Asset Creation: Maya Scenography UV Mapping - Creating Games with Unity and Maya - page 52

Tips and Tricks
Selecting faces can be a tricky thing. Remember that sometimes it's easier
to select all the faces and deselect the faces not wanted. Sometimes the
Paint Selection tool is the best way to go.
Tips and Tricks
Notice that after the Planar Projection was created, the checks might
not be perfectly square. Also notice that immediately after the Planar
Projection, there are some manipulator handles that surround the
area just mapped and that these handles allow for the projection to be
adjusted so it can be scaled narrower if needed.
Why?
Yes, you're right. A flat projection creates some mean distortion as the faces
turn the corner to create the relief of the archway. To fix this, use the trick of
using the Unfold section of the Smooth UV tool (not Polygons>Unfold).
Step 28: Map the UVs of the inner curve of the arch. In Face mode, select
the faces that make the curved part of the arch ( Figure 3.19 ).
Figure 3.19 Selected faces for cylindrical mapping.
Step 29: Select Polygons>Create UVs>Cylindrical Mapping. Rotate the
projection by -90 degrees in X. Press Ctrl-A to bring up the Attributes Editor.
There should be a polyCylProj1 tab active. Make sure Projection Attributes is
expanded. In the first Rotate input field (the X), enter -90 ( Figure 3.20 ).
Why?
Cylindrical projections are like wrapping an object with a tortilla—or
more accurately, by default, wrapping half the object with half a tortilla.
This half tortilla by default is standing up. In this case, the polygons we are
attempting to map would be best wrapped with a tortilla wrapping from
the top. By rotating the projection by -90 degrees, the projection (as can
be seen by the manipulator) is much closer to the shape of the polygons
they are projecting upon. Getting closer.