Wavy crap on normals

StormRider1152

I'm new to baking normal's and need some direction on how to fix this crap? It's a simple mesh and shouldn't be have this problem.

I have already done theses things.

1. Soften all edges for my low poly, Didn't work.
2. Average all my edges, Didn't work.
3. Added curve added like a guide suggested, Still didn't work.
4. Read just about every topic and guide that i can get my hands on, Still hasn't offered insight on how to fix this!!
5. Adjusted the cage for optimional ray distribution still hasn't worked.
6. Redone, Adjusted and created new models and UV's, nothing..

I have read the guides, Watch videos but none of them explain any techniques on how to fix this.

Could someone please tell me what's wrong!

musashidan

StormRider1152 said:

I have read the guides, Watch videos but none of them explain any techniques on how to fix this.

Read every guide bar the one that matters.

http://polycount.com/discussion/81154/understanding-averaged-normals-and-ray-projection-who-put-waviness-in-my-normal-map#latest

You're experiencing this because your lowpoly is too lowpoly. You don't have enough segments on the cylinder to support the silhouette.  Read the link and all will be revealed. ......

StormRider1152

So, What would you recommend as the amount of faces for a low poly cylinder then?

It's 10 sides right now but add smooth mesh it by 1 its 20 which is my high poly cylinder

musashidan

18 is a good start for your lowpoly. 20 is very low for your highpoly. That doesn't sound right.  This is the kind of thing that you have to decide yourself now that you understand. Do test bakes with various res on your lowpoly. Your high poly can be anything as long as it looks clean/smooth.

Waviness isn't always bad and can only be seen from certain angles.

StormRider1152

It's Team fortress 2 and some of the lowest items are about 4 sides for the cylinder however i'm not sure if they have normal's for their low poly cylinders.

So your saying waviness is acceptable just as long as you don't see it? as resolution of the mesh, would it be better if it looks round from above or that it loosely matches the roundness?

musashidan

Yes, the waviness is an astetic thing. It isn't an error on the NM. As I said, it's something you'll have to test for yourself and decide if it looks acceptable. Not going to matter as much on LODs obviously. I don't know the engine specs or limitations for TF2 so you should get in the habit of getting your assets in-engine early in your pipeline to get an idea of how they look.