I think texture the most difficult during creat 3d models.
Learn a little everyday, just like me who start to learn 3ds since last month, and carry on. I think finnally you can make a wonderful texture.

I'm not sure how much you know about it, but in MAX they have tutorials for these sorts of things. I have MAX 8, and if you click on help, then Getting Started/Materials & Mapping/Managing Texture Coordinates/Using Unwrap UVW, it will tell you how to unwrap your model into flat faces that you can render out as a 2D image file that looks something like this:

You take that image, and paint it

That's now your texture file. When in MAX, you apply it to your model, and it will place your texture on the model according to where the unwrapped faces are on the unwrapped image.

It's not something you will be good at in the beginning, but that's how I do it. The MAX tutorials are invaluable

Its from this mod:
WWW Link

i learned overnight at this site.

UVW Mapping in 3DS


be sure to read it all at least twice, and the third time find the controls as you go. I printed out the whole site and went through it with simple things like sphere's, boxes, etc. They attempt to do your ships. Its alot easier than it looks