I just started UV-unwrapping a tree I modeled/sculpted when I found out how damn hard it is to get right.
The base itself is just fine. One seam at each end and one in the middle. The roots however are looking terrible. I cant seam to line them up with the base and it always seems stretched. How would I go about doing this?
Apply any scale before unwrapping (Ctrl+A in object mode)
Apply seams to where you need them (Ctrl+E / Mark Seam
Select only those faces you want to unwrap. U to Unwrap.
Switch between Angle Based and Conformal unwrap methods to see which gives best results (angle based usually best for organic forms)
Select another set of faces and repeat
In the UV Image Editor you have various tools (Scale / move /rotate as in 3d view), V to stitch islands together, Q for sculpting
Go methodically and don’t expect to unwrap all in one press of a button.
Where is this option angle based ?
Immediately after you select Unwrap, press the F6 key and a window with options will pop up.
These options are also available in your 3D window’s tool bar.