UV editing should be a mode, not a modifier

[Anonymous]

Having the ability to keep the Unwrap Editor open at all times would greatly speed up the UV editing work flow. And since UV editing is such a big part of creating 3D assets, that would be a big savings for many users.

[germain]

How many have I struggled with rotating an object to look at the unwrapping tweaks while having to dodge the unwrap window on a single-screen desktop. I wish I could dock the unwrap window in a viewport and have it side-by-side with my other viewports.

Kinda goes well with having uvw unwrap as a mode too, don't you think?

[lightcube]

The idea may seem good at first glance, but it would take a lot of magic and a major paradigm shift... and it would probably break far too many things. What would it mean to be in UV mode and it's relationship to the modifier stack? For example, when you switch to Modifier 1 on the list, how does this mode handle that? The modifiers themselves can edit topology and the UVS... does this mode stop them from working?

To be independent it would have to be a mode that is evaluated after all modifiers ... meaning it would be prone to being broken any time you edit your modifier parameters for the same reason that changing a modifier below a Unwrap UVW modifier can destroy the UVs. Only non-topology-dependent UV editing would be possible in a non-destructive way in that mode. And since the hardest kind of UV work is topology dependent (unwrapping) I just don't see much pragmatism in it.

Unless there is a completely new paradigm for unwrapping that doesn't need to worry about mesh topology, I say this is a pipe dream. Better, IMO, to just improve the unwrap tools we have and make them easier, faster, more powerful and more robust.

[Anonymous]

Ability to seamlessly UV unwrap and model on multiple objects sharing without adding a parent modifier.
Example old way: Select two objects and apply UVW unwrap and UV the meshes, if the meshes had UVW modifiers already now you have an added overhead of another modifier just to maintain UVs between the two.
Example new way: Akin to Maya select and uv method. Floating standalone UVW editor that can read and edit UVs of objects regardless if there's a uvw modifier.

Likewise for multi edit, except instrad of UVW its edit poly.

[verticalslicer]

Having the UV Editor in the modifier stack is very limiting. In most other 3D apps, I can seamlessly move between making geometry and UV edits without running into construction history conflicts. Further, I can make geometry edits with the UV Editor open on my second display. None of this is possible when the viewing Max's UV editor is contingent on you being on that specific level of the modifier stack.

[Tupaia]

Maybe it's not necessary to do black magic with a 'bypass' UV stack or something. To give the user the feeling of more 'directness', there could be:

- a UI shortcut button to apply an UnwrapUVW (or select the topmost existing), and open the Editor window automatically (simple script)

- make the Editor window dockable into a viewport (with Max' UI-QTification, maybe this will become possible easily)

- prevent the Editor window from closing when another modifier is selected (whatever sense that makes...)

[gandhics]

UV editor as mode may make sense in Maya it doesn't have stack.

I don't think how it can be possible in 3dsMax.

[Tupaia]

I don't think it's necessary to 'bypass' the stack in whatever way. It's simply about keeping the 'Edit UVWs' window open.

Softimage has a 'Lock' button on the Texture Editor for that purpose, as does Cinema4D. See screenshot.

But to avoid the usual 'duct tape' approach, I allowed me to add an idea about how the UI could be generalized.

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/3ds-max-ideas/generalize-max-handling-of-viewports-and-panels/idi-p/7...

A 'lock' button could be standard in all panels, then.

[Xerges]

there are 2 things that have to be developed in relation to this idea:

1- make a viewport that can display the UVs of a selected object

2- add UV editing capabilities to Editable Poly

then make the viewport that shows UVs act as editor if an editable poly is selected or there is an Unwrap selected in the modifier stack

[aslantamjidi]

No this is NOT good thing for MAX... UV as Modifier is an excellent way to work with. look at MAYA, when you do rig for a geometry, there is no way to edit or redo your UVs... this is one of 3Ds MAX advantages...

[Tupaia]

There's already the 'Pin Stack' toggle in the modifier stack. When it is activated on the object with the UnwrapUVW modifier, the 'EditUVWs' window will actually stay open, even if other objects are selected and moved.

Granted, there's room for improvement:

- When a new object is created (by SHIFT-drag for example), the pinning is lost.

- The 'EditUVWs' window should be dockable, or in the 'rank' of a viewport, and pinnable by itself.

[Anonymous]

I completely agree, nothing else to say, I cant believe this hasn't been implement from the start. It would make everything so much easier.

[fla3d]

I guess the ideal would be to give editable poly the ability to edit the UV, using the same selection tools we have. Also keeping the unwrap modifier at the same time.

[Anonymous]

UV editing multiple Objects is more efficient if it is not a modifier that I have to constantly add and collapse.

[EricsUsername]

Hello fellow UV'ers,
I have been writing tools for UV work in viewport.  I'm calling them;  Super Simple UV .
.. the target demo is the learner, yet the results are decent enough for all skill levels even if it only helps by removing 95-99% of the time spent on UV work.  I can go directly from Max to Substance Painter with decent UV shells and texel normalization in near light speed.

Maybe in a few weeks I can have a public beta.
I've been loving that I can perform nearly all of my UV work in the viewport.  A few clicks, and magic. done.

---
luv3d.xyz will be the site (now it's simply a landing page)
You'll find MadMax there as well.. My MadMax toolset is stirring some great comments from advanced users and will have other UV tools.

[BenediZ]

I definitely agree with the feature request, the workflow in 3dsMax is so strange and arduous.

You should just open a UV Editor window like you open the SME, with proper size (maybe even dockable)

and get the UVs displayed from whichever object you select!

So you could also check the UVs of 10 objects in 10 seconds...