Mini Tutorial: Normal Maps and How Not to Do Them

[Talon]

Something I knocked up after seeing this done (and even encouraged) around the place. Hope it's useful.

[bb0x]

When combining(overlay in photoshop) be sure to get rid of the blue channel of the generated normals, as this will flatten the depth of the baked normals.

What works for me is paint the blue channel of the generated normals with a 50%grey and the brush set to multiply. This results in what id like to call a 'grey normal map'.

What also could be done is just overlay the normals without edited any channels and then flatten them. Now use the Normal map filter and select 'normalize only'. (Tho' I am not 100% sure about this method.)

[JStrey]

Short and sweet, great point, thanks a lot.

[showNOmercy]

Great mini-tutorial Talon, this will be very helpful.

[Talon]

Originally Posted by bb0x

When combining(overlay in photoshop) be sure to get rid of the blue channel of the generated normals, as this will flatten the depth of the baked normals.

What works for me is paint the blue channel of the generated normals with a 50%grey and the brush set to multiply. This results in what id like to call a 'grey normal map'.

What also could be done is just overlay the normals without edited any channels and then flatten them. Now use the Normal map filter and select 'normalize only'. (Tho' I am not 100% sure about this method.)

Actually, I find this technique gives the best results.

Project Offset - Developer's Blog

[UnsteadyTeddy]

Well done Talon. [insert generic thumbs up smiley]
That is a very simple and useful explanation.

[laughing_bun]

yay. nice tutorial, maybe now people will stop making those icky normal maps. I somehow doubt it though... people are always looking for the easy fix

[StefanC]

hey,

Nice tutorial ! okay I realy don't understand normal map now ... I mean don't you have to make like 2 models ? 1 high poly, get the normal map from that and then put that one on the low poly version ? cause if I look at this tutorial you don't have to do all that stuff ... and to apply the normal map do you have to put it on the Bump map ? or give that map a normal bump texture ?... so many questions I know and I am sorry ^^
anyone has a article or tutorial about normal map .. ya know what normal map is, I don't need one how to make one... just what it is and how to use it.

Greetings,

Stefan Coert

EDIT: Okay nvm ... saw that tutorial under this topic and watching them now ^^

[[hP]]

StefanC, you can either make your normal map by hand (like described on this tutorial), or generate your normal map based directly on your difuse (using crazybump) or you can even use a high poly mesh to generate the normal map for your low poly mesh.

great tut talon, thanks.

[Talon]

hP: Well, I was hoping to get the point across here that you shouldn't be generating your normal map straight from your diffuse using CrazyBump-like apps because it doesn't give you accurate results (see: the first normal map in the tutorial) :/

Unless you're using a really, really complex natural diffuse like rock, earth or grass. Painting a height map for those sorts of things wouldn't be worth it.