Workflow doublecheck - Ndo2

Sir Apple

Hey guys. A few quick questions regarding my workflow with creating an environment I'm currently working on.

Basically I have to create a hefty amount of tilable textures, sci-fi themed in part.

I want to use Ndo2, but firstly want to grasp more of the workflow behind it.

I know Ndo2 is a normal map generator/manipulation and etc. tool, very cool from the testing and trying out I've done. But I want to build a normal map from the ground up. Starting with a 512x photoshop document, and start detailing and designing my normal maps from scratch - afterwards I want to generate an ambient occlusion, set to multiply on an empty 512x document and simply texture under it.

Real simple question - can I do these things with ease using Ndo2? I know it can edit normals, but its really the 'creating normal maps from scratch, and generating an ambient occlusion map from the normal' that I'm curious about.

Or am I better off the long way, modeling everything in 3dsmax and baking to a plane?

Thanks!

Bek

Sir Apple wrote: »

Real simple question - can I do these things with ease using Ndo2?

Yes. If you've used the nDo2 trial you should have a pretty good idea of how you'd at least start this process - blank doc, block in shapes, use ndo to convert to a normal map. You can also google for tutorials; they should give you an idea of how to begin. Here's an older one that uses the first version of ndo.

passerby

for the workflow you explained ndo2 is by far the best tool available for this. you can easily author a normal map just with basic photoshop tools, and extract AO and cavity information from it with ndo2 for your specular and diffuse maps.

watch this
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwj0mQTMrK8"]nDo2 workflows #1: Creating hard-surface designs - YouTube[/ame]

it explains all that you need, than after that simply use the tools in the convert menu to make a ao and cavity map.

Sir Apple

Great stuff, thanks guys!