AVC 185 - Week 7 - Spring 2026

Week Overview

Monday covers this lecture covers the fundamentals of UV unwrapping, texture coordinate systems, and projection methods. Students learn the difference between UV and triplanar projection, how to mark seams and unwrap objects, and best practices for creating clean UV maps. Wednesday focuses on students presented their textured materials and complementary buildings while receiving detailed feedback on proper texture mapping, node setup, and artistic consistency. The instructor demonstrated correct material workflows and addressed common technical issues.

UV Unwrapping Texture Coordinates Triplanar Projection Seam Marking Substance Painter Material Workflow Material Texturing Node Setup Building Design UV Mapping Displacement Maps Normal Maps

Monday

March 02, 2026

UV Unwrapping and Texture Projection

This lecture covers the fundamentals of UV unwrapping, texture coordinate systems, and projection methods. Students learn the difference between UV and triplanar projection, how to mark seams and unwrap objects, and best practices for creating clean UV maps.

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Texture Mapping Fundamentals

0:00 Introduction and Audio Check

4:51 Normal vs Bump Mapping

10:01 Texture Coordinate Nodes Overview

14:15 UV Space Fundamentals

UV Space and Principles

32:30 UV Unwrapping Principles

46:15 Substance Painter UV Demonstration

Projection Methods

57:05 Triplanar Projection Setup

1:27:00 UV vs Triplanar Comparison

1:36:35 Default Primitive UV Maps

Practical Unwrapping

1:55:25 Manual UV Unwrapping Process

2:08:30 Complex Object Unwrapping

2:17:33 Seam Placement Strategies

2:25:00 Advanced Unwrapping Techniques

Key Concepts

Normal maps are the modern standard, storing XYZ data in RGB channels
UV projection requires unwrapping, triplanar works without UV maps
UV unwrapping principles: no overlap, consistent texel density, coherence
Seams are necessary cuts to flatten 3D surfaces into 2D UV space
Place seams in less visible areas to hide distortion
More seams reduce distortion but increase complexity
UV islands must be arranged efficiently to maximize pixel usage
Live unwrap automatically updates UV maps when seams are modified

Wednesday

March 04, 2026

Material Texturing and Building Presentations

Students presented their textured materials and complementary buildings while receiving detailed feedback on proper texture mapping, node setup, and artistic consistency. The instructor demonstrated correct material workflows and addressed common technical issues.

Watch Full Lecture →

Student Material Presentations

0:00 Introduction and Setup

0:59 Student Material Presentations Begin

5:03 Texture Mapping Feedback Discussion

Building Design Critiques

11:36 Building Presentations and Critiques

22:18 Texture Application Troubleshooting

Technical Problem Solving

29:07 File Compression and Unzipping

42:16 Geometry Nodes and Scaffolding

59:00 Lighting and Shadow Techniques

Advanced Techniques

1:17:01 Advanced Material Node Setup

1:30:26 Curved Wall and Ramp Creation

1:43:38 UV Mapping and Projection Issues

Instructor Demonstrations

2:05:24 Instructor Material Demonstration

2:27:00 Displacement vs Normal Mapping

Key Concepts

Normal maps require XYZ information and normal map nodes
Bump maps use scalar black and white data for height information
UV unwrapping is essential for proper texture projection
Displacement mapping requires dense geometry to be effective
Consistent artistic principles create cohesive visual work
File compression requires proper extraction before use
Geometry nodes provide procedural modeling capabilities
Material workflows should follow established best practices