@Armstrong - Thanks for the inspiration.

@Armstrong - About the insane level of detail - You make good points, and I don't argue.  But it really annoyed and frustrated me when my 1st method (buttons on every side) looked great and preserved all the detail without any fuss, and then all the more sophisticated and labor-intensive methods turned out blurry.  It just seemed wrong and unfair and backwards.

@Everyone -

Wow.  I tried the Wall_001 object, and it worked MUCH better than Box_001, and I believe the reason is the proportions of the "areas" on the normal map are much more similar to the proportions of the faces of the remote control.

I first tried the 512x512 resolution, and it was reasonably acceptable.

Then I tried again, and first doubled the of the Diffuse map to 1024x1024, and then added in my scanned image which is 280x1023, so I did have to shorten it slightly, but not so drastically as I had to on the Box_002 object.

(@sw00000p - I did not do anything to the underlying UV Map, which I assume was still 512x512.  Nor did I change the iClone setting for Max Real-time Map Size.)

The results were very acceptable.  Even better at 1024x1024 that what I got before at 3600x3600.

LESSON LEARNED:

• Explore the UV Maps of the primitives and find a map that is close to the proportions you intend to use.
• Enlarge the object's Diffuse Map (if needed) to minimize the amount of scaling you need to do when adding in your custom image

In this case, a Wall worked much better than a Box.  I think the Door_001 would probably work well too.

I was really being turned off from using the "maps" because of the bad quality I was getting, but my improved results this morning have really helped improve my attitude about that method.

If anyone wants a more detailed step-by-step approach of what I did, just ask.

Final results:

• Bottom remote - Simply apply scanned image to Box_001, set UV Type to Box
• Pro - Easy
• Pro - Best visual quality
• Con - All six sides are the same (buttons on all six sides, so not good for this prop)
• Middle remote - Apply image to Box_001 based on UV Map layout
• Pro - Each side can be have a different graphic
• Neutral - Requires slightly more editing work, but pretty easy after the first time
• Con - Really blurry results, even with a high-resolution Diffuse Map file
• Top remote - Same as middle remote, but using Wall_001 (instead of box)
• Pro - Good quality (compared to Box_001) even with lower-res Diffuse Map
• (See how clear "Dynex" is, compared to the middle remote?)
• (I suspect a slightly larger Diffuse Map size would be even better, but this is very acceptable to me.)

P.S.

@Armstrong - What primitive did you use to make the curved walls?  I can't find one like that.  Did you use a pipe, and make 80% of it transparent using an opacity map?

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iClone 7... Character Creator... Substance Designer/Painter... Blender... Audacity...
Desktop (homebuilt) - Windows 10, Ryzen 9 3900x CPU, GTX 1080 GPU (8GB), 32GB RAM, Asus X570 Pro motherboard, 2TB SSD, terabytes of disk space, dual  monitors.
Laptop - Windows 10, MSI GS63VR STEALTH-252, 16GB RAM, GTX 1060 (6GB), 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD

You CAN just with iClone for petes sake.  
Being sarcastically exacting NOT a plane as a plane only has 2 dimensions (Actually three, because it needs duration to exist in our plane within the constraints of light-speed governed time and physics-crisis continuum restriction. Which, identifying Einstein's argument of "If a plane has only width and height and duration, when viewed exactly side on does it exist at all?"

(A similar argument of physics-crisis definition regarding the same as voiced in the time machine, "If an object has width depth and height but no duration does it exist at all?"
The answer seemingly NO, actually is YES, by argument only to another object of zero duration at an identical point in the time continuum AND that has awareness. All duration is dependant on the mental sense of time.)

THIS is a six sided object.

THIS is its image map.

And as far as I can see this is editable by exporting from iClone and importing back into iClone after editing.

This wall would be superb for a TV remote control.
Lets not get bogged down with filesize, because unless you're using an Amstrad 1512 with 1 meg onboard ram and a 20 meg hard drive, it really doesn't matter unless you've created a remote control object of three gigs. (Which even then iClone has the power to open.

So, why is this NOT a solution for iClone and why do we still need to toy about with UV's simply to get something as basic as a TCV remote when I have never edited UV's and have made THIS....

iClone can do this. iClone has been made so simple to use that any newcomer into the animation and half-way-modelling world it allows can produce.

But coming into this thread as a newbie I would walk  away again. There probably ARe more adept methods and professional means to edit textures on objects but not to the extent that we need to remodel the actual primitives.

I don't understand all the complexities in this thread though I do appreciate the informational value to me as I learn by reading the same such, but not for a bog basic gran'ma made TV remote surely??????

Lets slow down a bit and realise that by definition we're looking at something about three centimetres on screen and there for about two seconds (Give or take)

Do we really need something where we can see the avatars hair lice crawling around the gaps between the buttons?

if it works for you, why not!
you are doing an animation not making content for marketplace after all!
I forgot completely about sketchup
I used to model in it before I learnt to in Carrara.
very very easy to learn to use.
flipped nornals and ngons made it useless for my Daz and Poser renders but iClone very forgiving of such flaws so ok for that, just enable 2 sided face picking and most work fine.

@Colour -

I believe what you recently posted was fundamentally the same as what I was proposing; attach six individual planes to a cube.  For existing iClone materials, your method provided a nice shortcut in that it created and textured the plane in one operation.  But for a custom texture, it's about the same was what I did.  Good tip though.  I got so wrapped up in custom textures I started to neglect the ones that come with iClone.  Thanks for the reminder.

@sw00000p -

I appreciate that you're trying to make me think for myself by not providing those "E-Z Button Tutorials," but it's not working well for me.  The problem is probably at my end.  As I said before, I think it would be so wonderful to be able to sit with you and watch you work for a little while.  Then I could observe which tool you use, and when, and you could fluidly explain why.

I don't think this forum lends itself to subtle hints.  But don't give up on me entirely.  Not yet anyway.

@Animagic -

My original goal wasn't so much to create a remote control, but simply to learn some useful functions in iClone.  Recently I was playing with manually creating a seamless texture (with moderate success), followed by revisiting Normal Maps.  So as I looked for something to practice on, I saw a remote control with raised buttons, and thought, "Hey, a nice normal map should be a nice (and efficient) way to give them a bit of a 3D look," and that's what lead me to trying to put different textures on different sides of a cube.

As for using Sketch-up, I'm sure simple shapes are not complex at all, but... sigh... yet another application to learn.

I think I'm going to have to decide what's more difficult... learning more applications, or getting my son to do the modeling for me.  I think I know the answer to that.

I used to work for a CAD (Computer Aided Design) company a long time ago, so I know I can learn something like Sketch-up.  And Blender amazes and fascinates met.  But I'd rather make an iClone movie.  At least I think that's the case.

@Everyone -

I managed to make my "6 planes attached to a box" prop fairly easily, and then I scanned a paperback book and it did not take long at all to make a very acceptable book prop.  After setting up the planes, I should have "shrunk" the cube by 50% or so before attaching the planes to it.  Sometimes when I zoom out I see some of the underlying cube bleeding through, even though it's supposed to be invisible.  Turning the prop's visibility OFF, and then clicking each plane ON fixes the problem.  But I believe having the core cube smaller would have prevented it entirely.

---

iClone 7... Character Creator... Substance Designer/Painter... Blender... Audacity...
Desktop (homebuilt) - Windows 10, Ryzen 9 3900x CPU, GTX 1080 GPU (8GB), 32GB RAM, Asus X570 Pro motherboard, 2TB SSD, terabytes of disk space, dual  monitors.
Laptop - Windows 10, MSI GS63VR STEALTH-252, 16GB RAM, GTX 1060 (6GB), 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD

Viking, I'm currently not close to iClone (being on vacation in Paris), but I remember someone creating a cube with a UV mapping so that each face had a separate map.

You're right about iClone not mapping efficiently. A good map shouldn't have large areas of white-space. In itself having a single map is not bad, because it does help efficiency. In an earlier version of iClone a remote control was part of the standard content. The mapping was blurry but could be improved with a better texture.

Another option is to model your remote in Sketchup, which allows you to select one face and map a texture to it. The sides you can just do a solid color. I've modeled the mixing console for my classic radio drama in Sketchup (with individual knobs, etc.) and with some care you can get nice results.

---

Well... I think I've gotten what I need out of this topic.

Although I want to be able to work on custom props, that's not my primary goal.  So I think it's time for me to move on to a new topic.  I still have about 17,384 other iClone features to explore.

Thanks to everyone for your kind assistance.

---

iClone 7... Character Creator... Substance Designer/Painter... Blender... Audacity...
Desktop (homebuilt) - Windows 10, Ryzen 9 3900x CPU, GTX 1080 GPU (8GB), 32GB RAM, Asus X570 Pro motherboard, 2TB SSD, terabytes of disk space, dual  monitors.
Laptop - Windows 10, MSI GS63VR STEALTH-252, 16GB RAM, GTX 1060 (6GB), 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD

Here's your answer, Dennis. See Screenshot:

Right-Click / Drag & Drop your Image. Select Plane . Attach it to one face of your Prop. Resize it to fit.

Job done in 5 minutes;)

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@sw00000p,

It's possibly I am suffering from false expectations.  I just thought there'd be an easier way to map an image to one side of a cube in iClone without having to use the unfolded UV Map, and certainly without resorting to another software package like Blender.  It sounded like it would be so simple.

It's too bad iClone doesn't have a "Box" object with 6 material surfaces.  Then we wouldn't even be having this conversation.

I don't want to use a plane for my remote control prop.  It'd be a bit too thin.

But now that you mention it, how do I put a different texture on each side of a plane, using only iClone?

OLD QUESTION:  Does anyone have any idea what the main difference is between Box_001, Box_002, and Box_003?  The UV Maps seems a bit different, but not drastically.

Right now I think I'd rather have just two boxes.  One like the boxes I've been using, and one with 6 individual materials (one for each side).

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iClone 7... Character Creator... Substance Designer/Painter... Blender... Audacity...
Desktop (homebuilt) - Windows 10, Ryzen 9 3900x CPU, GTX 1080 GPU (8GB), 32GB RAM, Asus X570 Pro motherboard, 2TB SSD, terabytes of disk space, dual  monitors.
Laptop - Windows 10, MSI GS63VR STEALTH-252, 16GB RAM, GTX 1060 (6GB), 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD

@Wendy,

Thanks for the clarification.

Most of my Blender knowledge is a result of my son playing with it.  Sometimes I watch him, and sometimes I watch some tutorials just because it's such an amazing tool.  (I could have a lot of fun with it, but then I'd never have time to play with iClone, or sleep, or go to work.)

More and more I'm thinking that "real prop building" (even "advanced" texture mapping like I'm trying to do) should be done in Blender (or similar) and then use 3DXchange to turn it into an iProp.

Since I can legally run iClone on two PCs, I've been telling my son I should put my second copy on his machine.  He likes to model stuff, and I'd love to have him build props for me.

---

iClone 7... Character Creator... Substance Designer/Painter... Blender... Audacity...
Desktop (homebuilt) - Windows 10, Ryzen 9 3900x CPU, GTX 1080 GPU (8GB), 32GB RAM, Asus X570 Pro motherboard, 2TB SSD, terabytes of disk space, dual  monitors.
Laptop - Windows 10, MSI GS63VR STEALTH-252, 16GB RAM, GTX 1060 (6GB), 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD

Sw00000plish to English
you need a 3D modeling app that does uv projection and creates new shading domains.
Most modelers do.
IClone only projects a few preset uv's ie spherical, box, cylindrical and planar
modeling programs have more options where you can select induvidual polygons and create new shading domains.
I myself use Carrara, Sw00000p uses 3dsMAX but certainly Blender and Wings3D are two free programs that would also.
You create a seperate shading domain for that one face, perhaps even subdivide the mesh, though for iClone which does not use displacement not vital, then you can use a large texture map on just that one face and just a black shader on the rest.