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Polygonal Modeling

UV Texture Editor

Lets you visually map the UVs of the selected polygon mesh or subdivision surface onto a texture.

Related topics

	Select UV components
	Set up the texture editor display
	Show the texture image in the UV texture editor
	Show only a subset of all UVs
	Transform UVs in the texture editor
	Set up the texture editor grid and snapping
	Move tool (in UV texture editor)

View

Use the standard camera move keys ( + and + ) to move around the texture view.

Toolbar

Most of the items on the texture editor toolbar are shortcuts for actions in the menus. Right-click a button to show its options.

UV position buttons

	Flip UVs U, Flip UVs V Flips the positions of the selected UVs. Shortcuts for Edit Polygons >Texture >Flip UVs.
	Rotate UVs clockwise, Rotate UVs counterclockwise Rotates the positions of the selected UVs by 45 degrees. Shortcuts for Edit Polygons >Texture >Rotate UVs.
	Cut UVs along selection Separates UVs along the selected edges, creating borders. Shortcut for Edit Polygons >Texture >Cut UVs.
	Sew UVs Attaches UVs along the selected borders, but does not move them together in the texture editor view. Shortcut for Edit Polygons >Texture >Sew UVs.
	Move and Sew UVs Attaches UVs along the selected borders, and moves them together in the texture editor view. Shortcut for Edit Polygons >Texture >Move and Sew UVs.
	Split selected UV Separates UVs from each other along the edges connected to the selected UV points, creating borders. Shortcut for the texture editor's Polygons > Split UVs.
	Layout UVs Tries to move the UVs into a cleaner layout, based on the settings in the Layout UVs option box. Shortcut for Edit Polygons >Texture >Layout UVs.
	Cycle U and V Rotates the U and V values of the selected polygon.
	Align Min U, Align Max U, Align Min V, Align Max V Aligns the positions of the selected UVs. Shortcuts for Edit Polygons > Texture > Align UVs.
	Move UVs to grid Moves every selected UV to its nearest grid intersection in texture space. Shortcut for Edit Polygons >Texture >Grid UVs. To change the grid, right-click the Toggle Grid button on the toolbar.
	Relax UVs Spreads out all UVs to make them easier to work with. Shortcut for Edit Polygons >Texture >Relax UVs.

Isolate Selection buttons

These buttons let you work on a subset of UV faces while hiding the rest.

Show only a subset of all UVs

	Toggle isolation Switches between showing all UVs and only the isolated UVs. Shortcut for View > Isolate Select > View Set.
	Add selected to isolation Adds the selected UVs to the isolated subset. When you click the Toggle isolation button the selected UVs will be visible. Shortcut for View > Isolate Select > Add Selected.
	Removed selected from isolation Removes the selected UVs from the isolated subset. Shortcut for View > Isolate Select > Remove Selected.
	Remove all Clears the isolated subset. You can then select a new set of UVs and click Toggle isolation to isolate them. Shortcut for View > Isolate Select > Remove All.

View buttons

	Texture image Shows or hides the texture image. Shortcut for Image > Display Image.
	Image ratio Switches between showing square texture space and texture space with the same ratio of width to height as the image. Shortcut for Image > Use Image Ratio.
	Bake editor texture Bakes the texture and stores it in memory. See Dim Image. Shortcut for Image > UV Texture Editor Baking.
	Force editor texture rebake Rebakes the texture. If you turn on Bake Editor Texture or Image > UV Texture Editor Baking, you must rebake the texture (using Force Editor Texture Rebake) after making changes to the texture (File node and place2dTexture node attributes) in order to see the effect of those changes.
	Toggle grid Shows or hides the grid. Shortcut for View > Grid.
	Toggle filtered pixels Switches the background image between hardware texture filtering and sharply defined pixels. Shortcut for Images > Unfiltered Image.
	Toggle snap to pixel Chooses whether to automatically snap UVs to pixel boundaries. Shortcut for Image > Pixel Snap.
	Toggle thick texture borders Chooses whether Maya draws UV borders with a thick line.
	Show image RGB/Show image Alpha These two buttons switch between showing the RGB (color) channels of the image and the Alpha (transparency) channel. Shortcuts for Image > Display RGB Channels and Image > Display Alpha Channels.

UV edit buttons

	U coordinate, V coordinate Show the coordinates of the selected UVs. Edit the text boxes and press to move the points.
	The UV coordinates in the text boxes on the toolbar do not update automatically as you move the selected UV point. Click the refresh button to update the values in the text boxes.
	Copy/paste faces or UVs Switches the Copy and Paste buttons on the toolbar between working on UVs and UV faces.
	Copy Copies the selected UV points or faces (depending on the Copy/paste faces or UVs button) to the clipboard.
	Paste Pastes UV points or faces (depending on the Copy/paste faces or UVs button) from the clipboard.
	Paste U to selected UVs, Paste V to selected UVs Paste only the U or V values on the clipboard onto the selected UV points.

Polygons menu

The Polygons menu largely duplicates the contents of the Edit Polygons > Texture submenu.

Polygons > UV Snapshot

Saves an image of the current UV layout that you can paint on in a painting program or image editor such as Adobe Photoshop.

Save a snapshot of the UV layout to paint on

File Name

You can save the file anywhere in or out of your project. Maya automatically assigns the file extension based on the image format you select.

Size X, Size Y

Sets the dimensions of the exported image. Use the same dimensions you want for the file texture you are about to create. If you are not sure, use the default size; you can scale the exported image later in your paint program.

Keep Aspect Ratio

The aspect ratio is the ratio of Size X to Size Y. With it turned on, you can change one size slider and Maya automatically adjusts the other size value to keep the same ratio. If you need to change the aspect ratio, turn off this option temporarily and adjust one of the sizes.

Color Value

Sets the color of the UV patches in the exported image. The background of the snapshot is black; therefore, the Color Value should be white or another contrasting color. You can click the box to open the Color Chooser.

Anti-alias Lines

Controls whether lines in the output image have anti-aliasing.

Image Format

Use an image format that your paint program can read. If you require an alpha channel while painting, use TIFF or a similar format.

Subdivs menu

The Subdivs menu duplicates the items in the Polygons menu that apply to Subdivision surfaces.

View menu

Isolate Select submenu

Lets you show only a subset of all UVs, with the ability to add to and subtract from the isolated subset.

Show only a subset of all UVs

Grid

Shows or hides the texture coordinate grid. Choose View > Grid > to set the grid options.

Set up the texture editor grid and snapping

Length and Width

Controls the overall size of the grid, measured in UV coordinates. The Length and Width is set to 1 (one) by default, because you typically want UVs to fit within the 0 to 1 range and this setting clearly shows the 0 to 1 range.

Grid Lines Every

Sets the spacing between grid lines. Grid lines appear in increments based on the decimal value you specify. This setting affects where UVs snap if you use the Snap to Grid feature.

Subdivisions

Sets the number of lines between each grid line. By default, subdivision lines do not show; you must turn on Subdivision Lines for them to appear.

Display Axes, Grid Lines, Subdivision Lines, Labels

Displays or hides items within the grid.

Toolbar

Shows or hides the texture editor toolbar. See the toolbar section below.

Frame All

Pans and zooms the texture editor view to show the entire UV set.

Frame Selection

Pans and zooms the texture editor to show the selected UVs.

Select menu

The items in this menu are also available on a marking menu. In the texture editor, press + .

Select Contained Faces

Selects the faces contained by the current selection of UVs, edges, or vertices.

Select connected faces

Selects all faces that share the currently selected UVs, edges, or vertices.

Select Shell

Selects the entire UV piece containing the current selection.

Select Shell Border

Selects the UVs along the border of the UV piece containing the current selection.

Convert Selection to Faces, Edges, Vertices, UVs

Selects the equivalent connected component type based on the current selection. For example, if you have faces selected and choose Convert to UVs, Maya will select all UVs connected to the selected faces.

Image menu

Show the texture image in the UV texture editor

Image Range

Use the settings to change how much of the texture appears in the texture editor.

Minimum U/V and Maximum U/V

You can explicitly set the size of the image by setting these options, or you can select one of the presets.

Presets

Select one of the preset image ranges and click Apply.

None

The texture space is defined by the Minimum and Maximum U and V values.

Grid Size

The texture fills the extent of the grid (defined in the Grid Options window.) In the following example, the Extent value was set to 2 in the Grid Options window.

Unit Size

The texture fills the 0 to 1 (or unit) texture space.

Display Image

Shows or hides the texture image.

Dim Image

Reduces the brightness of the currently displayed background image. Dimming the background image lets you more easily view and select components in the UV Texture Editor's view. Selecting the item toggles it on or off depending on its current state.

UV Texture Editor Baking

Bakes the texture and stores it in memory.

Bakes the texture and stores it in memory. See also Force editor texture rebake.

Baked Texture Resolution

The resolution used when baking the texture.

Display Unfiltered

Turns of pixel blurring to show exact pixel boundaries.

Display RGB Channels, Display Alpha Channel

Switch between displaying the texture image and its alpha (transparency) channel.

Use Image Ratio

Switches between showing square texture space and texture space with the same ratio of width to height as the image.

Pixel Snap

Whether to automatically snap UVs to pixels. Snapping is to pixel corners or centers (see Placement).

Selected Images

Choose which texture to show in the texture editor.

UV Sets

Choose the UV set to edit in the texture editor.

UV sets

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