Is there a freeware program that can edit vertex normals?

Dashiva

I've been using Blender a lot and it works better for me than some of the commercial packages as far as speed goes. However, the fact that it constantly recomputes vertex normals annoys me to no end. I'm about ready to start doing some foliage, so I'd like to be able to get my models to render right. I'd rather avoid having to bring Maya or Max into the equation. I was wondering if anyone knew of a program that I could import an .obj into from Blender, tweak the vertex normals, and export to .fbx or .ase for import into UDK.

rogueNoodle

There's an add-on for Blender that let's you adjust the vertex normals - Recalc Vertex Normals, I think it's called. Do to the fact that Blender recalculates the normals when you enter edit mode, it can be a bit of hassle to use - you're forced to save the adjusted normals and reload after exiting edit mode - but for making normals suitable for foliage, it's just a click of a button.

This thread on BlenderArtists talks more about it, though you might have to dig a bit to find a link to the latest version.