MaxScript to the Rescue

Here is the Softimage XSI UV editor:


And here is the 3D Studio Max 9 UV editor:


It's just a matter of taste which one you prefer. The artists in my current project use XSI for UVW unwrapping, but I just like the neater user interface in MAX better.

One thing I like very much from the XSI Texture editor and that I haven't been able to find in Max are these fellows here:


They can be used to collapse UV coordinates in the X and Y axis respectively, and not being able to find this feature in Max was haunting me.

So I set out on a journey to my first MaxScript. Here it is, and as dumb as it may seem, I've already found it very useful.



MacroScript CollapseX category:"CustomUVW" buttonText:"Collapse X"
(
sel_vert = $.Unwrap_UVW.getSelectedVertices()
sel_vert_array = sel_vert as array
if ( 0 < sel_vert_array.count ) then
(
v1 = sel_vert_array[1]
sel_pos = $.Unwrap_UVW.getVertexPosition 0 v1
$.Unwrap_UVW.moveX sel_pos.x
)
)

MacroScript CollapseY category:"CustomUVW" buttonText:"Collapse Y"
(
sel_vert = $.Unwrap_UVW.getSelectedVertices()
sel_vert_array = sel_vert as array
if ( 0 < sel_vert_array.count ) then
(
v1 = sel_vert_array[1]
sel_pos = $.Unwrap_UVW.getVertexPosition 0 v1
$.Unwrap_UVW.moveY sel_pos.y
)
)

MacroScript CollapseZ category:"CustomUVW" buttonText:"Collapse Z"
(
$.Unwrap_UVW.moveZ 0
)



I don't even bother with finding the selection centre, as all I really care about is that they share the same value for the coordinate.

The next step: Add it somewhere in the user interface and rejoice.