Tutorial: Modeling / Texturing :Cement Cover

[enin]

great tutorial

other applications you can use, instead of zbrush and mudbox:

-hexagon
-silo 3d
-modo

[Thonz]

Can someone tell me what went wrong?
I create this for the cover in max:

Then I sculpt it in mudbox for the high poly version (ss in max)
:
Then I run it through xNormal,
and get this normal map?

I think it's weird, but that can be because I'm fairly new to this

[ZachG]

It looks like you haven't UV mapped the low poly model. What happens is the normals from the high poly mesh are bakes into the UV co-ordinates of the low poly mesh. With your low poly mesh, the uvs are all over the place from moving the vertices so need to be uv mapped. Apply a uv map to your low poly box then unwrap it and bring that version back into mudbox and resculpt the high poly version. After that, you can bake the normals from within mudbox if you select your high poly model and set it to bake using the uv coords of the low poly model. I'll try and make a pic for you tomorrow of what to do.

[Thonz]

Wow thanks!, I've tried mapping and unwrapping the low poly object, and then use it in xNormal, but that doesn't quite qork either. I'll give your way of doing it a try.

[jogshy]

Originally Posted by Thonz

Can someone tell me what went wrong?
Then I run it through xNormal,
and get this normal map?

Do you used 3DSMAX obj exporter? That exporter writes bad normals for boxes(there is an example of that in the docs). Try to use the ASE exporter better.
Also sure you don't have overlapping UVs in the lowpoly model and that you set well the ray distances/cages.

[Thonz]

How do I know how far to set the distances, or how big to set the cage?

[NeoShroomish]

Originally Posted by Thonz

How do I know how far to set the distances, or how big to set the cage?

Just use your eyes, try and get it as small as possible without interesecting with the hipoly.

[Thonz]

Thanks for that

[jogshy]

Originally Posted by Thonz

How do I know how far to set the distances, or how big to set the cage?

Basically three methods:

1. Open your scene in 3dsmax, maya, xsi, etc... Use a "tape" or something to measure the aproximate maximum distance from the lowpoly to the highpoly.

2. Set to the object radio divided by 10 ( or a big big number ) and sure you mark some "Use closest hit if ray fails" option.

3. Use cages. This should be the best option. Sure the cage covers ALL the highpoly model ( see the photos in the documentation ). Some programs with cage method are Melody, 3dsmax projection modifier and xNormal ( for this sure you save the result as SBM/OVB to conserve the cage or export an external cage if you downloaded the 3.10.0 Beta 1 ).

You can go to the xnormal's documentation for more info ( try to find something like "measuring well the ray distance" chapter ).

Oh btw, caution with the 3dsmax2obj exporter plugin... usually destroys the vertex normals when exporting a simple box! Better export as ASE if you use 3dsmax.

hope it helps and ... hey! nice cement covers!

[RazorBladder]

Very cool little tut chris... I still usually end up leaving out the ambient occlusion step, I really need to start incorporating it into my workflow permanently.