AO errors in 3ds max

nufftalon

I having a problem the upper right part of my ao map is part of the same shell its one whole strip but yet it doesn't bake just that one section fo the ao.. The normal map bakes fine in that area. I have been going crazy trying to figure this out. If anyone knows please let me thanks.

Adij

Looks like u forgot turning on adv light / GI
Also i think u will have better AO without exploding the mesh

MisterSande

more of a question than an advice but shouldn't you trim down on the "edge padding" ? I see allot of overlapping AO island pieces that will surely cause errors.

nufftalon

The edge padding isn't the problem I tried to decrease it to 2 same results and 1 same results. I turned on GI I had it set to medium settings. When I don't explode the mesh I get the same results. I have my smoothing groups set to 1, this uv shell is mirrored and offsetted -1. I wonder if it has something to do with that but then again the normal map baked like a champ. When I test this piece in xnormal it has no shadow info really on that shell just white mostly. I think its something with that piece still, no unwelded verts. I am not sure what else I need to check for.

Stromberg90

Where is that part on the mesh?
Cause if it#s the top that would make sense, cause it won't be shadowed by anything.

nufftalon

Its the top and back part of the robot head.

Stromberg90

Then it pretty much makes sense right, there won't be any contact shadows there.

Ark

Also are you baking with the model exploded like that?

nufftalon

I tried baking with the mesh exploded and intact honestly this is my time trying to bake strictly using max. I understand that since the piece is top and back it wont get shadows but I thought it should at leaat show white because it does in xnormal but max it treating it as if it doesn't even exist so its not really an error then is that safe to say? The only other thing I ever baked in my life was a snow environment using xnormal. Thanks for the help guys.

Ark

Was going to say don't bake with the mesh exploded as this makes the AO inaccurate. Also the AO looks a little to grey, is your environment colour set to pure white?

nufftalon

I didn't know that your not supposed to explode for baking ao thanks. I will have to check my settings when I get home I typically don't touch the environment color but I will check out. My material is set to pure white is thyre any thing else I need to change like on the skylight or anything?

cptSwing

Well, there's no set rule, as always - I usually bake my HP exploded and overlay that with a non-exploded Low-to-Low bake. But whatever nets you good results.

Dumb question, but why are you hellbent on baking with Max? I find it bakes AO a lot slower than xNormal ;-)

nufftalon

I essentially wanted to learn both methods I was successful in creating the normal map in max. I'll try a test bake in xnormal anything I need to do before I export the hi poly objs out of max? I ask because I never exported hi poly from max before only zbrush and low poly from max do I need to collapse my stack, reset xform or anything like that?

cptSwing

Usually nothing special, I rarely need to Xform or collapse. Also, I use xnormal's SBM format for exporting both the high and low poly meshes, though it's real advantages (cage export, tangent/binormal export) only seriously apply to the low poly mesh.

nufftalon

Oh ok thanks last night I did a test bake in xnormal I saved out the hi poly and low obj. I recently updated my xnormal seems I had an the old version before.. so I click ray distance calculator let it run for 25 seconds and then choose copy results and then from there set map to 2K 4x anti aliasing and bake is that right its been a ciuple of months since I used it

cptSwing

Well, I usually add a Projection cage to my Low poly mesh in Max (in the modifier dropdown). Extrude the cage until it fully encompasses the High poly mesh. Also make sure you add an Edit Mesh modifier in-between the Editable Poly and the Projection cage so xNormal can export it correctly.
Then export the low poly as .sbm and click the settings for "Low". Once in xNormal, check "use cage" in the Low Poly settings, then you won't need the ray distance calculation.

..then bake away!

nufftalon

Awesome can't wait to try it when I get home. Thank you.

nufftalon

Ok great so heres my ao map from xnormal using cptswngs method of export the file as .sbm format which I never even knew existed. I set the antialiasing to 4x rendered 2k map uniform edge padding 4. Seems there are some errors in the bake I will probably have to paint out or clone out in photoshop. This bake is a hell of alot better then my last one. Thanks to everyone I really appreciate it. Let me know how it looks



Here is it is on the model the legs will be duplicated and posed. AO ONLY


AO and Normal Map


This is the hi poly

nufftalon

I dont remember how I got my normal map to work it has a different shade on upper part of robot the uv shells are mirrored is there anyway to fix this? I have been away for about 2 weeks on vacation and just getting back into this project I forgot alot of stuff it seems.



Heres the normal map

D4V1DC

^ Did you bake the mesh normals as a whole or a half? I think you have to keep the mesh uv's intact and mesh as a whole < before moving them over 1.0 units so bake then move them I forget things too, signs of getting old I guess.. more me and you lol

nufftalon

Thanks I'll retry the bake on the normal map