Creating template for a round physical object

[Hidde.G]

Dear Reader,

I have an issue regarding the creation of a template for my wirelss earbuds (huawei freebuds 3). It has a round shape and so i was wondering: "How can you create a template that fits perfectly around the object? Then my second question is: "How do you allign (for example) different shapes on the template correctly while having a weird kind of shape (see picture as an exampl)"? 

Example of template for airpods 2

[Bojan Živković]

How can you create a template that fits perfectly around the object"

This is not clear, what you mean by fits around object? Template does not fit, template is file with usually smart object layers which needs to be replaced with content. Can you please explain with different wording?

To align things you can use Smart Guides for example, as helpers. To activate smart guides go to View > Show > Smart Guides.

[JJMack]

It also not clear if you mean 2D flat  shapes like you show or texture for a 3D model of your earbuds. Photoshop is a pixels editor not a 3D application. If your mean for 3D earbuds model you should look for a 3D application perhapses Adobe Dimension 

[Hidde.G]

Thank you both for your quick reply!

Sorry if my question is not clear. It's hard to explain. As shown on the picture in the last post I am trying to make a template like that. The example shows the airpods 2 template what results in the following: All the lines fit together and make a total wrap. What I want to do, is create this template but I dont know how to measure everything, etc.  

[JJMack]

That a third thing. Its a Picture if a Hand  applying a skin onto a 3D object,  Its partly on the object and partly off the 3d object.  The Skin is a 3d object itself        . Nothing you showed is a template the fist thing you showed a  pattern for the skin flattened.   Filled you filled it with a pattern  how would the seams meet.  There is no model for the 3D object no UV for the surface texture

[Hidde.G]

Sorry but I don't understand what you are saying? 

[JJMack]

I have manage to create some simple photo collage or mackup template for some simple geometric 3D object using the UV overlays that Photoshop display for the 3D layers object surface texture.  I batched  populate surface replacement textures and even batch populated the 3D Object surface texture.  However I never made the 3D Texture script public, for It will only work for a simple 3D geometric the has surfaces that are flat or near flat with an aspect ratio near 1:1  for image will be clipped the the surface shape.   It more a special odd case. Surfaces be very complex UV very complicated you would really need a full blown 3D application like blender. http://www.mouseprints.net/old/dpr/Collage33ddDodecNoS1.mp4 

[Hidde.G]

Alright thank you for the effort. I think the Freebuds 3 case is a bit to complicated then. Such a shame nobody has made a template for it yet. 

[davescm]

The problem you are trying to resolve is one that is faced daily by those using 3D modelling applications , or even those creating sewing patterns.

The trick is adding seams (i.e. cuts) , along appropriate lines, so that the surface of a 3D object unwraps into a flat 2D plane.

In 3D modelling applications that is known as UV unwrapping and the software provides tools to add those seams and control the unwrapping process to minimise stretching of the surface. In the physical world it can be done by building up a real surface then cutting it.

Photoshop, being primarily a 2D application with some limited 3D functions, does not provide tools to control such 3D unwrapping.

Dave

[Hidde.G]

Dave thank you for your reply!,

You describe that photoshop is not the right tool for this question. Also you say that doing it in a physical world might be a solution. I've send a picture in the reply where you can see the round shape of the case. How would you see this happening in the physical world with this round shape (of the freebuds 3). 

(ps: I understand if you dont have the time or will to answer this question extensive).

Thanks in regard!

[davescm]

Hi

If you mean the black shape, there are many way to unwrap the surface depending on where on the object you are prepared to accept some joins as well as stretch or distortion and how much of each you can accept.

Here are just a couple of the many ways (shown in Blender 3D). The unwrapped surface is on the left, the object on the right showing the seams in red). Each is a different compromise, achieved by placing the seams differently.

Dave

[Hidde.G]

Dave you are amazing because this is exactly what I am looking for. I'm not an expert with blender but I can look into this myself. My only question still is how do I make this 3D object (right on the picture) the exact same size as my freebuds? 

[davescm]

You can create a model in real world units in Blender.

The unwrapped UV map has its own units and works in pixels, as its primary use is for mapping textures to the model surface before rendering.

However, if your final aim is for a flattened real world print that you can then wrap around the real object,  you could take texture map into an application such as Photoshop and scale it to the real world dimensions before printing it.

Dave

[Ussnorway]

i would start with the default template which comes in Photoshop

why = because the UV map is better than anything you will be able to make on your own

then I would use a 3rd party software called Wrap 3D to 'wrap' it around your shape

[davescm]

"...the UV map is better than anything you will be able to make on your own"

I disagree on that point Graham. Photoshop offers no control over the mapping or stretching - instead you have to stretch the UV texture which can be a real pain. Many 3D apps, including Blender, give much more control and will result in a better unwrap.

Dave

[Ussnorway]

each to their own Dave but just so we are on the same page, I'm saying the UV map you get with the templates are great... I'm not saying Photoshop makes better UV maps in general mate

[JJMack]

I would not call them great.  Some met be usable some are not IMO.

[davescm]

"I'm saying the UV map you get with the templates are great"...

The UV unwrapping on the built in presets can be great or terrible depending on how you want to use them. So on the sphere example that you showed:

If you want all horizontal lines on your texture to be horizontal on the sphere and want vertical lines on the texture to converge to the poles of the sphere then it is indeed a great unwrap. It would be easy to use this to place text in rows on the object, although the text will get smaller as it is placed toward the poles.

If you want all areas on the surface to contain an even number of texels, to avoid compressing or stretching the texture, then it is a terrible unwrap. The single point at the top of the sphere is stretched across the entire width of the texture. If you tried to convert this to a physical unwrap for printing and applying it to a surface then it would be useless.

So any unwrap can be good or bad depending on how you intend to use it. The problem with Photoshop is that it gives you no controls to produce an alternative unwrap if the default is unsuitable for your use.

Dave

[Ussnorway]

yes thats why I would use 3D wrap to take back control of my map i.e, if you need part of your map to be a bit to the left \ right or just different then its the best software I've found so far but the Photoshop templates are still a good starting point for this shape

don't get me wrong, Blender is good software too and people that want to learn 3D should start there if only because its free but it does suffer from the same basic problem as Photoshop in that its a big investment in learning and that puts a lot of new comers off it