Using Templates

kwannie

OK, I know this is a basic skill here but I just never learned how to do it,  I was hoping someone could explain how to use templates in gimp. I was able to create a new uv map with UV Mapper Classic and now I have a bmp of the UV Map which I know can now be used as a template. That is where I need instructions. once I bring this template into Gimp what do i do next? I'm sure something about layers and creating a mask but I have never done any of that so can some break it down "Barney Style" Thanks!!!

Leana

Basically, you paint over it ;)

The template tells you what parts of the map are used on your object, so you use it as a guide to know where to paint.

outrider42

You can open either file in GIMP. In GIMP, look over at the FILE button, click and one of the options you will see is "Open as layers". Selecting your other file will open it as a new layer over your first. There is a box in GIMP that controls the layers. You can click a layer, and at the bottom of this box there are up and down arrows to move the layer on top or bottom of the other layers if needed. Also, with that layer highlighted, you will see an opacity bar. So you can adjust the top layer opacity enough to see the UV lines with your texture map.

If the layers are by chance not the same size (like lets say one is 2048x2048 and the other is 4096x4096), you can right click while that layer is highlighted to bring up a menu with several options. One is to scale that single layer. You can also add an alpha channel here if needed for textures that have transparency (sometimes useful for hair).

FSMCDesigns

What Leana said. once you get the template or UVMap, it's all down to photoshop/GIMP skills at that point.

kwannie

Thanks this is a great help, but I'm still a bit fuzzy on the layers and alpha channel. So if I bring in the image of the uv template I created as a seperate layer what does that do for the other layers? If I paint on my uv template layer didn't I just paint on only that layer? If I cut part of another photo and paste it to my template it is still just on that layer right? I was thinking that some how a template would be turned into a mask so that if I paint the layers below that the mask layer would allow me to only paint inside of the outline of the mask. So if I paint on  a single layer on the uv template itself and paint outside of the uv map outline only the portion inside of the outline will show up on the model one I import in as the defuse channel? I did say Barney Style......lol. Sorry I'm really trying to understand what to do inside of Gimp.

kwannie

OK, Outrider I read your post again, and I get using layers with the template being somewhat transparent. So I guess I'm still wondering how to use a mask to keep from painting outside the lines of the mask. Would the mask be on a seperate layer and if so how can it prevent painting outside the borders on the other layer? Is the mask on the same layer? How do I end up with just the image that would be inside the confines of the mask? Its got to be easier than I am making it here............sorry!

PedroC

You have to select the pixels out of template draw. So you have the limits with a selection. With photoshop you can use the magic wand* tool ( *my UI is in Spanish i don't remember if in English is named so). The selection only afect to the layer in use.

kwannie

I appreciate all of the input and I understand how to use the layers in gimp to set my texture map as a transparency on one layer to use as a guide over the top of another layer. The thing I am still fuzzy on is how to create a mask and be able to only paint inside the borders of the mask so that have nice clean edges on my final texture .JPG . In other words if I made a uv map of a shirt I want to be able to paint on the portion where the shirt is but outside the edges of the shirt are just white. I hope somebody gets what I am asking................