UV unwrapping SLIM algorithm

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1

Thanks to Aurel Gruber, UV unwrapping is getting a massive improvement (which you can try on a Blender 2.79 branch):

Build on Linux :

  • if it’s your first time buiding Blender, follow the wiki, build the master branch and make sure you have a working Blender executable from it.
  • Now, cd to your local repository, (e.g. ~/blender-git/blender)
  • git checkout 'uv_unwrapping_slim_algorithm'
  • git checkout 'uv_unwrapping_slim_algorithm@{2017-05-24 17:23:54}'
  • ./build_files/build_environment/install_deps.sh.
    You may have to add --skip-osl (Open Shading Language failed installing in my case, but it doesn’t affect the SLIM UV part).
    If other parts fail installing, run ./install_deps.sh --help to know how to skip them.
  • copy the long make command it gives you at the end and run it

Hopefully it works and you can have fun with SLIM UV unwrapping.
If not, tell us where it went wrong in this topic.

Build on Windows:

  • Follow the wiki and first build a working Blender.exe with the master branch (if you’re new to this)
  • cd C:\blender-git\blender
  • git checkout 'uv_unwrapping_slim_algorithm'
  • follow the wiki steps for compiling

If it doesn’t work in the end, try replacing the checkout command given above by this one:
git checkout 'uv_unwrapping_slim_algorithm@{2017-05-24 17:23:54}'

Build on Mac:

I don’t really know. Follow the wiki and catch what you can from the above instructions.

Original videos accompanying the technical papers

10 Likes
2

Well, the actual unwrap is good, but other solution for some case will be perfect.

3

Nice stuff. Organic unwrapping is usually a pain.

4
  • does it take advantage of the PARADISO solver ?

PARADISO solver is commercial software, requires licensing, and only free to students for one year. The student license seems incompatible with the GPL (but IANAL) and the library is closed, so probably Blender cannot use it.

5

stargeizer oh that’s right, I forgot about that.

6

So how do you transfer uv from triangulated mesh back to original one?

7

Hey guys, if you are wondering how to build it on linux, it should work pretty straight forward:

OK, so I compiled it on ubuntu and it works just fine.

I can try to summarize:

MAKE SURE THAT BLENDER WORKS!

  • then, navigate to the blender-git top-folder , i.e. that is blender-git/blender if you follow the instructions in the above link, and type in

git checkout uv_unwrapping_slim_algorithm

  • then, you have to edit the file intern/CMakeLists.txt and change on the last line SLIM to slim. Sorry, that is my mistake. Linux is case sensitive.

  • then, you can again navigate to blender-git/build or wherever your build directory is and type
    make

and then

make install

now, blender should run with the slim unwrapping algorithm

hope this helps

8

It works ! Thank you Aurel, I can’t wait for my next work to show some results !

9

It working well in windows here is a short video i wanted to demonstrate the different https://youtu.be/IKzra5Gjh5E

  • SLIM is pretty robust in term of reducing stretches but perform poorly in packing UVs, because it always rotate UVs.
  • Angle base default: it reduce stretching better than conformal but poor packing algorithm.
    -Conformal: really good packing algorithm align your uvs well but stretch them.

I didn’t test the uv pinning feature nor live unwrap.

Thanks Aurel and Brecht, I finally learn how to write your name LOL, can’t wait to see it in master and start to use it as default :slight_smile:

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erickBlender - awesome. Can you provide link to windows build with working slim uv mapping?

11

Yeah sure here is a link win64 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B62B6BmVbltVSTd5ZDlxaVN2UGc/view?usp=sharing

1 Like
12

Thanks. I works very well. I wish this was included in blender 2.79, it’s huge time saver with organic meshes.

13

Uffff, it’s impressive the SLIM solution. why it is not in the offiicial yet?

1 Like
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@joseConseco yes it is pretty fast and time saver you can get away with few seams with it :slight_smile:

Because we are already in bcon3 and according to yesterday discussion, Release Candidate should be branched out before gsoc starts, this patch might bring more bugs which isn’t good and the 2 devs who are working on the branch are volunteers. Over all the real truth is all this are just my speculations may be today or tomorrow someone might step in and merge in master …

15

I only must tell that after try in some models of productions the results was impressive. But it’s true that I find a crash with one mesh.

16

I edited the first post to give instructions on how to build on Ubuntu but I don’t have windows or mac, so if someone knows the instructions for those I’d like to add them too.

17

In windows it is straight forward for anybody who build in windows, no extra settings needed :slight_smile:

But it’s true that I find a crash with one mesh.

May be better to share the blend file so that other can test it :slight_smile:

18

@erickBlender
is that build you post earlier is the newest build?

i found scenario when trying to unwrap with slim crashes blender.
It happens then uv seam is in middle of island eg. something like that:

2lBKGCt.png641×565 74.3 KB

19

Sorry for late reply, i didn’t check this thread for long time :frowning:
Yes that the latest build i didn’t see any update. I m a “only quad” man, so may be if you send your mesh i can test it out. i did have this problem so far like :slight_smile:

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erickBlender -is it possible to make new build with slim and blender 2.79?