Need second opinion about texturemap.

kodde

Hey all,

I wanted your help with deciding with how to handle my models texturemaps.

I'm planning to create a normalmap(s), texturemap(s) and specularmap(s) for this model. I want to keep the model specs realistic for a pc/360/ps3 game.

Question is, should I split it into two maps or keep it one? Size?

1x2048? (overkill for todays games?)
1x1024? (wont do justice for a nice normalmap?)
1x512 for face and mask, 1x1024 for rest? (thinking of going for this one)

Thanks!

J O T

I reckon 1x1024 for your model is plenty for normal detail. You might want to consider mirroring more of the uvs. Also the mask seems to have alot more resolution than the rest of the model.

kodde

Mirroring UV + Normal Map = No no
Or am I mistaking? I mean since they wont have normals facing the same way, colors wont match.

Yeah I intentionally made the mask quite big since i wanted a lot of information there. You think it might look wierd with that differing texture res?

J O T

Yeah, mirroring is possible. No sure of the tools in maya, but in max you can average out the normals before baking. But best of all is to plan out your model so that uv seams are hidden behind geometry.

Best to keep the resolution consistant throughout all the model. Some make the head have more res, for characters that get in your face alot. But this is becoming less important as generally we are using higher res textures.

Mark Dygert

You can mirror, but it depends on the engine. Since everyone and their bug has some custom wierdo way of doing normals for their game its on a case by case basis really. With some its a big no no and screws up the lighting. Others its ok you just have to be mindful of seams and offset your pieces by a tiny bit. I heard about this one game that required two chickens a can of spam and 3 dog treats for the normals to work, but yeah it all depends...