Normal Maps., yay or nay?

RedMattis

We're creating a semi-large-ish sandbox game and the topic of Normal maps has come up.

Props be normal mapped as a general rule? What exceptions if any?

If normal maps should be used, what resolution would you recommend? Also, what about Parallax Mapping and all that new stuff?

The player is meant to be able to build, destroy or otherwise interact with all these props.

We're using Unity 3D.

Thanks!

Sandro

I recommend usage of 2048x2048 normal maps.

passerby

you dont give evnouhg info to, say, at first you need to look at your games art style and if it will benfite from haveing everything normalmapped, than look at your target platform, and what kinda budgets you got for shaders, and texture memory.

cptSwing

also, how much time or how many artists do you have, will the player ever be close enough to see normal maps.. etc. etc.

Benton

And what props they are. Dont normal map a beach ball for instance, but rust looks good normal mapped...

Racer445

YAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Dylan Brady

I'm going to step out on a limb and say that even the most stylized games these days use normal maps for just about everything.
most Ipad games use them.

passerby

Dylan Brady wrote: »

I'm going to step out on a limb and say that even the most stylized games these days use normal maps for just about everything.
most Ipad games use them.

seen some games like tf2, which in most cases just uses more geometry over normals maps, and when it does use normals maps it;s very subtle like the folds in clothing and things like that.

though valves purposely targets lower than average spec machines for most of there games.

Shaffer

Dylan Brady wrote: »

I'm going to step out on a limb and say that even the most stylized games these days use normal maps for just about everything.
most Ipad games use them.

I thought this was a joke at first but for some reason I'm feeling nice right now. Normal maps aren't needed for every asset. Just find the Uncharted 3 thread, they have assets in their environments that don't use normal maps and that is pretty much the pinnacle of game graphics. It's all about the scope of your project, how close the object is seen, and ultimatly how many man hours it would take to normal map every asset in your game.

r_fletch_r

What is visual style of your game, and what is the platform your aiming at?

Butthair

As far as it goes for me. I ask each asset if it would need a normals. If it's essential, if it requires one, or am I just doing the pipeline at this point?

Most hero assets are going to merit one as the player is probably going to be up close to it, but lets say for a bottle, not as crucial as maybe rock that's used over and over again.

I leave it to my experience and me asking the asset what it needs. Sometimes things look better without normals, maybe a grayscale specular map is more effect in showing off what needs to be shown off.

All in all, I come back to asking "why does it need it?"

Everyone here is right though. In addition, the engine being used may have some preferences on normal maps and supporting maps, point being that unless it chugs, it's nothing to big to worry about, but it may come to that point where you need to cut back and work on runtime, normal map necessity is an area go at if the time comes.