Clueless n00b having trouble with UV view / edit: can't get cube to unwrap

Support Basics & Interface
1

Hi all. I am a complete beginner, going through the CG-cookies tutorial series to learn about 3d modelling using Blender. I’m running the Steam version of Blender, under El Capitan 10.11.6. Have plenty of memory and a fairly capable platform (i7, GTX 970).

I have completed the first segment (creation and basic editing of mesh objects) which was challenging but also fun… so far so good! but now I am really stuck at the start of the second segment (textures, UV data). For some reason I cannot get any object to unwrap into my UV viewer/editor pane.

I have followed the instructions in the CG cookies tutorial and have also tried this walkthrough

http://sophiehoulden.com/tutorials/blender/unwrapTut.html

I have a very simple world with 2 cubes; I have tried repeatedly to get one of these cubes to unwrap; went through all the steps carefully and yet I get nothing in the UV editor window, nothing at all but the blank background. It’s baffling.

Being a complete novice I can’t tell whether I’m doing something wrong, or whether the OSX version of Blender is buggy, or…? Is there a common newbie error that prevents the unwrap from happening? I can’t proceed with the next lesson until I can get a cube to unwrap, so this is frustrating :frowning:

2

In the header for the UV Editor window check that it is not showing the ‘Render Result’. If it is just delete it with the X button.

3

Thank you Richard… after endless googling and trying to read UV procedures whose language I couldn’t even comprehend (Blenderistas speak their own special jargon, of course!) I am so grateful for your answer. YES! it worked. I don’t know why the UV Editor window was showing the Render Result, or what Render Result it was (didn’t look anything like the output of the Render button). But when I deleted it, all of a sudden the correct square, zoomable UV grid came up and Yippee I could unwrap. I have now succeeded in painting cubes with jpgs from my own personal library – big thrill :slight_smile: However I have not yet figured out how to get the Renderer to see those painted surfaces; it still renders all my objects blank white. Next step :slight_smile: the learning curve is nearly vertical but boy is it fun. It must take months – years? – to achieve real mastery of this incredibly deep tool.