3DS Max + Crazybump normal maps... help?

LZ18

Hi. New here. Been searching on google, but couldn't find anything to help me so...

I'm trying to create normal maps with Crazybump (out of black/white heightmaps) but I have a bunch of shading issues in 3DS max (both rendered, and viewports). New to Normal Maps. Please, please help or give me some guidelines.

Here are some screenshots:

And also

Also I have a general question about mirrored faces. Is this something that I can't do with Normal Maps? When I mirror a face, attach and overlap with another face (in the UV unwrap window) I get this extra shading error, alongside the above shading errors.


Here is a sample of the normal map (created with Crazybump) Used in the above model if it helps. Can anyone help out? Thank you so much.

Joao Sapiro

http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Normal_map

monster

Not mentioned in the Wiki, in Max if you have gamma enabled you need to turn on the Gamma Override. See Fig 03 here: http://www.3dtotal.com/tutorial/1531-linear-workflow-a-guide-3ds-max-v-ray-by-dave-fleet-workflow-formats-gamma

LZ18

Already set, disabling seems to fix it at first then screw with it in multiple other ways (everything turns to white). Still fidgeting with it.

musashidan

The first 4 images are displaying the NM correctly. What shading errors are you referring to? Max is set to gamma 2.2 by default so all linear maps - greayscale and normal maps - need to be over-ridden to gamma 1.0, as Monster pointed out.

You are using a legacy Omni light with no attenuation so the light will have very black/harsh shadows. Legacy lights were used before Gamma workflows were commonplace and Max was not set up for a linear workflow back then.

If you are using a physical rendering engine like MentalRay then you should be using physical lights/materials for most predictable results. Your NM is functioning properly. I think it's more a case of poor lighting.

Eric Chadwick

Mentalray looks like it might expect the green channel to be flipped; there's an option in Normal Bump for this.

Mirroring UVs will not work the same in every renderer. Try mirroring the mesh only, not adjusting the UVs.

Some renderers expect the non-mirrored UV to be inside the 0-1 uv, and the mirrored UV to be moved 1 unit in UV space.

musashidan

Eric Chadwick said:

Mentalray looks like it might expect the green channel to be flipped; there's an option in Normal Bump for this.

@Eric Chadwick  I believe MR tangent calculator is pretty f**ked. Have a look at this post: http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/3ds-max-forum/mentalray-bug-incorrect-tangent-normal-map-calculations/td-p/6313176

Eric Chadwick

Fun!

LZ18

Thanks for the help! I was using an mr Area Omni (didn't know that was a legacy light). In any case, yeah, leaving the gamma at 2.2 causes the error (where the light shines only at an angle, not in all directions) but setting it at Autodesk View LUT fixes it. It also fixed the mirrored face error. Here is a screenshot. Thanks again.