Normal Mapping questions specific to Maya Transfer Maps

poopsterspappy

Hi all,

I am kinda overwhelmed and confused by all of the information regarding the following and was hoping someone would help out. I would go so far to say that I would be willing to pay someone to straighten these issues out so I can get on with making some art :poly122:

1.Can I combine two high poly meshes, have them intersect and use that combined singular Hi Res poly surface as my source mesh for transfer mapping normal maps in Maya?

2. If the above is permissible (which I suspect it is)What are some of the most important do's and don'ts regarding the intersection of combined high poly surfaces in Maya for the purpose stated above?

3. What are some of the most important do's and dont's of floating high res geometry when it comes to transfer mapping normal maps in maya.

4. Could someone point me in the right direction towards an authoritative source for understanding the reasons behind and proper procedure of exploding geometry for the purpose of baking normal maps in Maya specifically


Thank you guys for the help in advance.


P.Pappy

gsokol

1.Can I combine two high poly meshes, have them intersect and use that combined singular Hi Res poly surface as my source mesh for transfer mapping normal maps in Maya?

Yup.

2. If the above is permissible (which I suspect it is)What are some of the most important do's and don'ts regarding the intersection of combined high poly surfaces in Maya for the purpose stated above?

It doesn't really matter how things intersect. What matters is how the surface looks. Keep in mind though, that points of intersection will create hard edges, which sometimes isn't as desirable to see compared to a nice beveled edge, so if its a prominent intersection, you may not want to do that.

3. What are some of the most important do's and dont's of floating high res geometry when it comes to transfer mapping normal maps in maya.

Really, you just need to focus on making the high poly look good. You can have floating geo, intersecting pieces, somewhat ugly edgeflow, but what matters is the end result.

4. Could someone point me in the right direction towards an authoritative source for understanding the reasons behind and proper procedure of exploding geometry for the purpose of baking normal maps in Maya specifically

There are a few if you just google them. Here is one that I just found from 30 seconds of searching: http://cg.tutsplus.com/tutorials/autodesk-3d-studio-max/next-gen-weapon-creation-day-3-unwrapping-and-texture-baking/

It was done in max, but the process is exactly the same.

poopsterspappy

Thanks man. I really appreciate it. There is soooo much information out there that
it can really confuse the hell out of you, I appreciate the quick response. PM me and tell me where to send the check :poly121: