MapFrisker Manual

User Manual

Complete documentation for the MapFrisker batch vertex map editor for LightWave 3D Modeler.

Installation

Copy the .p plugin file to your LightWave plugins folder
In Modeler, go to Utilities > Plugins > Add Plugins
Select the MapFrisker .p file
The plugin appears under Utilities > Plugins > MapFrisker

Two Builds Available

Use MapFrisker_vXX.p for LightWave 2019+ and MapFrisker_2015_vXX.p for LightWave 2015. They are functionally identical but compiled for different SDK versions.

System Requirements

Requirement	Details
LightWave Version	2015.3+ or 2019.1.5+
Operating System	Windows 64-bit
Mode	Modeler only
Object	Must have at least one object loaded with vertex maps

Quick Start

Load an Object

Open or create an object in Modeler that has UV maps and/or weight maps.

Launch MapFrisker

Go to Utilities > Plugins > MapFrisker. The panel opens showing all UV maps on the current object.

Select Maps

Click map names in the list to select them. Use Shift+click for range selection. Selected maps show a * prefix.

Operate

Use any of the rename, merge, transform, or delete operations. They apply to all selected maps.

Map List

The top of the panel has two tabs: UV Maps and Weight Maps. Switching tabs re-scans the object and populates the list with the corresponding map type.

Each entry in the list shows the map name. Selected maps are prefixed with * for visual feedback.

Selection Controls

Button	Action
Select All	Selects every map in the current list
Select None	Deselects all maps
Invert Sel	Toggles the selection state of every map

Click Behavior

Click -- toggles the clicked map's selection
Shift+Click -- selects a range from the last clicked map to the current one

UV Preview

When the UV Maps tab is active, a preview canvas appears to the right of the map list. It draws a wireframe overlay of all selected UV maps, showing the UV island layout in 0-1 space.

The preview updates whenever the selection changes. It is hidden when the Weight Maps tab is active.

Rename (Direct)

The Rename field and Apply button perform a simple rename of all selected maps to the specified name.

Multiple Maps, Same Name

If you rename multiple maps to the same name, LightWave will merge them internally. This is effectively the same as the merge operation.

Batch Rename

More granular renaming with four optional fields:

Find

Text to search for in each map name.

Replace

Text to substitute wherever Find matches.

Prefix

Text prepended to the beginning of each map name.

Suffix

Text appended to the end of each map name.

All four operations are applied in order: find/replace first, then prefix, then suffix. Click Batch Rename to execute.

Merge

Combines multiple maps into one. Enter a target name in the Merge Into field, select the source maps, and click Merge Selected.

How It Works

For each selected source map, all vertex data (per-point for weight maps, per-polygon for UV maps) is copied into the target map
If the target map doesn't exist, it is created
Source maps are deleted after their data is copied
The entire operation is atomic -- one undo step

Data Overlap

If multiple source maps have data on the same point (or point+polygon for UVs), the last source map's values win. Order is determined by the map list order.

Delete

The DELETE SELECTED button removes all selected maps from the object. This is permanent (but undoable via LightWave's undo system).

UV Transform

Available when the UV Maps tab is active. Applies geometric transformations to all points in every selected UV map.

Offset U / Offset V

Float (default: 0.0)

Translates all UV coordinates by the specified amount.

Scale U / Scale V

Float (default: 1.0)

Scales UV coordinates around the center (0.5, 0.5).

Rotation

Float, degrees (default: 0.0)

Rotates UV coordinates around the center (0.5, 0.5).

Click Apply Transform to execute. All three transforms (offset, scale, rotation) are applied together in one pass.

UV Flip

Button	Action
Flip U	Mirrors UV coordinates horizontally around U=0.5
Flip V	Mirrors UV coordinates vertically around V=0.5

Flip operations are immediate -- no additional parameters needed.

Weight Scale

Multiplies every weight value in the selected maps by the Scale Factor.

Scale Factor

Float (default: 1.0)

Multiplier applied to each weight value. Use 0.5 to halve all weights, 2.0 to double them.

Invert

Flips every weight value: new = 1.0 - old. Useful for creating complementary weight maps.

Clamp

Restricts weight values to a specified range.

Clamp Min

Float (default: 0.0)

Values below this are raised to the minimum.

Clamp Max

Float (default: 1.0)

Values above this are lowered to the maximum.

Version Builds

File	Target
`MapFrisker_vXX.p`	LightWave 2019.1.5+ (primary build)
`MapFrisker_2015_vXX.p`	LightWave 2015.3+ (legacy build)

Both builds are compiled from the same source. The 2015 build uses older SDK global strings for compatibility and disables panel resizing.

Troubleshooting

No Maps Shown

Ensure an object is loaded in Modeler with at least one UV or weight map
Check that you're using the correct build for your LightWave version
Try switching between the UV Maps and Weight Maps tabs

Plugin Won't Load

Verify you're using the 64-bit version of LightWave
Ensure the .p file isn't blocked by Windows (right-click > Properties > Unblock)
Try copying the plugin to LightWave's default plugins directory

Merge Doesn't Work

Make sure you've entered a target name in the "Merge Into" field
Select at least one source map
The target name can be an existing map or a new name

Panel Too Large

The 2019 build supports panel resizing -- drag the edges
The 2015 build has a fixed-size panel optimized for standard screen resolutions

Undo

All operations support LightWave's undo system. Use Ctrl+Z in Modeler after closing the MapFrisker panel to undo changes.