Fixes in this version:

* Licensing now working smoothly for the users with some of the non-english Windows regional settings

New features:

* New "Quads" unwrapping mode, in which UV chart borders are always on the quad boundaries. This increases compatibility with Editable Poly and exporting to .obj and other quad based formats.

This feature is still marked as "beta" because, for some models, it can produce a small number of overlapping UV faces. This can be checked for and fixed manualy using the built-in "Unwrap UVW" modifier.

The limitation of the next version will be that objects with holes (ie. eyes, mouth on the face) will have to be temporarily capped before unwrapping for better quality results. This means that for such objects, artists will have to make a few clicks more (using the built-in "Cap Holes" modifier) which still compares very favourably time and quality-wise to all other "manual" unwrapping solutions. This limitation is planned to be removed in later versions of Unwrella, further down the line.

Unwrella v2 is currently in development and more news about it will be posted on our web page in the near future - be sure to check back regularly or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Responding to those user requests, we have started working on the editable seams feature for Unwrella v2. We are aiming at the following workflow:

1. the possibility to paint in the most important seams manually (similar to the "pelt" unwrapping)
2. click on "Apply" to make Unwrella layout its own seams on the model, fully respecting the manually painted ones
3. ability to manually add additional user defined seams and press the "Apply" button again to preview the results

Those three steps provide an iterative process where Unwrella does the best it can to respect the user selections while at the same time keeps minimized texture stretching and packing fully automatic. If there is enough user demand, as an additional layer on top of previously described functionality, it is possible to add different heuristics for automatic initial placement of the seams.

Further feature discussion can be found in this forum thread.

Key features

Automatic one-click solution

The manual labor necessary to properly unwrap multiple 3d models during a production takes significant amounts of time. Unwrella replaces this process with the simple application of a modifier to the objects modifier stack. Unwrapping of dozens or even hundreds of objects can be done on the fly and delivers results of optimal quality.

Space efficient

The size of chunks is maximized as much as possible and they are arranged to utilize maximal space on the available UV map. This optimal distribution prevents a significant part of texture memory from being wasted due to padding between chunks.

One-to-one pixel to texture ratio

Texture stretching and scaling on surfaces is removed almost completely. Every pixel translates to the same size and aspect ratio on the model surface and creates a uniform visual appearance without reductions in texture sharpness on some areas. Additionally this feature makes texture seams invisible, even under careful inspection.

Versatility

Unwrella consistently delivers quality results with all kinds of 3d models from 3d game objects to industrial designs to complex, irregular organic shapes.

Availability

The Unwrella unwrapping plug-in for Autodesk™ 3ds Max™ 9, 2008, 2009 (each 32bit and 64bit) is now available in a freely downloadable open beta release on its homepage: http://www.unwrella.com http://www.3d-io.com

About 3d-io

3d-io games & video production GmbH is a Germany based software company founded 1996. It is dedicated to provide digital content, high-quality 3D and 2D design and affordable and easy-to-use software products like Games and Infotainment. 3d-io has an established presence in design production, digital content creation and graphics animation. Major German and international game and infotainment companies including Braingame, CDV, Related-Designs, 3DO, Koch-Media, Data Becker, and Hannah-Barbera, as well as industrial and telecommunication key players such as Thyssen, Mercedes, Deutsche Bank, Sony, Wunderman, Bayer, M.I.T. GmbH, Hoechst, Krupp and Ferrero have utilized 3d-io’s unique graphic style and technology. During the exploration of the workflows and production pipelines in game development and 3d design 3d-io has encountered the demand for fast, reliable and optimized unwrapping methods. Unsatisfied with the suboptimal performance of available tools for this task, the company set out to create its own solution, the 3d unwrapper Unwrella, to meet the high quality requirements of productions under tight schedules. After the tool proved it’s practicality during production the company decided to make it available and is proud to announce the start of the public beta phase for the UNWRELLA Autodesk™ 3ds Max™ plug-in for 3d artists and game developers.