For those who don’t know the tool: UV Flex is an artist-facing Blender add-on for post-unwrap cleanup and UV-island deformation inside the UV Editor. It sits before texturing, Cycles, Eevee and PBR look development; later MaterialX or OpenUSD hand-offs remain outside the add-on because no format-specific I/O or other DCC bridge is advertised. AlbertoFX distributes the tool through Superhive.
Direct control after unwrapping
UV Flex 0.3 adds four interactive tools to Blender’s UV Editor: Split, Merge, Reshape and Spline. The tools operate on mesh UVs while the object is in Edit Mode, with controls exposed through the UV Editor toolbar and the Tool tab of its sidebar. The input is the current UV selection or the UV element under the pointer. The result is an edited UV layout, with Split also able to mark corresponding mesh edges as seams.
This is primarily a new artist-facing interaction layer, not a replacement unwrapping algorithm. AlbertoFX’ Version 0.3 adds Spline as another interactive deformation tool and introduces Falloff and 2D IK behaviours, but the public documentation does not present those behaviours as an SDK or a callable service for other tools.
The distinction matters in production. UV Flex addresses the stage where an unwrap already exists but requires local correction: opening a boundary, welding elements, changing an island silhouette or bending an island along a guide. This is direct manipulation as a faster alternative to moving between Blender operators and menus.
Split with a live preview
Split separates shared UV vertices along a path drawn by the artist. The user clicks a shared vertex, drags across additional vertices and releases to apply the operation. UV Flex displays a preview during the drag, allowing the direction and size of the separation to be assessed before committing it.
Its controls include Offset for the distance between the two sides, Radius for pointer detection, optional seam marking, Falloff, Power and Falloff Radius. This makes Split more than a binary unweld command: the operation can open a connected region while distributing movement around the affected vertices. That can help when a shell boundary needs visible spacing without individually moving every vertex afterwards.
Merge by element type
Merge performs the complementary operation. The artist drags from one UV vertex or edge to a matching target, and UV Flex places the merged result at the midpoint. A preview identifies the source, target and connection while the drag remains active.
The Element setting can choose the closest valid element automatically or restrict picking to vertices or edges. Source and target must have matching types. A Split Ends option changes edge handling so the tool moves only edge loops rather than complete welded endpoints. These controls give artists a way to constrain an otherwise pointer-driven operation when tightly packed vertices and edges compete for selection.
Midpoint placement is important for downstream expectations. Merge does not document an option to preserve either the source or target position, nor does it claim to retain local texel density. A weld may therefore require a subsequent alignment, relaxation or scale check when the receiving location must remain fixed. Precision is offered through picking and element controls, not through a numeric error threshold.
Reshape from a drawn outline
Reshape remaps a selected UV island to an outline drawn by the artist. During the preview, the tool identifies the original boundary in white and the proposed boundary in blue. Stroke Spacing determines how densely UV Flex samples the drawn path: lower values retain more detail, while higher values produce a simpler outline.
AlbertoFX says the tool preserves the island’s internal structure while mapping it to the new boundary. In practical terms, the tool supplies a controllable silhouette operation, but it does not replace inspection with a checker texture, distortion display or studio texel-density validator.
Reshape requires an island selection and at least three valid stroke points. The troubleshooting guidance also calls for a valid island boundary and suggests increasing Stroke Spacing when an excessively dense stroke fails. With UV Sync enabled, the corresponding mesh elements must be selected. Version 0.3 includes a selection-binding fix intended to prevent Reshape from affecting unselected UVs.
Spline deformation in version 0.3
Spline is the principal addition in version 0.3. The artist selects a UV island, draws a bind spline across it and releases to attach the selected UVs. Dragging the bound spline then deforms the island. Enter or Space accepts the result; Escape or a right-click cancels it. This keeps the operation inside the UV Editor rather than sending the artist through a separate curve object or modifier setup.
The tool provides Falloff and 2D IK deformation modes. AlbertoFX describes Falloff as smooth local spline dragging and 2D IK as length-preserving spline-chain behaviour with adjustable IK iterations. The length-preserving description applies to the spline-chain behaviour stated by the developer. It should not be read as a guarantee that the complete UV island retains area, edge lengths, texel density or zero distortion.
That will matter when the tool is used to straighten or bend long strip-like islands. The guide can control the broad deformation, while production validation still needs to catch local compression and stretching. The spline may be clever, but it has not negotiated a waiver from texture-space mathematics.
Explicit workflow limits
AlbertoFX documents several clear boundaries. UV Flex works only in the UV Editor on mesh objects in Edit Mode. Reshape requires a selected island, and dense UV layouts may need detection-radius adjustments. The tool does not provide automatic UV packing, automatic overlap resolution or precise CAD-style shaping.
Those exclusions define its production role more usefully than a broad promise of easier UVs. UV Flex can modify individual shells and boundaries, but it will not arrange an entire texture set, enforce padding rules, resolve every collision or certify a result against a game engine’s lightmap requirements. The add-on will not pack shells into a miracle rectangle while everyone attends dailies. The mouse remains employed.
Superhive displays a current price of $20.
https://superhivemarket.com/products/uv-flex/
https://superhivemarket.com/products/uv-flex/docs
https://superhivemarket.com/products/uv-flex/faq
https://superhivemarket.com/creators/albertofx
| Product | UV Flex |
| Developer | AlbertoFX |
| Version | 0.3 |
| Release status | Available from Superhive |
| Host compatibility | Blender 5.1 listed by the developer |
| Operating context | UV Editor, mesh object in Edit Mode |
| Tools | Split, Merge, Reshape and Spline |
| Spline modes | Falloff and 2D IK |
| Licence | GNU GPL |
| Update entitlement | Free future updates, per developer FAQ |
| Documentation | UV Flex 0.3 documentation |
| Download | Purchase and download page |
| Pricing | Current displayed price: $20; US sales tax may apply by buyer location |
