IN PROGRESS: How to make this tapered cylindrical shape in Ndo?

Thane-

I've tried to make the tall cylindrical shape in the center of this photo in Ndo a couple different ways, but have failed thus far. It just a basic cylinder with tapered edges. How would you do this in NDo?

Synaesthesia

It's a bit difficult to discern what you're talking about from that blurry pixelated image.

Eric Ramberg

Im having a hard time seeing it as well

Thane-

Sorry, just think of a short high poly cylinder with soft top and bottom edges, viewed from the side. Ill post a better image when i get to my computer.

Thane-

Basically like that, but viewed directly from the side.

Synaesthesia

Make a vertical reflected gradient in Photoshop and convert that over to nDo:

Something like that should work, but rotated 90 degrees of course. I'd make it 50% gray where it's black and leave it at white in the center, unless you want it to look recessed instead of extruded.

Thane-

I got that far, but its the blending the perpendicular gradient, which forms the other curve, i don't get, or do you mean to apply a bevel using that image you have?

Synaesthesia

Show me an image of what you've got so far.

Thane-

This is the best i can get out of this image for example. Its on its own layer and i press the shape ---> normal button on Ndo's main menu and then adjust the settings i see.

echofourpapa

You'll want to make your taper with that same rounded gradient, and then multiply another gradient on top of that which goes from white to maybe?)mid gray bases on the height of your pipe. Next,take sure you have a black background and used nDo photo-normal Height to Normal setting and it should come out alright. I'll see if I can't put an example together.

Thane-

Came back to this and still can't get it to work. I tried the photonormals height-to-normal function a few different ways as well as trying many other things. No luck, however i think i can just make it using shapes with softness, but i'd still like to know what i was doing wrong as it seems like that is a fundamental part of Ndo.

Devil_Inside

Thane-

Thanks for the example. Looks like you have transparency AND a color gradient to make the final result?

My understanding of normal maps have been turned upside down so many times now i laugh like a crazed drunk person each time i learn something new.

Devil_Inside

Transparency is not important actually, it's just the gradient that I had by default, but NDO adds transparency when it converts the layer to normal. Probably should have thought that it might create confusion.
This is the gradient I used:

Thane-

Can you tell me what settings you're using and which function? I have tried to convert a similar gradient many different ways. Maybe asking specific questions will be easier:

1. Which function did you use to convert the gradient? Photo-normal? Map conversion? Regular layer?

2. If it was a regular layer, was it set to "no-edge bevel"?

3. Did you have a black background?

4. Was it merged into the same layer as the gradient or on separate layers?

5. Did you have to modify any of the size, depth, softness settings to get the final shape?

Devil_Inside

All the settings are in the screenshot.
I created a new project, added a new layer, drawn the rectangles with gradient, converted layer to normal.

Thane-

Okay, got a much better result using your settings. Thanks.