Author Topic: How to Make a Normal Map?  (Read 4141 times)

Offline AGP

  • quad
  • ******
  • Posts: 1726
    • View Profile
How to Make a Normal Map?
« on: January 16, 2011, 04:05:10 am »
What would a normal map look like that made the right or left Superman's abs look like the middle one's? By that I mean what's the color for no distortion and what for "digging" (as opposed to "bumping")? Thanks in advance.

« Last Edit: January 16, 2011, 07:25:13 am by AGP »

Offline EgonOlsen

  • Administrator
  • quad
  • *****
  • Posts: 12295
    • View Profile
    • http://www.jpct.net
Re: How to Make a Normal Map?
« Reply #1 on: January 16, 2011, 08:52:31 pm »
You actually can't really do a normal map by hand. You usually create them in the 3d editor from a higher polygon variant of the model. It's not really possible for a human being to draw in tangent space IMHO.

Offline AGP

  • quad
  • ******
  • Posts: 1726
    • View Profile
Re: How to Make a Normal Map?
« Reply #2 on: January 17, 2011, 03:28:49 am »
Huh? I can't take the original texture and draw the distortions on it? How come?

Offline AGP

  • quad
  • ******
  • Posts: 1726
    • View Profile
Re: How to Make a Normal Map?
« Reply #3 on: January 17, 2011, 03:30:23 am »
I mean, can't one use the original texture as a template, identify the areas of interest (in this case, the abdomen, the ribs, and the boot), and draw the distortions?

Offline EgonOlsen

  • Administrator
  • quad
  • *****
  • Posts: 12295
    • View Profile
    • http://www.jpct.net
Re: How to Make a Normal Map?
« Reply #4 on: January 17, 2011, 12:17:06 pm »
I never heard of somebody who did that. I don't really think that it will work well...most likely, it will look like crap that way.

Offline AGP

  • quad
  • ******
  • Posts: 1726
    • View Profile
Re: How to Make a Normal Map?
« Reply #5 on: January 17, 2011, 02:41:00 pm »
I've seen my share of normal maps created on Z-Brush to know what you mean. But I don't see how it should be impossible to do it by hand (and, in this case, I only have the low-poly version of the model).

Offline Grandmaster B

  • byte
  • *
  • Posts: 11
    • View Profile
Re: How to Make a Normal Map?
« Reply #6 on: January 21, 2011, 02:15:22 pm »
With 3D-Coat you can paint a normal map onto the body. Alternatively you can create a "height" map and run that through a normal map texture generator.
Though, the normal way is to sculpt the muscles and then bake a normal map.