Ugly normal maps from zbrush

MainManiac

This is how it came out in MM, what is wrong with it? They're tanget maps exported directly from zb.

SpeCter

Looks like the red and green channel are missing or something, could you post the normal map please?

MainManiac

Sure can. I know you have to flip the map vertical before exporting from zbrush, so im wondering if that cause problems.

SpeCter

If you flip the green channel the seams should be gone(I think).
I thought it was the normal map colors applied to the model the normal texture looks ok to me.

MainManiac

How exactly would i flip the green channel? In my 3d program the map appears perfectly seamless without even touching the channels. Just in MM its weird, almost like it isnt lit and like you said it looks like its the normal map texture on diffuse.


Not in Marmoset:

SpeCter

Different programms calcuate the tangents differently. Maya uses the same as Zbrush(i think), whereas Marmoset doesn´t. I´m not sure, but could it be, that you applied the tangent space normal map as object space normal map?
Actually i didn´t touch Marmoset in ages. There definately is a switch to flip the green channel and stuff.

MainManiac

=\

nullfed

To flip the channel, open the NM in photoshop then in the channels tab, select the green channel and press CTRL+I or image>adjustments>invert

If invert Y didn't work in marmoset that is a bit odd though. You did click 'apply'?

Specter, I think marmoset does use the same as maya and xnormal which are the opposite of MAX and unreal

MainManiac

Tried the photoshop thing, still looks odd and has seams. And yes i had clicked apply.

Again, these maps are flip ed vertically and exported straight from ZBrush.

pior

Do you have access to anything else than Zbrush for your bake ? Proper combinations are very rare, as far as I know the following should look perfect (other combos might look 80% right, but theres always problematic artefacts near seams, around hard edges, and were shapes take a suffen turn)

- baked in maya, displayed in maya realtime,
- baked in Xnormal, displayed in Xnormal realtime,
- baked in Max, displayed in Max using the 3Point studios quality mode in realtime,
- baked in Max, rendered in Max using the renderbump material,
- baked in doom3 command line render tool, displayed in Doom3 in realtime,
- baked in Maya, displayed in the Marmoset toolbag in realtime (not totally sure about that one)

Before doing a full asset, build various test shapes and make sure you got the whole baking process right. Also make sure that you have a proper way of displaying things for the final screenshots. And dont bake normals for characters in Zbrush, it can only cause problems.

P

MainManiac

I used to make guns alot and ive always used xnormal and had no problems. Just tried an xnormal bake and it looks the same way, especially with the seams. With textures on it doesnt look as disappointing, but you can slightly see the seams.

A-N-P

I'm new to Zbrush but I might spark something eh. Am I right that if you use Zbrush auto unwrap, the results won't be as good as if you unwrap it yourself in Max/Maya then take that unwrap into Zbrush? Could it be something to do with this?

Did you unwrap it yourself? Forgive me if I'm way off :P

MainManiac

Unwrapped it myself in max yes

Xenobond

what file format are you exporting it as for MM?

MainManiac

from zbrush it exports to PSD, then i export it as tga.

MainManiac

Figured it out. Forget to export from Max with normals checked.