3DS Max Quick Normal Map Tutorial

[Steppenwolf]

Don't forget what you see in the render preview window is NOT the normalmap that was rendered The normal map is saved where you set the file to be saved. Like in the picture. Hope you understand what I mean.

Thank you very much!

[merkaba]

In response to KIIIA's question about the black borders, I think the solution you are looking for is to change the 'padding' value to 0 under the 'objects to bake' rollout in the render to texture dialogue. That'll make the texture fit the outputted file neatly.

Or else, checking the 'Nearest Power of 2' flag at the bottom of the render2tex dialogue seems to make the texture fill the entire render window, though then it must be resized if it is not on a 1:1 ratio.

[Nysuatro]

Somebody has some tips tricks for normal maps, thinks that have to be known or are good to be known?

[Psy]

I came. D:

[p2xelgen]

Thanks for the TuT:

My go:

[e-freak]

That's pretty cool (allthough there are some "unnormal" things in it) - you may consider to post this in the random texture thread instead of a half year old tut thread

[Seldoon182]

Awesome PhilipK !

I tried to follow your instruction but the final render doesn't looks as cute as I was wondering...

So what the hell ?

[PhilipK]

Hmm. Weird. Seems perhaps like you rendered it with a cage.

Goto "options" in your render to texture window and uncheck use cage.

Also try and move your lowpoly plane further back perhaps.

It does look like some ray missing/fckup kinda.

Also I'd recommend you to add some support edges close to the extrudes on those large plate areas if you don't want those too look all that roundish later.

[merkaba]

Hi, sorry to revive this old thread (although it is a very useful normal mapping tutorial so I shouldn't be sorry at all!), but I have something to add to it.

This is an alternative method of rendering the normal, without using projection mapping but instead rendering from an orthographic camera, using a script called NormalTexMap.

This script works for 3D Studio Max 5+ and allows you to apply a normal map material to an object, which when rendered will display the normal relative to the camera location.

Here is the script:

http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/normaltexmap

Unzip this to your 3dmax/plugins directory

First, apply and set up the new material type for your object (very simple):

- Set up your object exactly as Phil describes, but do not create the projection plane as it is not needed.

- In the object's material, apply 'NormalTexMap' to your Diffuse, tweak its settings if needed, and then set the objects Self-Illumination to 100 (very important!).

If you were to render the object as it is now, the result would be a normalmap render derived from the camera's viewpoint (unless you changed a setting), so next you must set up a camera to neatly frame the texture.

Set up your camera and renderer:

- Change your output render size to the size of the output image you wish (eg, 256x512).

- Create a target camera, pointing directly at your object. Move the camera to the dead-center of the object. The target position must make the camera angle perpendicular to the object, but its distance from the camera does not matter.

- Change the camera type to Orthographic.

- Change one of your viewports to your Camera view, and turn on 'show safeframe' so you can see what it will render.

- Set the camera FOV to 90 (Do not use the corner-to-corner lens measurement type).

- In the last section of the Parameters roll-out, change the Target Distance to 1/2 the height of your OBJECT, or else if that does not neatly fit the texture, change the value until it does (It should be 1/2 of either the width or height of the object).

Once all that is done, then preferably lock your camera view, as if it is set up correctly you need never change it again!

Use supersampling methods as you like through the normal render dialogue (F10), as Phil suggests.

Now, whenever you need to get the normal map from the object, just render from that camera.

This method does not really have any benefits that I can tell over the projection method, except that it involves a little less dialogue management, and gives you full control over the render output in terms of rotation/scale/etc. What the camera sees is what you get.

This also allows you to easily render multiple objects so long as they all have the NormalToTex diffuse material. Just remember to keep Self-Illum at 100, or else the renderer will apply shading from the object

Also, in case there is concern for whether the resulting normal map is different somehow, I have compared this method against the projection method, and both resulting normal maps are identical.

That is all. Thanks again to PhilipK for a great tutorial!

[st0lve]

SOMEONE STICKY THIS, OR THE OTHER 2D HELP THREAD.