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Grid Layout - Tools To Help Layout Your Uv Layout (Udims Supported)

by hodgson3d·Workflow

Images © hodgson3d. Used for product review; image policy.

Why we like it

Grid Layout earns its place by focusing on the tedious parts of UV work on UDIM-heavy assets. The developer describes it as the second fastest texel density tool in Blender alongside Zen UV, and it's the work of a Blender Development Fund contributor.

What is Grid Layout - Tools To Help Layout Your Uv Layout (Udims Supported)?

Grid Layout is a Blender addon built to help lay out UV layouts, and it's part of a larger addon called H3D Toolkit. It provides tools to layout, adjust texel density, translate, and select UVs, easing the process of UVing high-resolution assets that span many UDIMs. Models in VFX often contain hundreds of UDIMs, which can slow down laying out repeating objects, translating, and selecting large numbers of UDIM tiles.

The addon covers several tasks. UnStack preserves the UVs of repeating objects and arranges them into a clean layout, while Stack brings those UVs back on top of each other for global adjustments. Shift UVs moves large amounts of UDIM tiles while respecting UDIM limits, and Fill UDIM Selection selects UDIMs from any component you pick. A Get/Set Texel Density tool samples and sets texel density with a unified or individual scale.

Grid Layout supports Blender 4.2 through 5.1 and is distributed under the GPL license. It's listed as free here, and a demo video is available. The developer is a Blender Development Fund contributor.

Who is Grid Layout - Tools To Help Layout Your Uv Layout (Udims Supported) best for?

Grid Layout - Tools To Help Layout Your Uv Layout (Udims Supported) is best for laying out, shifting, and selecting UVs on high-resolution VFX assets that span many UDIM tiles.

How much does Grid Layout - Tools To Help Layout Your Uv Layout (Udims Supported) cost?

Grid Layout - Tools To Help Layout Your Uv Layout (Udims Supported) is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • UnStack: preserves the UVs of repeating objects and arranges them into vertical columns; once a column reaches capacity, packing shifts horizontally, and stacking continues into the next UDIM when objects exceed one tile, with controls for tile and island padding
  • Stack: brings UVs back on top of each other so global adjustments are easier to make
  • Shift UVs: moves large amounts of UDIM tiles while respecting UDIM limits
  • Fill UDIM Selection: select any component in the UDIMs you want, then run the tool to select them
  • Get/Set Texel Density: samples and sets texel density using either a unified scale or an individual scale

Tags

#UV layout#UDIM#texel density#VFX#UV editing#Blender addon#UV mapping

Frequently asked questions

Does Grid Layout work with Blender 4.2 and newer?

Grid Layout supports Blender versions 4.2 through 5.1. If you're running a release inside that range, the addon should load without issue. One thing to note during setup: if the tab doesn't appear in the Blender interface right away after installing, reloading Blender usually resolves it. You can confirm the exact supported range and any updates on the developer's page before installing.

How do I install Grid Layout in Blender?

Grid Layout installs through Blender's preferences, and the steps depend on the file format. For the extension format, which comes as a .zip, go to preferences, then extensions, then install from disk. For the legacy addon format, which comes as a .py file, go to preferences, then addons, then install from disk. After installing, if the tab does not show up in the Blender interface immediately, reload Blender and it should appear in the interface.

Is Grid Layout free and what license does it use?

Grid Layout is listed as free in this catalog and is distributed under the GPL license. It's also noted as part of a larger addon called H3D Toolkit. For current licensing terms and to grab the addon, check the developer's page. The developer is a Blender Development Fund contributor, and you can rate the addon there if you find it useful. Always confirm the latest terms on the developer's page before downloading.

How does Grid Layout's UnStack tool arrange UVs?

Grid Layout's UnStack tool preserves the UVs of repeating objects and arranges them into a clean layout. It builds vertical columns of stacking, and once a column reaches capacity, it shifts horizontally to pack another column. If the objects exceed one UDIM tile, stacking continues in the next UDIM. For best results, the objects being laid out should have similar UV bounding boxes, and controls are provided to dial in the tile and island padding.

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