Flattening procedure

Surface flattening can be used to obtain the shape of a decal required to fit onto a surface. It can also be used to render an image with the decal applied to the surface with minimal distortion. The normal texture areas commands, which are much simpler to use, can be used to produce a similar rendered image but minor distortions may be introduced. Only in the most stringent of applications (such as ceramic tableware decoration) will surface flattening be needed to create a render image.

In summary, the basic steps of using surface flattening are as follows: