How to remove that thick layer from the normal map?

piratek098

I have a problem – this layer appeared on my model, and I'm looking for a way to get rid of it. I'm trying to create a normal map for my low-poly version based on the high-poly version. The issue is that the high-poly model has this thick layer that I can't remove (the high-poly model was created using photos, photogrammetry). I'll add that I'm not very familiar with programs like Photoshop. Any ideas? Thanks in advance for your help!

Fabi_G

Hi! What kind of object is this?
Probably the cleanest solution would be to fix up the highpoly and re-bake.

If you want remove the edges in the normal map, you could duplicate the layer and blur it until the edges are no longer visible. Then mask in the blurred result on top of the original normal map. Of course the masked in parts will look more smooth than the original normal map, but maybe it's sufficient for your use case. Maybe newer PS versions have a functions that are useful here, something like content aware fill?

piratek098

Fabi_G said:

Hi! What kind of object is this?
Probably the cleanest solution would be to fix up the highpoly and re-bake.

If you want remove the edges in the normal map, you could duplicate the layer and blur it until the edges are no longer visible. Then mask in the blurred result on top of the original normal map. Of course the masked in parts will look more smooth than the original normal map, but maybe it's sufficient for your use case. Maybe newer PS versions have a functions that are useful here, something like content aware fill?

Actually, I was talking nonsense earlier. I can change the high poly, but I'm wondering how. Sculpting would mean destroying the micro details I have there. I'll try this Content-Aware and see what comes out of it. Let me know if you come up with any more ideas.

This is parsley.

Eric Chadwick

https://www.photopea.com/
Spot Healing Brush

Alex_J

editing the texture would be my first choice, but I'll mention one other thing which might be worthwhile to try for similar issues. In zbrush you can project the details from one mesh to another. So what you can do is retopo the original scan using any of the retopo tools in zbrush. This is just to create a lower res version which cannot hold the little details.

Then you subdivide it and project the details. You do this over and over until your new retopo'd mesh has all the same detail as the scan.

What you've done is built subdivision layers for the scan, so now you can go through the various layers of resolution and, for example, smooth out larger scale detail while not disturbing the finer resolution detail.

In this example I am not sure that the resolution difference between the thicker part and other details would make it to another subdivision layer in zbrush, but it's a technique you could try if having similar problems.

piratek098

Today, I approached it with a fresh mind, not before bedtime when I was tired like last time, and I fixed it. In the end, I used content-aware fill, the spot healing brush tool, and the clone stamp. Thanks for the help!


There are still some minor imperfections, but I don't intend to fix them, as the model won't be visible from such a close distance.