Unwrap UVW

Expanding upon basic textures, we learnt about Unwrapping UVW textures. This involves deconstructing a shape and mapping the correct texture to the individual faces so that when the texture is applied to the shape it fits perfectly. In this case we were making a simple dice.
We started with a humble box. Applied to this box was the Unwrap UVW modifier which, with the shape highlighted, can then be edited. When editing, the shape is shown like flat packed furniture, spread out flat on a grid. The faces can then be moved around into the correct position, handily when a face is selected on the Unwrap editor it also becomes highlighted in the preview window so it is easier to identify which faces should be aligned where.

Once all the faces have been aligned properly, the edges must be welded together. Within the UVW editor, under Tools, there is a Weld Edges option. With to edges selected and this tool used the green edges turn from green to grey. Having welded all the correct edges, the template must be scaled to fit within the editing boundary, a dark blue box within the UVW editor. This UV template must then be rendered, an option within the tools tab, so that it can be saved as a PNG file and imported into photoshop.

Having imported the template into Photoshop, we added another layer to form the colour for the dice. Another layer was added for the dots. Images can also be imported and aligned for more complex models. The outline layer was then hidden, as we don't want this showing up on the model, and then the image saved as a PNG file.

Adding this texture to the model then follows the same procedure as normal, a simple drag and drop.