Multiple materials on a single object

[bblackbourn]

As a newbie to Maya I have been having difficulty trying to figure out how to apply multiple materials to a single, complex object. For example, if I create a character and end up with a single mesh, how do I apply different materials to the head, face, torso, legs, feet, etc.? Is it first necessary to cut it up into separate pieces (head, body, legs, etc.) before applying a material to each? Then there is the uv mapping. Must I map each piece separately, so that I can paint them individually? Any insights to this would be greatly appreciated.

[gnimmel]

To add multiple materials to one object simply asign a texture at a face level. i.e. select some faces and apply the texture.

The uv's only tell maya where to put the 2D textures, so if you add one texture to the head and a different one to the arms, you can set up the UV's so they overlap between the arms and the head.

Richard