problems backing AO and Spec from highly to low in maya...

Yonderboy

HI there

I'm learning to bake from high poly models to low poly. Ive managed to successfully bake the defuse and normal maps from within maya using 'transfer maps' but the ambient occlusion never seems to work & only appears black. Also, Im not quite sure how to output a specular map?

would anybody know where Im going wrong? Many thanks
Nick

Yonderboy

I've managed to get the AO working but still no luck with the specular. I thought it might be the 'shaded' option, but that just comes out all black

so close but no cigar!

Bartalon

A specular map is not a map you can bake. You'll need to create your spec map manually alongside your diffuse texture in order to define your intended material. If you use texturing software like DDO or Substance Painter, the specular map may be generated for you when you use material presets.

Joopson

A specular map isn't something that can be baked down from a high-poly model; it needs to be authored, in the same way a final diffuse texture is.

EarthQuake

A base spec map certainly can be baked. For instance, if you have multiple materials applied to different surface types on your highpoly with base spec values, that content can be baked down. Though I don't know specifically how in Maya it should be possible.

It can't be generated arbitrarily from the mesh content though like an AO map.

Yonderboy

Hi guys, thanks for your help

I was wondering if i could somehow get the highlights that are produced from the light setup that I have. The light only shines off certain edges and I was hoping I could bake that down somehow (easily). Im beginning to get the impression that I may have to manually do it?

Ive uploaded my current progress to sketchfab here,,, https://sketchfab.com/models/84e651a3c5534628bf8066f606bf0096

the ambient occlusion that I baked doesn't seem to have uploaded to sketchfab unfortunately, which is a little annoying. The 'shaded' map that I also baked from maya also hasn't uploaded - this added quite a lot to the final effect when viewed in maya although the spec highlights were baked in

I guess my question now Is.. is there an easy way to auto generate spec maps from a diffuse or AO?

The effect Im after (and which happens with the live lights) is that the light only specs off the ridges at the edges of the tyre and the rims in the hub, but hardly anywhere else. (just attached a grab from the high poly to illustrate)

thanks again!

ZacD

Your link didn't work, you should use this URL instead https://sketchfab.com/models/84e651a3c5534628bf8066f606bf0096

Spec isn't something that should just show up on the edges, edges might be glossier, or rougher, or worn to the point it's a different material. But spec should normally be consistent across the whole material, it's gloss/roughness you want to add all the detail and have the edges be glossier.

Yonderboy

hi - thanks for adding the correct link

As this is my first attempt i was only really aiming for a very generic (out of the box) specular. Are gloss/roughness delt with in separate maps?