UVW mapping

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UVW mapping is a technique for applying a 2D image (a texture) to an object of a given topology. "UVW" is basically XYZ for texture coordinates, and as the third dimension implies, texture maps in themselves can be three-dimensional. Each point in a UVW map corresponds to a point on the surface of the object. How the points correspond depends largely on how the geometry is unwrapped (ala templates that are combined into a shape, such as leather clothing). Generally speaking, the more orderly the unwrapped polygons are, the easier it is for the texture artist to paint features onto the texture. Once the texture is finished, all that has to be done is to wrap the UVW map back onto the object, projecting the texture in a way that is far more flexible and advanced than, say, planar projection. For this reason, UVW mapping is commonly used to texture map non-platonic solids and other irregularly-shaped objects, such as characters and furniture.