Normal map baking problem

genni96 · Jan 2013

Hi, I know this is a very frequent problem and there are many threads about it, but I have searched a lot and I haven't found any solution.
I have baked a normals map in Max with the follow result

low poly -> http://www.polycount.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=7879&stc=1&d=1357480576

high poly -> http://www.polycount.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=7880&stc=1&d=1357480576

UVs -> http://www.polycount.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=7881&stc=1&d=1357480576

and this is the low poly narmal mapped ->http://www.polycount.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=7878&stc=1&d=1357480576

What about the black areas?
I read somewhere that to avoid these I have to split the hard edges UVs and this is what I did, as you can see in the UVs image, but the problem still remains. Any explanations about it?

Simmo · Jan 2013

Looks to me like you need to flip/invert the green channel of the normal map

genni96 · Jan 2013

Great, it works, but I don't like how looks hard edges, could you tell me how set the cage and other options to bake better hard edges normals?
This cube is a test to learn how bake hard edges normals maps because I created a mesh with many hard edges and I have problem to normal mapping it.

Eric Chadwick · Jan 2013

Sticky: You're making me hard. Making sense of hard edges, uvs, normal maps and vertex counts

genni96 · Jan 2013

Thanks, I had already read it quickly, I will read it with more attention, but I did not understand if my low poly can have hard edges or if I have to smooth all before baking, can you help me whit this?

Eric Chadwick · Jan 2013

UV your box so it has less UV seams, like make a single cross-shaped layout, or a couple L shapes (for better texture-space usage).

Then make hard edges on the UV edges. All hard edges should also be split in the UVs, but not all UVs need to be split with hard edges. See that thread for clarification on this point.

Then re-bake your normal map.

AlecMoody · Jan 2013

You are giving him that advice without considering where the object is going to be viewed. If he has a TB synced workflow that is fine, if not he is likely to have shading errors.

Those issues on your hard edges look like a problem from not padding your normal map. stick a big padding value into the bake output (32 or 64 pixels). Also, your highpoly box is very round, to the point where the silhouette for the low poly is really different. I would either add some edge chamfers to the low or tighten up the highpoly model slightly.

Normal map baking problem

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