Smart UV project not working?

[EightByteØwl]

I'm about 11 minutes 30 seconds into this tutorial https://vimeo.com/147582708

After following the instructions for the Smart UV project, nothing is showing up in the UV/Image Editor panel. I've tried multiple times, each time selecting it in edit mode just as shown, but it's not working. Can anyone help me with this?

Some more info: This is the model I'm working with, consisting of 5 parts; blade, hand guard, grip, pommel, gem http://i.imgur.com/kWfbQ0j.png

The part I've been trying to unwrap to start with is the blade.

I'm running the most recent version of blender on Windows 8.1

I asked on Reddit on /r/blender, but the response I got did not help. Also I was told in that thread to make sure a certain button was pressed in the UV panel, but that button was not on my screen (Yes, I was in the right panel, I double checked that) http://i.imgur.com/XIihmfP.png

Quick edit: Exporting to Substance Painter is the end goal. Also feel free to critique my model.

[Pte Jack]

Before you press U to unwrap, the object must be in Edit mode and all the vertexes you want to unwrap selected. Once they are selected then press U to unwrap and select the Smart UV Project selection.

If you look at this gif, http://i.imgur.com/PKsDdrd.gif

The first selection was while the object was in Object Mode. I wasn't give the Unwrap Menu.

The second selection was with the Object in Edit mode but no mesh selected, the Unwrap Menu was presented and I clicked Smart UV Project but nothing was sent to the UV map (because nothing was selected for unwrap!)

The Third selection was with the mesh selected, and Smart UV Project was chosen as the Unwrap method and the mesh that was selected was unwrapped into the UVMap.

[EightByteØwl]

I have it selected in edit mode as you showed, but it's not going into the UV editor. http://i.imgur.com/KG5AF44.png

I do see that there is a difference between our UV editor options. Where you have "New" and "Open" I have Render Result. Also I dont get the cursor that you get in the bottom left of your UV image. You should be able to see the differences in my screenshot. Is this perhaps relevant to the problem?

[Pte Jack]

Oh, Click the X beside Render Result in the UV/Image Editor. See it on the menu line beside the word Image? What you have there is a Render image, the editor has to be cleared...

[EightByteØwl]

That worked. Thank you very much!

[EightByteØwl]

So now I've got one issue after doing the smart project. My UV grid is looking more like rectangles on the object than they do squares. The video said to Apply Rotation and Scale to prevent this, which I did (Even though all my scales were already 1) but they just come out as rectangles. This only seems to happen for the blade model though; for all the other parts they come out as perfect squares. I've applied the rotation and scale again, but it didn't change anything.

[Pte Jack]

Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and actually mark out seams and do an actual unwrap. THe model he was working with in that video was pretty much symmetric, sqaure or round and used quads, therefore the auto unwrap works well for him. You may have a few tris and your work may not be as symmetric as you think. Blender does it's best. You can try tweaking the angle setting to see if that helps, but when it come to most of my models I bite the bullet.

[Zenogias]

Yeah .I suggest you better mark seams by yourself.

In a much more complex model,You have got to mark your own seams and do it manully instead of Smart UV project method.

Beside your texture to paint may be not the same as the other,learn how to unwrap manully is a better idea if you are going to create your own texture as well.

[EightByteØwl]

Okay. Do either of you know a good manual unwrap tutorial? I'm still quite new to modelling, and haven't ever done a UV unwrap before this.

Also I did use the mirror modifier when creating the sword, at least for the blad and hand guard (The two parts which need it most), so those should be completely symmetrical, but I guess the blade isn't. Out of curiosity, what may have caused this? Just asking so I can improve for future models.

[Zenogias]

sorry man,I did not use that much of tutorials,marking seams manully is something that you need to use your own sense ,it depends on a lof of things like.
1.How is your model ?
2.Which part of your mesh need a specific painting angle.
3.Which seams that marked and it reduce your work in painting process.

Which all of these guideline require a lot of experience and the one who is the best at answering those questions is the owner of model.

[Pte Jack]

It depends on how you create the model. Using mirror modifiers helps, but as soon as you apply the modifier and start editing the model, there goes your symmetry. Also, work in quads. Try to stay as far away from Tris and Ngons as possible.

As for seaming, look at the sword, the blade should be easy to see, one seam all around the blade edge to spit it in half, the hilt, well it looks like you have a torus there... maybe something like this to start (just looking at it quickly and not knowing what the actual geometry is like under the mesh....)

http://i.imgur.com/yb4Kjjl.png

[Scre]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1mrxMBtFNE

[EightByteØwl]

Sorry for all the questions, but I get the "No Active Faces" error when trying to use the "Follow Active Quads" option. I had unwrapped one quad to begin with, aligned it properly, but when I select Follow Active Quads it gives me the above error. I understand that it follows a certain face, but I can't get it to make decide what face to follow.

http://i.imgur.com/q1SCgW5.png

As you can see there is one big quad at the bottom, which overlaps with a lot of the blade, as I can't get the blade to follow the quad I want it to.

I would be using google to find the solution to this, but there's only one person I found with a similar problem and it didn't include the exact problem I'm having.

[Pte Jack]

These auto unwrap tools are fussy and as you get better and learn how and when to use them they will definately be an asset, but for this small low poly model, bite the bullet, mark your seams and unwrap it. Or if both sides are going to be textured exactly the same, go into ortho mod and look at the sword side on and unwrap using the project from view option.

[EightByteØwl]

Okay, I think I have it good now. I don't think it's perfect, but they're all squares, which is good enough for now. Thanks for your help.