I have no idea on how to bake floaters

Larry

And i cannot find any resource online either. Snif. I have mudbox and zbrush in my disposal for the time being. I only know about subdivision baking so when i add anything extra i dont know how this can be added to the main object's normal/diffuse map!

Obscura

You don't need to do anything special. You just add them to the array of highpoloy meshes to bake.

musashidan

If you're using mudbox/zbrush then why are you using floaters? Just sculpt the details. Not sure what you mean by subdivision baking.

Larry

@musashidan subdivision baking meaning that i bake the details from a high division to a low. I dont know how to bake details like screws and stuff on a mesh :P 
@Obscura you mean like, IMM brush that screw and then just bake the normal map? It doesnt show it correctly!

musashidan

Baking, by definition, is from a high to a low

you create the detail using modeling methods like sub-d and just 'float' them off the surface of the high poly. The projection rays will capture that detail as it casts the rays perpendicular to the surface normals. But what I'm saying is if the software you're using is a sculpting software.....then sculpt the details.

Neox

musashidan said:

Baking, by definition, is from a high to a low

it is not tho

musashidan

@neox well, it is in the sense that we're talking about: capturing a higher res mesh detail/surface normals to a lower res mesh.

How else would you describe baking a normal map for a high/low workflow in 1 sentence? Just saying 'it's not tho' isn't very helpful to the OP. I know how experienced you are. Perhaps we all could benefit from a more enlightened reply.

Neox

i'd say, baking by definition means converting the data from one mesh onto the texture of another (or itself). by no means the source mesh has to be higher res then the target.

pior

The trick here is that the OP is using Mudbox, which amongst other things allows for a specific workflow allowing to baking without raycasting, from one level of divisions to another. Meaning that of course in this very special case the high and low would both have (shared) UVs. I haven't used this much, but I believe it is useful to generate vector displacement maps. This stuff is unusual to game artists but probably common in film VFX.

@Larry : use ray casting baking instead, and you'll be able to apply the advice given in this thread.

musashidan

Neox said:

i'd say, baking by definition means converting the data from one mesh onto the texture of another (or itself). by no means the source mesh has to be higher res then the target.

But, I'm specifically talking about baking a normal map. I can't see a case where the mesh to bake data from wouldn't be higher. When the RGB data is captured it's reliant on a surface change or it will just bake blank.

@pior   interesting.I didn't know Mbox had that feature.

Larry

@musashidan
 You might want yo sculpt some detail on a beveled low res cube and then change the high res to a sharp edged cube and paste some details so it could be an unusual reverse resolution baking or something!

@pior
 Thanks for the insight! your answer was rly helpful

musashidan

Larry said:

@musashidan
 You might want yo sculpt some detail on a beveled low res cube and then change the high res to a sharp edged cube and paste some details so it could be an unusual reverse resolution baking or something!

Sorry mate but you've completely lost me with that one. And even if it did make sense it's still 2 meshes: 1 high and 1 less high. 

EarthQuake

I wouldn't use the baking tools in Mudbox or Zbrush, get a dedicated baker like xNormal, Knald, Marmoset Toolbag, etc.

The best results section of this tutorial covers floaters: https://www.marmoset.co/posts/toolbag-baking-tutorial/

Larry

@EarthQuake

Thanks! I was using those 2 because it felt easier to just sculpt the model and having all the subdivisions there already, bake it without transfering meshes in different applications. I will try this out, thanks!