Unwrapping tutorial

[page=Introduction]
This tutorial will show you the absolute basics of unwrapping a model in 3D Studio Max 6/7.

[page=How to unwrap a model in 3D Studio Max 6/7]
Ok heres a basic tutorial to get people started on unwrapping, it should cover everything in the basics and I've never really made a big tutorial like this before, so if theres anything you don't understand let me know.

Step 1: Select one part of your model.

Step 2: Right click anywhere on the viewport, click attach. Then press on every other part to make your mesh all one part.

Step 3: Right click anywhere on the viewport, convert to..., editable poly.

Step 4: Click the modify tab, then scroll down and select "Unwrap UVW"

Step 5: Press the plus sign, click select face.

Step 6: Select all the faces to be joined in the uvw map along one axis.

Step 7: In this instance, it's the "Z" coordinates.

Step 8: Click "Planar Map"

Step 9: Under "Paremeters" click "Edit". It then gives you a window showing your map, now, you may have alot of other lines inside here. Don't worry, it's just because you haven't mapped it all. So before you deselect, move the first piece you've made into some free space, then select the rest, and move it. Do NOT delete it, as in 3ds 7 it will not map anything. Simply move it out of the way.

Step 10: Click on the drop down menu, "Select Texture" then select Checker, and press ok. Then make sure the small checkered box icon is selected, and the map window should appear as so.

Step 11: Select the material editor, apply a checkered texture to your model. Then under tile, make it around 40. It depends on the size but there should be around the same amount of checkers and sizes should be around the same as on this screenshot. This gives you a guideline for the map so you can later adjust the faces in the map so that nothing is stretched.

Step 12: As you can see, if you select a face in the perspective viewport, it shows you which parts of the map you're going to be affecting. This should help you so you don't lose track of which piece ties into which part of the mesh.

Step 13: I did have a picture but it disappeared, will put one up tomorrow. Go to the hammer icon top right, click on "More" then find Texporter and press ok. Then make all your settings to the ones I'm using in my settings.

Step 14: Select "Pick Object" tab, then click on your mesh.

Step 15: Your map should appear something like this. Assuming theres no big red plane on the map, you can now press the save disc icon and save the image.

Ok now, you want to select some vertices and move then around so that the checkers are roughly the same size on every face. The reason being, is when you start to skin it and the checkers look stretched, the skin will also stretch. This makes it look really bad.

So you want to move the verts around in mapping mode until they're all roughly the same size.

Now you can open it up in paint/photoshop or something, then in each individual piece you can apply a unique colour then save it, that way when you apply the skin to the model, you or the skinner will know exactly which piece fits on the mesh at any given time to save confusion.

I understand theres other methods, ie welding vertices to make everything join well and in turn makes it a bit easier for skinners. But I feel with colours its quicker for me and still allows skinners to understand where everything is.

Next I'll be trying to figure out Unwrap 3D. If I figure it out and get good enough with it, I'll post a tutorial on that also.