Easiest way to make a height map from a model?

odium

This is something for some reason I should know, but haven't actually got around to figuring out, and it may seem pretty basic so stay with me.

I need to create some height maps for POM, but for some reason every effort I do to create them using various tools, xNormal/Crazy Bump etc, they never seem to come out how I would imagine them. The engine reads the height map as greyscale data, with white being the highest point and black being the lowest, its a standard POM solution. Which would mean then, that in the following example, the back would be a single shaded colour and the bricks would be a sort of gradient effect:



Yet for the life of me, I can't seem to get that result from using the mesh directly, or the normal map itself even... And its puzzling me, to be honest lol.

Like I said, this is as basic as it probably get, but I'm having a bit of a brain fart. So any help or tips would be awesome, cheers guys.

AzzaMat

i think u can render out a height map in max using the render to texture tool

Bal

What problem are you having with xNormal? I usually bake out my height maps with it, and it's fairly straightforward, there's even an interface to tweak it when you bake it now which is pretty handy.

SpeCter

Like AzzaMat said you an use RTT (Displacement map)(or xNormal) or you can use CrazyBump to convert your normal map to a heightmap and the nvidia filter can do it too(although it´s results are horrible)

odium

The fact I don't usually use xNormal is my problem In fact, I tend to stay away from high end baking and programs, and usually make as much as I can by hand.

When I use xNormal, my maps either come out garbled, or pitch black, for example:

SpeCter

What settings do you use? Do you use a cage or raydistance?

odium

I left those at default in xNormal, I wasn't sure what settings to use so just trusted the ones xNormal gave me. I'll have a tinker...

Got it. For some reason, this time it all came out perfectly fine... Strange. Thanks for the help guys, like I said must have just been having a brain fart lol...

Chaoselite

The transition from brick to the dirt is amazing how did you make it transition so smooth?

odium

Using multiple masks really, here are flats for two different textures:

Rick_D

you should make the bricks more interesting, and add in some smaller details so it's not just huge bricks and fine sand detail, will make the whole thing alot more appealing

EarthQuake

Your bricks are clipping white on some of the corners there in your heigh, which means they would flatten out there. Tweak your bake settings so your height data is within the 0-256 color range.

metalliandy

Have you tried the MRGBZ grabber in Zbrush?

sprunghunt

To create a heightmap for a 2d texture like this I sometimes find it easier to simply put a gradient map on the highpoly than to try to bake it. It's easier to control the range of tones that way and stop what Earthquake is talking about.

SpeCter

EarthQuake wrote: »

Your bricks are clipping white on some of the corners there in your heigh, which means they would flatten out there. Tweak your bake settings so your height data is within the 0-256 color range.

Isn´t it actually 0-255?

r_fletch_r

SpeCter wrote: »

Isn´t it actually 0-255?

my god you've found a fatal flaw!! :P

SpeCter

r_fletch_r wrote: »

my god you've found a fatal flaw!! :P

Seeing EQ making a (very little) mistake, i just couldn´t resist myself:poly142:

EarthQuake

sprunghunt wrote: »

To create a heightmap for a 2d texture like this I sometimes find it easier to simply put a gradient map on the highpoly than to try to bake it. It's easier to control the range of tones that way and stop what Earthquake is talking about.

Yeah, a planar map from the side with a gradient will work fine too, then you can just do a simple diffuse bake without worrying about height settings. Its a little more work though, so I probably would skip it and just do a few quick, small height test bakes, which would only take a few seconds.

SpeCter wrote: »

Isn´t it actually 0-255?

Yes, 0-255. =P