Receding vs Protruding normals

JoshWilkinson

I am running a couple tests to see how normals work. Protruding normals seem to be no problem, but Receding normals are being a bit of a pain.

Maya screen:
The left mesh is a sombrero-like shape.


maya's normal map


xNormal's output


Surely there is a way to make the receding normals, right?

CheeseOnToast

The normals on your sombrero shape are facing the wrong way. Fix it by selecting the mesh and doing normals>reverse. Then try rebaking. Should work fine.

By the way, "normals" are a different thing from a "normal map". Each polygon has a front face and a back face. The normal will protrude from the front face. Basically your sombreo mesh is inside out. Xnormal ignores normals facing the wrong way by default, which is why you're seeing nothing in the map it bakes.

JoshWilkinson

You know what? You nailed it; such a simple fix. Thanks, Cheese