For this tutorial i'll make use of 3ds max 4.2, in newer version it goes practicly the same way.
The required tools will be this custom map i've created which is very helpfull to me which indicated if my texels (texture pixels) are square and equal in size on all surfaces.
I also make extensive use of the wonderfull tool TEXPORTER, which is avaible for all max versions.
1. Basic box uv mapping.
Create a box and give it that uvmap texture to it.
By default max creates uv coordinates for the box, but these are spead over the whole map.
Now what about if we want only a perticulair area of your map been visible on the box?
Because the all the coordinates are set now we don't need to do that for each poly, but we want now see it diffrent distributed.
Lets say that on the left side we want only see the blue square and on the right only the red one.
Therefore we need to apply Unwrap UVW modifier to.
But first you need to select the polygon that you want to aply the modifier to.
Select now the the modifier from the top bar while you keep the polygons selected.
Go to the editor on your left side and select edit and the editor window will pop up.
In each corner of the square you see tiny squares, these are coresponding to your verticles, select them all and use the scale
to make the whole square smaller and with move you'll move it to the red area.
You will now see the right side of the box being only red.
Do the same for the left side.
This concludes the first easy step in uvw wrapping.
Now we gone move to uv map a Truck.
2. Simple Multi Object mapping.
Now that you've created a very beautiful truck you want to apply map to it so it will like photoreal.
First you need to decide that scale of your texels you will use.
Remember that it's important that the texture on your model is balanced.
Unbalanced object will be very quickly noticed by the players.
That's why you need to decided a scale that will fit the best for your needs so that you use al the free spaces avaible on your map.
Sometimes it might occour thatthere will be plenty of free space left, but you should not worry about that,
it's better to leave free spece then making a model that is not balaced in texels, cos the player will see how the map actually looks.
First of all we shall start with the truck it self, because that way you will see how the whole truck fits in to the map
which wil allows us to see what kind of parameters we shall using for the other objects.
Select only the side polygons on all sides of the truck.
Apply now the UV map modifier to it.
You see now that the gizmo is turned in the the wrong direction, but the type of maping is fine, which is by default planar.
You also see now what the parameters are, you see that the biggest is 145cm which is over your lenght.
because we're using a square map it mean that all parameters should be the smae so you need to fill in over the lenght also 145cm.
To turn the gizmo in the the right direction you need o selecte it from the side bar and rotate it to till it's 90 degrees up.
First we shall map the wheels, Make sure that the wheels aren't yet merged in to the whole mesh other wise you need to map all the wheels individualy.
Now all you do is just map one wheel and clone it.
So lets start with the wheel.
The wheel are actually pretty easy to map, cos max has a cylinder maping gizmo.
Select the wheel and add the