Posted a similar article a few days ago (thanks DaveR for any help!). I’ve created a very simple Display stand model that I need to texture with a few variations (graphic skins/wraps). I’ve been scratching my head at this for hours, no matter how many times I re-model the display stand, I keep getting this exact same “missing section”. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated, as this was supposed to be completed by tomorrow
Here’s the actual physical display. The end goal is to be able to see different skin/wraps that we can send to retailers so that they may have an idea of what our stand would look like on their shelves:
It would be better if you kept this to one thread.
I asked the other day for an image that you want to put on the surface. As was mentioned in the other thread, you should be able to do it with the native tools.
To expand on @DaveR 's solution…all you need to do is decide whether your background image can be ‘projected’ or not. Do you know what it means to project a texture? See below for step by step attempt to solve with screenshots:
Notice the length of the curved panel is the same as the flattened version.
Step 2: Import custom texture created using the unwrapped surface. Apply to display model. Notice the logos at the top and bottom stretch a bit. This is because the texture “projects” and therefore warps a bit along the curves.
Step 3: Deselect ‘projected’ texture and manually ‘position’ along curves. Seems tedious but just takes a few minutes. Given the time invested so far, a few more minutes of tweaking shouldn’t hurt.
Step 4: When you’re ready to try different variations, just double click the original texture (or select Edit tab if on PC), then select load and browse to new image. No new positioning needed as it remembers it’s settings. Of course you’ll have to make a copy and open in new file if you want to preserve your original as ‘loading’ new images will replace all of the current textures already applied in model.
Or do it without projecting the texture which is what I did.
I didn’t go to any of that work. No reason to flatten the curved surface. I just got the length of the curve on the edge and the width of the curved panel from Entity Info and used those dimensions as a guide for drawing a rectangle onto which I placed the imported image as a texture.
I’m assuming you need to change out different brands that would conform to the panel which is about 10.5" x 7".
UV mapping in sketchup is tricky.
If projected there would be some distortion.
In the last example, not sure how that image conformed as it looks like the Bottle Keeper wording is either separate from the amber graphic or is lower down in the image ?
There wasn’t an example graphic posted, but attached a template.
Best to start at the bottom (or top?) and edit the proportioned texture to fit one single face’s width (turn on hidden geometry to see a single face - if you try to apply it to the whole face it gets wonky.) once you have that face filled to width correctly and the bottom of graphic is on the bottom of the model, get the eye dropper and select that single face…then it will become the paint bucket tool, paint each face going up and it should fill in correctly. Then you can turn off hidden geometry again.
WOW, a TON of great information in here for me to digest, thank you all so much for the help!
I’m going to start with @DaveR’s simpler method of using the L of the curve and the W of the board to get that flat panel, creating the texture in Photoshop, and then importing in as a texture. Will report back in a few minutes!
Ok so I followed a few YT tutorials, along with the guidance of everyone here. I tried a combo of both @DaveR’s tek as well as @eric-s’s tek. I’m getting CLOSE, but still hitting a road block. After both unwrapping and also creating a flat plane @ the W and L of the display, I am only able to edit the positioning of the texture on the flat plane, and NOT the display and/or the unwrapped face. When I right-click to go to “Texture”, there is no option on either of those two.
The Texture edit option in the Context menu is only available if you right click on a single face. It won’t be available if you’ve selected all the faces.
By the way, if “BottleKeeper” is always going to be in the same location, you could add it to the model with 3D text and only add the image to the rest of the surface.
As described before, I think you will come up against this issue (see illustration). where your image will not map correctly as it will be disjointed at the points marked.
I have only had success doing this in the manner I described earlier. Where you apply face by face.
Since you were provided two solutions, one is just to project a texture, and the other to manually align the texture to each face…can you let us know which method works for you as I’m sure this has and will come up again. Thx.
