UV Flex Documentation(v0.3)

Overview

UV Flex is a Blender add-on that provides focused UV editing tools directly inside the UV Editor.

It enables:

• Splitting shared UV vertices
• Merging UV vertices or edges
• Reshaping UV islands by drawing a new outline

UV Flex is designed for fast UV cleanup, island adjustment, and hands-on workflows without constant menu navigation.

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Installation

1. Download the uvflex_v0_3.zip file.
2. In Blender, go to Edit → Preferences → Add-ons.
3. Click Install from Disk... and select the zip file.
4. Enable the add-on by searching for UV Flex and checking the box.
5. Open the UV Editor while editing a mesh object.
6. The UV Flex tools will appear in the UV Editor toolbar.
7. Additional settings are available in the UV Editor sidebar under the Tool tab.

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Usage

UV Flex operates in the UV Editor while the active object is a mesh in Edit Mode.

The add-on provides three tools:

• UV Flex Split
• UV Flex Merge
• UV Flex Reshape
• UV Flex Spline

Select a tool from the UV Editor toolbar and interact directly with the UV layout.

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Split Tool

Separates shared UV vertices by dragging across them.

Useful for:

• Opening seams
• Separating connected UV regions
• Creating controlled spacing between overlapping UVs

How to Use

1. Enter Edit Mode on a mesh object.
2. Open the UV Editor.
3. Select UV Flex Split.
4. Click a shared UV vertex.
5. Drag across additional vertices to define the split path.
6. Release to apply.

A preview of the split is shown while dragging.

Settings

• Offset — Distance between split sides
• Radius — Cursor detection range
• Seam — Marks mesh edges as seams
• Falloff — Enables proportional movement
• Power — Falloff strength curve
• Falloff Radius — Range of influence

Notes

• Works best on shared UV vertices
• Increase Radius or zoom in if picking fails

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Merge Tool

Merges UV vertices or edges by dragging from one element to another.

The result is positioned at the midpoint.

How to Use

1. Enter Edit Mode on a mesh object.
2. Open the UV Editor.
3. Select UV Flex Merge.
4. Click a source vertex or edge.
5. Drag to a target.
6. Release to merge.

A preview shows source, target, and connection line.

Settings

• Element
  • Auto — Closest valid element
  • Vertex — Vertices only
  • Edge — Edges only
• Radius — Cursor detection range
• Split Ends — Moves only edge loops instead of full welded endpoints

Notes

• Source and target must match type (vertex ↔ vertex, edge ↔ edge)
• Switch Element mode if incorrect picks occur

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Reshape Tool

Reshapes a selected UV island by drawing a new boundary.

The tool remaps the island to the drawn outline while preserving internal structure.

How to Use

1. Enter Edit Mode on a mesh object.
2. Open the UV Editor.
3. Select a UV island.
4. Select UV Flex Reshape.
5. Click and drag to draw a new outline.
6. Release to apply.

Preview:

• Original outline → white
• New outline → blue

Settings

• Stroke Spacing — Distance between sampled stroke points

Lower values = more detail
Higher values = simpler outline

Notes

• Requires an island selection
• Displays a warning if none is selected

Spline Tool

Deforms a selected UV island using a drawn spline.

The tool binds selected UVs to the spline, then lets you drag the spline to deform the island.

How to Use

1. Enter Edit Mode on a mesh object.
2. Open the UV Editor.
3. Select a UV island.
4. Select `UV Flex Spline`.
5. Click and drag across the island to draw the bind spline.
6. Release to bind the selected UVs.
7. Drag the bound spline to deform the island.
8. Press `Enter` or `Space` to accept.
9. Press `Esc` or right-click to cancel.

Tool Sidebar Settings

1. Open the UV Editor
2. Press N to open the sidebar
3. Go to the Tool tab
4. Locate the UV Flex panel

Settings are grouped by tool.

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Toolbar Integration

UV Flex adds tools to the UV Editor toolbar:

• UV Flex Split
• UV Flex Merge
• UV Flex Reshape

Each tool includes a custom icon (with fallback if unavailable).

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Best Practices

• Work in Edit Mode within the UV Editor
• Zoom in for precision work
• Increase Radius for better detection
• Use Vertex/Edge mode if Auto mis-selects
• Always select the island before using Reshape
• Use moderate Stroke Spacing for clean results
• Use Ctrl + Z to undo unwanted results

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Troubleshooting

Tools do not appear

• Ensure the add-on is enabled
• Confirm you are in the UV Editor
• Verify the object is a mesh in Edit Mode

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Split cannot find a vertex

• Zoom in
• Increase Radius
• Ensure the cursor is over a visible vertex

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Merge cannot find a vertex or edge

• Increase Radius
• Switch Element mode
• Click directly on a UV element

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Reshape requires selection

• Select a UV island first
• Ensure UV selection is visible
• If UV Sync is enabled, select corresponding mesh elements

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Reshape does not apply

• Draw at least 3 points
• Ensure the island has a valid boundary
• Increase Stroke Spacing if stroke is too dense

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Limitations

• Works only in the UV Editor (Edit Mode, mesh objects)
• Reshape requires a selected island
• Dense UVs may require radius adjustment
• No automatic UV packing
• No automatic overlap resolution
• Not intended for precise CAD-style shaping

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Version

Current Version: 0.3