Best software to generate textures and maps?

darshie76

Hi all

I am looking for something that I can use to texture my meshes.

I've found online 2 software that to me they look almost identical: Crazybump and Shadermap pro.

I used the demo and they both look like they are doing a good job generating the textures, but I cannot understand why one is 30 dollars and the other is more than 200 dollars.

Except these 2, is there anything else that has the same features and functionality?

My main objective is to create normal maps from photos, to texture buildings and human meshes; any suggestion would be appreciated.

Dataday

No on both. Ndo 2 is perhaps the best means of making normal maps from photos much less other types of maps. It runs inside of photoshop.

See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cql81lsrV2w

Also Xnormal is great for creating maps based on geometry (its free).

Finally if you really want one of the best programs for both texturing and certain map creation (goes well with the above), I would have to say mudbox takes the cake. It is an amazing application just for textures....not sold on the sculpting though.

darshie76

Thanks Dataday; will check the ones that you mentioned.

I was planning to move on mudbox since I heard that is really good, but for the sculpting....didn't know that it is used also for texturing.

I have at the moment 3dcoat and it is quite frankly already complicate for me 3D has so many sub genres that is almost impossible to learn them all (sculpting, modeling, rigging, animating, texturing....)

I really admire who sculpt; I wish I had time to learn and money to buy one of these very nice and expensive software

Dataday

No worries, it just takes time and an eye for detail. Sculpting isnt so hard, you just need to build the technique and have an eye for what looks good. Sculpting is important for getting some great organic and even hard surface normal maps. Try playing around with sculptris as well, you will find it a bit more...beginner friendly than say something like 3d Coat.

The best sculpting application in my opinion, hands down, is Zbrush. It takes the cake, eats it, and then tells everyone else the cake was a lie. Its amazing!

Mudbox is just one of those applications that makes painting maps easy, and it can do a decent job at sculpting...but not at the level of detail I would like. Over all though it has a great UI and is easy to work in. You should definitely try it, its free for non commercial use at Autodesks student/education portal.