UVmappaus

UVmappaus is a term used in German-language 3D graphics contexts to describe the creation and export of UV maps from a 3D model. A UV map is a 2D layout that assigns the model’s 3D surface to coordinates in a flat texture space, enabling textures to be painted and applied without distortion. UVmappaus thus encompasses unwrapping the mesh, organizing the resulting UV coordinates, and preparing them for texture painting, baking, and texturing workflows.

The typical workflow includes marking seams on the model, unwrapping to generate UV coordinates, optimizing texel density, and packing UV islands into the texture space. Artists may paint directly on the UV layout or export the UV layout as an image for external painting, and then apply textures or bake maps in a shading workflow. In many pipelines, UVmappaus also involves preparing texture atlases or UDIM setups and baking maps such as ambient occlusion, normals, and roughness to align with the UVs.

Software tools commonly used include Blender, Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, and texturing applications like Substance Painter, Quixel Suite, and Mari. A well-executed UV map minimizes distortion, avoids overlapping UVs, maintains consistent texel density, and reduces visible seams.

The term UVmappaus is informal and may be used variably across studios; it essentially denotes the process of generating, organizing, and exporting UV coordinates and related texture data as part of a texture workflow for 3D models.