Sizes is needed with all elements selected.