Łukasz Czyż releases UVPackmaster 3.2 for Blender
Originally posted on 14 January 2022, and updated for UVPackmaster 3.2 for Blender.
Developer Łukasz Czyż has released UVPackmaster 3 for Blender, the latest version of the GPU-accelerated UV packing plugin for the open-source 3D software.
The update moves the plugin to a new Python-scriptable architecture, making it possible for users to customise its functionality; and adds new options for stacking and aligning UV islands.
A fast, efficient GPU-accelerated UV packing tool
First released in 2018, UVPackmaster is a fast, efficient UV packing plugin capable of running on CUDA-enabled Nvidia GPUs as well as a workstation’s CPU.
It enables users to adjust the results on a per-UV-island or per-group basis, and supports tiled UV layouts, including UDIMs, and non-square layouts. See a summary of its features here.
New in version 3: Python scriptability and new UV stacking options
The main change in UVPackmaster 3 is that its functionality is now scriptable: the main packing algorithm is provided as human-readable Python code, as well as compiled engine code.
As well as making it possible for users to customise the plugin’s functionality to fit their own workflows, the online FAQs say that the new architecture will speed up development of new features.
Other features shown in the overview video embedded at the top of the story include UDIM packing using named UV groups, and the options to lock groups of UV islands to maintain relative positions.
In addition, the plugin – previously available in Standard and Pro editions – is now available only as the full-featured Pro edition.
Updated 6 November 2023: UVPackmaster 3.2 for Blender has been released.
The main change is a new UV tracking system, making it possible to have the transformation of a duplicate set of UVs follow those of the original set during packing, as shown above.
In addition, the update reworks the plugin’s UI to a multi-panel layout, and makes it possible to pack UV groups into the same UV space with independent texel densities.
Other changes since UVPackmaster 3.0.4 for Blender release
Other new features since the original release include Stack Groups, which automatically stacks UV islands of the same shape on top of one another during packing, then packs the stacks.
In addition, the plugin is now available for Linux and macOS as well as Windows.
You can find a full list of workflow and performance improvements in the online release notes.
Pricing and availability
UVPackmaster 3.2 Pro is available for Blender 2.83+, running on Windows 10+, glibc 2.17+ Linux and macOS 10.13+.
A new single-user licence now costs $44, up $5 since the original 3.0 release. Multi-user Studio licences start at $159, up $40 since the 3.0 releaase.
Read more about UVPackmaster 3 for Blender on the product website
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