3d textures distorted

[philip14206]

hi everyone.

when i apply textures to a 3d object they always look distorted or stretched.

ive tried different texture sizes but still the same.

any ideas what im doing wrong would be appreciated.

thanks.

[Ussnorway]

the textures look stretched because they are... the underlinning issue is the way you build your model is decimating to many polygons

[philip14206]

thank you so much for your reply. appreciated.

[davescm]

Hi

Between creating a 3D model and texturing there is an essential step in process known as UV unwrapping. This is the process of taking the model surface and literally unwrapping it onto a 2D surface after which you can apply your textures. In 3D applications tools are provided for this, in fact there are dedicated applications just for unwrapping. You can control where the seams are created and minimise any stretching so that when you come to apply your texture it sits evenly on the model.
This screenshot below shows the unwrapping process in Blender - the checker grid is used to highlight any problem areas on the model and the blue overlay on the unwrap changes colour through to Red if any areas are stretched.

In Photoshop which is really a 2D application with some 3D functionality added on,  you don't get that control over unwrapping. Instead you have to resort to warping and stretching the actual texture to match the fixed UV unwrap. You can do this in Edit texture, putting the texture in a smart object and using warp etc. However, depending on the model, this can can be quite awkward.

Dave

[philip14206]

thank you so much dave. excellent advice. i think i might be creating 3d objects a bit to complex causing distortion. ussnorway is correct with the reply. when i create a mesh from preset it is perfect. i will follow your advice dave. this is really helpful. thank you so much.

[Ussnorway]

making good 3d models in Photoshop takes a bit of skill and other software like Blender or Wrap3.3 are offen better options but as a rule of thumb; the shape tool gives the best surface area and avoid extrusions because they always stretch the textures