Introducing UV Flex

Direct Control for UV Editing

UV Flex is a focused UV Editor toolkit for Blender designed around one idea: manipulate UVs directly, without friction.

Instead of jumping between operators and menus, UV Flex gives you interactive tools for splitting, merging, and reshaping UV islands so you can iterate faster and stay in flow.

Active Tools

SPLIT Tool:

Drag across connected UVs to separate island boundaries instantly. Supports falloff for controlled, natural separation.

MERGE Tool:

Click and drag to weld UV vertices or edges with precision. Clean up seams and overlaps without breaking your workflow.

RESHAPE Tool:

Draw a new boundary to reform UV islands dynamically.

SPLINE Tool:

Draw and bind a spline over a selected UV island, then drag it to deform the island with falloff or 2D IK behavior.

Key Features

• Interactive Editing : Work directly in the UV Editor with viewport-driven tools
• Precision Controls : Adjustable pick radius and falloff for fine-tuned behavior
• Seam Integration : Optional seam marking during split operations
• Dedicated Tool Icons : Clean, consistent UI built into Blender’s toolbar
• Workflow Consistency : No context switching, no modal clutter

Built For

• Fast UV cleanup after unwraps
• Hard-surface and prop workflows
• Artists who prefer direct manipulation over menus

Update Log:

v0.3:

• Added the Spline tool
• Added Spline deformation modes: Falloff: smooth local spline dragging. 2D IK: length-preserving spline-chain behavior with IK iterations.
• Fixed Reshape selection binding with the same selection priority to avoid affecting unselected UVs.
• Updated documentation to include the Spline tool

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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).

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

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

Split cannot find a vertex

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

Merge cannot find a vertex or edge

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

Reshape requires selection

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

Reshape does not apply

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

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

Version

Current Version: 0.3