Visual Development: UV Layouts, Textures, and Layered Textures (Project 2)

For our second project in this class, we learned how to properly layout the UV's of an object in order to create an effective/realistic texture, how to create the textures needed for that object in Photoshop by following the layouts of the UV's as reference, and also how to make a layered texture map in Maya to project images on top of each other in a proper manner.

Picture to the Left: This is a UV snapshot of the metal scraper that I needed to texture in the given scene. I learned how to layout these UV's by cutting and unfolding the UV's, sewing them together dependent on the material that the area consists of, and laying them out properly in the 0-1 space. After I completed this project, however, I realized that I could of improved the UV layout of the handle (on the left) because one side of the handle curves too much and it resulted in a distorted texture.

Picture to the Right: This image shows the texture layout that I created in Photoshop that match up with the UV layout of the scraper. I used masks, several layers, and the clone stamp tool to create the realistic textures of the scraper. From here,  I can import this file into Maya and the texture for the scraper will be completed, and look realistic. Although, once again, I realized that I could have improved this layout after the assignment was finished by making sure that my UV's are laid out perfectly before texturing, and to also not overuse the clone stamp tool too much as it can create a fake look for the material.

Picture to the Left: In this photo, you can see the sticker (Vans sticker) and the dirt spot (next to the sticker) that I created using layered textures in Maya's hyper shade. I learned how effective this method can be to create the specific output that you are looking for, depending on the scene. 

Picture to the Right: This photo shows the final look of the metal scraper after the texture layout was applied to it. The texture appears to be realistic and not distorted, making it more life like for the audience.