Texture Coordinates

Texture coordinates, as described earlier, are used to attach a texture map to a CG object. Without them, textures cannot be used, and the quality of any object is sharply reduced. Without texture coordinates and a texture map, most models are not considered finished. Texture coordinates, then, are quite important (Fig. 7.1).

Assigning texture coordinates is one thing, doing it well is another thing altogether. Most CG artists find UV editing difficult, and this is just as true of texture artists as modelers. Texture coordinates, like some other aspects of CG art, contain a high number of variables. When modeling a single brick for instance, you need only pay attention to the physical dimensions of the object and then enter the data into your software. For its texture coordinates, however, there are numerous possible solutions, almost all of which are in some manner imperfect.