Texture across multiple objects

[Kevin McAllister]

Is there an easy way to map a texture across multiple objects so it feels like its a continuous image? Imagine something like one of those changing billboards where all the individual strips make a complete image.

KM

[CipesDesign]

Kevin, here's a thought: what about one large object with the texture and then a bunch of smaller frame-like hollow objects directly over the the first?

[Pat Stanford]

From the VW2010 Help:

Use World Z For Origin

Sets the texture?s Z origin to be relative to the world Z origin, rather than to object space. This allows seamless texture application across multiple layers for all mapping types. Multiple objects with this parameter enabled render seamlessly along the Z axis.

Align Selected Mappings

Aligns the texture mapping of multiple selected objects, giving them the appearance of a shared texture. Multiple objects with this parameter enabled use the mapping parameters of the first selected object, and the texture appears seamless across all selected objects. The shared mapping depends on the objects currently selected and can change with a different selection of objects. This parameter is available for planar, cylindrical, and spherical mapping only. It is not available for perimeter mapping or when Auto-Align Planar Mapping is enabled.

Set the mapping to Planar, Turn on both of the above (and turn off Auto-Align if necessary) and you should get what you are looking for.

[Kevin McAllister]

Thanks for the advice. I will give it a try.

KM

[Elite Exhibits]

Pat

 

Looking to use (for a long time...) the Align Selected Mappings check box in the Object Info Palette. 

Used GOOGLE to search the Forum back to 2010 ... No such luck on how it actually works

Created a test file with two textured extrudes and tried as many combinations in the Object Info Palette as I could think of.

 

 ¿   Align Selected Mappings check box appears to ALWAYS be greyed out - What is the magic combination (VW_RW Designer 2020) ?

 

¿ Anyone have any thoughts ?

 

Peter

 

 

On 9/26/2009 at 12:46 AM, Pat Stanford said:

From the VW2010 Help:

Use World Z For Origin

Sets the texture?s Z origin to be relative to the world Z origin, rather than to object space. This allows seamless texture application across multiple layers for all mapping types. Multiple objects with this parameter enabled render seamlessly along the Z axis.

Align Selected Mappings

Aligns the texture mapping of multiple selected objects, giving them the appearance of a shared texture. Multiple objects with this parameter enabled use the mapping parameters of the first selected object, and the texture appears seamless across all selected objects. The shared mapping depends on the objects currently selected and can change with a different selection of objects. This parameter is available for planar, cylindrical, and spherical mapping only. It is not available for perimeter mapping or when Auto-Align Planar Mapping is enabled.

Set the mapping to Planar, Turn on both of the above (and turn off Auto-Align if necessary) and you should get what you are looking for.

 

[Luis M Ruiz]

For fine detail, make use of per face texturing and adjust mapping individually

[Benson Shaw]

Have not needed this for a while, but thought I would try this cheat again.

Mapping to faces of several disconnected objects by converting them to a single object.

 

Back "screen" shows full image texture on a single surface.

Foreground objects have same texture mapped to extracted faces:

• Extracted the front surfaces (created 3 NURBS surfaces)
• Connected them w/ 2 lines on layer plane.  Extruded the lines .001 units.
• Convert the extrudes to NURBS surfaces.
• Add solids - creates a single object from the 5 sources.

Apply texture > Plane mapping. Orient as needed via offsets.

 

-B

 

 

1896549282_TextureAlign2023.vwx

Edited February 27, 2023 by Benson Shaw
Movie houses in a row

[Andy Broomell]

12 minutes ago, Benson Shaw said:

• Connected them w/ 2 lines on layer plane.  Extruded the lines .001 units.

 

I'm pretty sure you can omit this step since Solid Additions don't need to be contiguous. But otherwise good approach 👍

 

You can even then delete the object used for the plane mapping from within the Solid Addition, and the mapping should be retained for the other objects.

[Benson Shaw]

I just tested. For this one, I think the connecters were needed. Middle flat surface accepts texture with different rotation. ???? Switching normals no help. Same with Shell the faces as Solid addition. @Andy BroomellDid you make this one work with only the SA?

 

I have had success with Shell. Extract the multiple faces, then Shell them together at zero or vey thin depth. The Shell, similar to the Solid Addition, is a single, but non contiguous, object which can take the texture as one big image. Didn’t work in this example. Maybe flat to curve is problem. 
 

-B

[Kevin K]

A mapping cheat….I should have known…:-)

[Elite Exhibits]

Question ?

 

¿ Is this a bit complicated ? - Try extruding several items at one time ... (See attached)

 

Peter

Multi Extrude.pdf

[Benson Shaw]

Good if all are from same extrude command.  But also need solution for contexts where surfaces are not from extrudes or from same extrusion.

This one I traced a poly along bottom edges, Extrude down, Convert to NURBS surface, Add Solids

-B

 

[Mark Aceto]

trying to figure out how to map a single texture across a single object with multiple planes (surfaces)

 

for context, this is a 12' roll of vinyl that will get printed (large format graphics) and hung from / wrapped around a truss structure (you can see how the vinyl material will wrap around the truss towers at either end)

 

whether it's a shell, solid, soft goods border... i can't get VW to stop repeating the image on each plane even though the unwrapped UV surface is a simple rectangle

 

the texture below is a placeholder to illustrate what's wrong (for NDA reasons, i can't show the actual texture which is basically a 40' wide movie poster):

 

[rDesign]

Doesn’t the placeholder texture need to be the full 40 foot width of your final texture?

[Benson Shaw]

Does it work to join the plane edges with a tiny fillet? Might need Add Solid and Convert to Generic. Or Extract then Shell? Will try to experiment later

 

-B

[Mark Aceto]

23 minutes ago, rDesign said:

Doesn’t the placeholder texture need to be the full 40 foot width of your final texture?

 

doesn't matter for the study i'm sharing in public

 

regardless of how large the texture is, VW treats the single object at 6 objects, and applies the same texture 6 times (will not map the same texture across more than 1 surface)

 

the actual texture i'm using is the real world dims, and i see 6 instances mapped to this object...

 

for further context, i know i can fake the "design intent" with texture mapping but i'm using VW as i always do to for large format printed graphics to send the shops a build drawing with seams, grommets, image... along with the actual art file (that i use to create the texture in VW)

 

Edited May 24, 2025 by Mark Aceto

[Andy Broomell]

“Perimeter” mapping type used to accomplish this but they removed it as an option a few versions ago and I’ve been loudly complaining ever since. It’s the only way this was possible. 

[rDesign]

34 minutes ago, Andy Broomell said:

“Perimeter” mapping type used to accomplish this but they removed it as an option a few versions ago and I’ve been loudly complaining ever since. It’s the only way this was possible. 

I see — well that’s unfortunate. Link below to that wishlist (?) request to bring perimeter mapping back. Seems like the last version perimeter mapping was still present in was Vw2021. 
 

 

Edited May 24, 2025 by rDesign

[BartH]

@Mark Aceto This is such a pain. But you have to do it manually.

 

1. Create your texture with the texture size set to 40'
2. Assign the texture to all of the objects
3. Pick the first object and use the Attribute Matching tool or the OIP to get the mapping right (size and orientation) 
   1. The Offset H: should be 0"
   2. Offset V should be 0", but this can vary if needed
4. Select all of the objects and in the OIP/Render tab, select Use World Z for Origin
   1. Make sure the scale and rotation match for all objects
   2. Make sure the Offset V is the same for all of the parts
5. Select just the second part
   1. If needed, use the Attribute Matching tool to ensure the texture is aligned to the face
   2.  In the OPI / Render tab, the Offset H: is the sum of the part widths before it. In my example, the second wall ( from the left) has an offset H: 10', the third wall: 20' etc.

 

You would think a NURBS curve would do the trick, but if you need sharp edges, you have to have some control points close together and some far apart, this distorts the texture map 

multitexture.vwx

[Mark Aceto]

6 hours ago, Benson Shaw said:

Does it work to join the plane edges with a tiny fillet? Might need Add Solid and Convert to Generic. Or Extract then Shell? Will try to experiment later

 

-B

 

just tried all of that, and got essentially the same result

 

the filleted surface seems to be another plane as far as VW 2025 is concerned

 

that said, this is a more accurate model (wrapping around truss chords in real life), so now i'm installing 2021 with the hope that i can magically pull this off... 

[Mark Aceto]

ok so not only did that work but... 

 

i'm almost afraid to share this because i don't want it to be taken away... 

 

especially because it seems like restoring that regression would be the easiest lift of all time... 

 

here's the workaround:

 

 

Edited May 25, 2025 by Mark Aceto

[BartH]

Another thread indicated that VW removed Perimeter mapping in 2023 because it didn't play well with Per-Face texture mapping. there is a VE to bring Perimeter mapping back. (VE-104236)

 

[Mark Aceto]

in the meantime, keep an install of VW 2021

 

in case it's not clear above, perimeter mapping appears to be fully functional in VW 2025 if you open a VW 2021 file that has an object with perimeter mapping

 

note: the offset in my screenshot above is the border/bleed on the oversized substrate (if the object had been the same width as the texture, i would not have had to check a single box or edit the OIP render tab settings at all; simply perfect workflow from the moment i assigned the texture)

[Elite Exhibits]

I have never seen the Use World Z for Origin work as expected  - with a photographic Shader / Color  / Image - across several individually created Extrudes (touching or not touching) See @Pat Stanford comments above from 2009 

 

This was also true for Align Selected Mappings option...now missing from current VW (Hmmmm ?)

 

@BartH instructions above are great - only I do not get past #3 (VW 2024) as the default Map Type is Surface UV and VW does not automatically ask to change to an applicable Map Type as past versions did when you selected the Attribute mapping Tool    (...ARGH!)

 

 

Peter

 

 

[BartH]

@Elite Exhibits testing in 2024. I think this all still works using Surface UV.

Perhaps I should add that you should use Per FACE texture assignment in step 2 ( not per object, you want controls for each face in the OIP.

I made a short video in VW 2024... it's a little hard to tell, but I am copying the offset from one panel and pasting it into the next, then adding the next segment's length to get the offset "exactly" right. 

Hope this helps