How to share one UV texture map for multiple meshes?

Questions & Answers
1

I have a character split up into 10 different parts and I wan’t them all to share one single UV and texture map, but still remain individual pieces so I can hide certain ones sometimes.

How can I do this? I have maya / max / zbrush if anyone knows a way, do you just temporarily combine the meshe’s and do a UV layout or what? Or must you create an atlas with a script somewhere?

Keep it mind I’m going to be skinning and animating this character.

Thanks to anyone who can help.

4

You can absolutely do this. If you using 3dsMax, simply select all meshes, and add an “unwrap UVW” modifier from the stack. It will present all UV sets from all meshes in one UV space. You can then arrange the UVs as needed and collapse the stack down. All pieces will remain separated, but will retain the new UV information from the modifier.

2

My advice would be to UV Map each separate object because from my experience it is not possible to make one UV Map for multiple objects

3

Yeah I believe I’ve done it before, its pretty easy-

Export each piece with its own map from Zbrush, then re-size and transle- laying each individual map out in Maya to its own space, then export each model back to zbrush with the new laid out UV’s, texture in zbrush, then export all maps and combine them all in photoshop. Cool