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Help with Normal maps - Vue - Dazstudio


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Hello good folks!

This is my first post.

I have just finished a set-piece that I want to sell on Renderosity. But I have a compatibility problem with my normal maps.

I know that I can change the export compatibility under Preferences. The problem is when I import the maps into Vue or Daz studio.

In Vue 8 are the 3DS-Max normal maps looking correct but the Maya once have artifacts at the seams.

In Daz Studio is it opposite.

Example:

3DS-max normal map

3dsmax_normalmap2.jpg

Maya Normal map

Maya_normalmap2.jpg

In most 3d programs do you have options to fiddle around with(flip red/green channels) but I cannot find any in Daz or Vue.

So my main problem is that:

a. The upload size is limited to 150MB, and I am already at about 140, so I cannot put both versions in.

b. I want to keep it as simple as possible for the buyer.

I'm using Vue 8 complete and Daz studio 4 pro.

Any insight or ideas would be much appreciated

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  • 7 months later...
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I have Vue 9 their support of external tangent base normal maps appear to be just no good. I spent quite a bit time looking around on the net, this was the case. I think flat plane normal maps would work because the normals are all pointed in the same direction.

Question. Does Vue 8 render the 3Dmax normal map from 3Dcoat correctly? Is that what your first picture showing?

If anyone has found a solution for 9 and above I am all ears. I gave up a number of months ago...

Well, I just remembered in beta 4, Andrew implemented a new normal map routine. You select for Maya/Blender in the preferences to use the new routine.

Also, I will test using ShaderMap2 to flip the channels.

You could test, I think I will test tomorrow and cross my fingers, or may cross all of them and my toes too.

The normal map routine added in version 4 beta.

http://wiki.blender....ace_Normal_Maps

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Vue broke their BUMP MAP when they introduced NORMAL MAP. They have since fixed BUMP MAP in Vue 9.5, but the NORMAL MAP is still being messed with in each Vue version. Normals work on Vue planes, just not on Vue cubes/spheres very well. I may have to bake with modo and see if Vue understands normal mapping better.

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Ok, now I know at least what went on before I bought 9.5.

The bumps and displacement maps do work great. Yeah, it took me about a week to finally figure out that flat planes were really the only normals maps that worked well.

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I thought I'd import the 3D-Coat normal map into my Carrara 5 to see what it would do with it. The Deeper plugin didn't like the map all that much (lost all my phoung shading for the model). The Baker plugin, though, has about 7 options to tick for normal maps. I had to flip it first (aka invert, not mirror flip). Then I had to tell Carrara that it was a Relative Tangential Map, whatever that is. And the normal map looks perfect on my fighter jet from all viewing angles and lighting direction. Basically, the normal map is just metal plating with rivets that I painted in 3D-Coat using per-pixel texture mode.

Anyway, Vue doesn't have any option settings to tick for imported normal map textures. I tried the Max, Blender, Maya, B & T, T & B settings in 3D-Coat and nothing looked better in Vue. 3D-Coat's Normalize setting, though, I'm not sure of what that is. Vue has a normalize also, but no way of driving it with a normal map image.

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  • 3 weeks later...
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Ok, now I know at least what went on before I bought 9.5.

The bumps and displacement maps do work great. Yeah, it took me about a week to finally figure out that flat planes were really the only normals maps that worked well.

Modo choked on me today and would not render tangential normal mapping properly. I reversed what I had done and modo was rending normals fine again. Then it dawned on me that doing the same for Vue might get it to render normals properly again like it used to back in Vue 8. The trick with tangential normal maps from 3D-Coat is that Vue 9/10 (and I guess 11) all need their imported normal maps force-set to a gamma of 1.0.

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