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UV layouts generated from a 3D model of a human head by Blender\u2019s existing Conformal method and the new SLIM algorithm. Areas of UV distortion are shown in orange and red.<\/em><\/p>\n Blender just got support for SLIM<\/a>, a \u201cstate-of-the-art\u201d iterative UV unwrapping algorithm.<\/p>\n The algorithm, implemented in alpha builds of Blender 4.3, unwraps complex meshes with less distortion than existing options, <\/p>\n The work was originally begun eight years ago, but has just been completed by \u0141ukasz Czy\u017c, developer of the UVPackmaster<\/a> UV unwrapping plugin for Blender.<\/p>\n Less distortion and more controllable results than existing UV unwrapping algorithms<\/strong> As well as providing good results on complex meshes, even those with no UV seams defined, setting iterations lets users trade the quality of the UV maps generated against processing time.<\/p>\n Work on integrating SLIM into Blender originally began eight years ago<\/a>, while Blender 2.7 was in development.<\/p>\n Although the project initially stalled, \u0141ukasz Czy\u017c has now picked up where original developer Aurel Gruber left off, and the code was merged<\/a> into the main branch of Blender this week.<\/p>\n In alpha builds of Blender 4.3, SLIM is available via the Minimum Stretch option in the UI.<\/p>\n In this blog post<\/a>, you can see comparisons of the UV distortion it creates when unwrapping a 3D model of human head, relative to the existing Angle Based and Conformal options.<\/p>\n According to Czy\u017c, SLIM can also be used to reduce stretching on meshes that have already been unwrapped.<\/p>\n System requirements<\/strong> Blender is compatible with Windows 8.1+, macOS 11.2+ and glibc 2.28+ Linux. It\u2019s free.<\/p>\n Read more about integration SLIM into Blender on \u0141ukasz Czy\u017c\u2019s blog<\/a><\/p>\n Download daily alpha builds of Blender<\/a><\/p>\n Have your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a> and X (formerly Twitter)<\/a>. As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we don\u2019t post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Developed by researchers at ETH Zurich, SLIM (Scalable Local Injective Mappings) is an iterative method for UV unwrapping meshes.<\/p>\n
SLIM UV unwrapping is available in Blender 4.3. It is currently in alpha, with the stable release due in November.<\/p>\n