Marmoset Normal Issues - Errors & Fixs!

Haytch

Hey guys!, I've been working on a laptop model for a few days, Everything was fine, Baked etc, except!, I was having an Issue with the normals, NO not the green channel, I had some weird stepping/pixels on the normal map:
Bellow: TGA 8BIT Baked from Substance:

From a Distance.... It doesn't look to bad, You can see Normal issues on the case (closed laptop) to the right.


Closer inspection you can see the 'Grid like' Pattern, Issue on the normal maybe?


Normals look fine, 154% Zoom...


ARGH!, is there a workaround for this?!?!, After asking about... I Found out there was, So I Re-Baked everything In Substance Painter to 16BIT TIFF. 

Looks fine now! (Ignore the housing normals, Still a WIP)


But wait.... This File is almost 1GB!, I can't put that into the engine files, Even more.... Marmoset Viewer MESSES it up exporting.


So what can I do?....

Well, I figured out. If I Open the Normal.TIFF in photoshop.
Edit>Mode> & Turn it to 8Bit/Channel


Now Save as: TGA 24 bit/pixel make sure to tick COMPRESS


BOOM. Beautiful Normals again



Hopefully this helps you guys! Took me nearly a day to figure out this issue & fix it!

Froyok

This is called banding, and has been explained here in details (with how to "fix" it) : http://polycount.com/discussion/148303/of-bit-depths-banding-and-normal-maps/p1

Haytch

Froyok said:

This is called banding, and has been explained here in details (with how to "fix" it) : http://polycount.com/discussion/148303/of-bit-depths-banding-and-normal-maps/p1

Sweet!, Looks good, didn't see that sorry

Haytch

Froyok said:

This is called banding, and has been explained here in details (with how to "fix" it) : http://polycount.com/discussion/148303/of-bit-depths-banding-and-normal-maps/p1

Actually, Fryok, After looking into that explanation you linked me too, whilst it does go over a lot of detail, That was not my issue, It was but it wasn't, My 8BIT Baked Normal map Had no visual 'stretching/banding/stepping' it looked in every way the same as the 16 BIT TIFF, however, WHEN I added the normal map to my low poly, that's when you could see there was a banding issue, Looking at the normal map, there was not a single thing that would tell you there was an issue, so whilst, yes. his does go over it, I simply wasn't having the visual issue he had and knew to look for. INFACT.

If you look above as to where I reference the 8BIT bake (non-dithered) you will see, I don't have any visual issues looking at the map.

huffer

IT IS the same issue, but there's no way you can spot the banding from looking at the normal map like that..Add a levels in PS and shorten the ranges, you'll see it.

EarthQuake

Yep, absolutely the same issue.

Btw if you bake your maps in Toolbag, 8bit normal maps are dithered by default (though you can also bake 16 bit and 32 bit as well).

Haytch

huffer said:

IT IS the same issue, but there's no way you can spot the banding from looking at the normal map like that..Add a levels in PS and shorten the ranges, you'll see it.

Never realised that! Cheers bud.