Try turning on the Mantra compatible sub-divisions in the SubDivide SOP. That may help a bit in lessening the texture distortion.

Yeah I've tried that (see http://www.sidefx.com/index.php?option=com_forum&Itemid=172&page=viewtopic&t=18028 [sidefx.com] for more info). Depending on the UV map it can help things, or just end up making the problem worse, or just shift the problem around. It does not seem to conform to what happens when you *don't* use the subd node, and in the object node turn on “Polygons as Subdivision”. At that point things are ok, but then you lose the subd node and any ability to make use of the new geometry.

Maybe this is useful if you want a weathered look:
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=373024 [forums.cgsociety.org]
http://mos.futurenet.com/pdf/3dworld/TDW88_t_cyborg.pdf [mos.futurenet.com]

http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/store/product/427/ [thegnomonworkshop.com] might give you some ideas. 3D Coat has made inroads into Bodypaint 3D's market since the DVD was created.

I like Headus for UV creation, but there are lots of others. The best UV tool in the world won't help if your model isn't built from clean quads/tris, though.

hope it helps..