When I select an object and hit TAB in a 3D window, the UV map geometry shows up in the UV/Image editor, overlayed on the last open image, not the one linked to the UV.
Preview in the material panel shows ok though and I can still select the image in the editor again. But why should I? it’s the image I had set in the first place. Can’t I just open an editor with the image the material references and the UV overlay?
not the one linked to the UV.
You mean the image you selected in the Texture settings for use with your material. This is not the same thing as the image in the UV/Image Editor window. The Texture is for the material, the UV/ Image Editor window used mainly for aligning UVs
Can’t I just open an editor with the image the material references and the UV overlay?
Go into edit mode, select all vertices and select image in UV/Image Editor window or in Object mode select the image in the UV/Image Editor window and press the pin icon
UVs are not attached to images or objects but to the mesh… There is an option for linking the material to the data or to the object but it’s not going to solve this particular problem.
I know that’s not a lot of help, but it might be a little use in reorienting your mindset. It’s quite unfortunate that the UV editor and the image ‘editor’ are combined into one IMO because this issue comes up often…
edit: Richard posted much better answer above… again… But I think pinning image is not what you want either AFAIK it will not update with object changes. Can you post back if it works for you?
If i’m not mistaken if you had several materials/UVs/images then selecting face in 3d view edit mode brings corresponding image in UV editor. In Cycles that likely was when you select Image node in Node Editor.
One more - Paint Layer Manager addon takes care of the most of issues when several images are used (nm, color, AO etc) on one mesh/uvs.