xNormal Baking issue

SnakeDoctor

Hey I cant seem to find any information on this problem. I have noticed it been doing it on different models and this isn't the first time. I bake my models in xNormal but when I use xoulis shader I notice tiny lines such as this. I checked my normal map in Photoshop and although you have to zoom in to see them, the lines are there. So this must mean its the actual Normal map. I have tried experimenting with smoothing groups, separating uv's, and different settings in xNormal but have had only slight success when I change use exported normals to harden normals in the LP tab. Anyone know what is causing this? Could it be the way I am exporting my HP and LP models?

m4dcow

Image doesn't show up for me.

SnakeDoctor

How about now is it showing up?

marks

It almost looks like colour banding in the texture file. What format and bit-depth are you saving the normalmap as ?

SnakeDoctor

I am saving it as a jpeg image. As for the bit depth, I don't know what that really is. Is it a specific setting in xNormal?

SpeCter

don´t use jpeg. Use png or better tga.
Like marks said it´s color bending which results from using an image format with heavy compression(jpeg)

Mark Dygert

Yea stick with TGA, it's completely uncompressed. You want to work with the clearest, cleanest, most uncompressed files you can because stuffing an already compressed image in a game that will compress it further is going to butt ass fugly.

SnakeDoctor

OK, I will give it a try, currently at work but I brought my laptop so I will post results after this next show set.

SnakeDoctor

So tried the bake earlier with png and tga but still no change anything else it could be?

SpeCter

Could you post your max file(or the obj) to take a look?

Murphz

It could be your exporter is messing up your smoothing groups..are you using Obj's ?

Try Guruware's exporter/importer .It is miles better than the 3dsmax native WF Obj exporter with loads of options.
Make sure to check smoothing groups in the exporter.
Also are the artifacts showing up in Xnormals viewer?

jogshy

Caution with texture compression in the driver settings and PS2.0 GPUs.