[HELP!] My normal maps are baking all wrong !

SimãoSilva · May 2016

Hello im new to baking, and uvw unwrapping, today i dicded to finally do thi but i kinda messed up i guess, i think the problem is in the awfull job i did at unwarpping but i dont know so i wanted to ask you guys for your opinion.
i used 3ds max for modeling and unwrapping and xnormal for baking, here are the models, uv and the result of the baking! please help me ! thank you !

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/7q/e5jpkrnkm3z4.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/2y/zw8x5m7niiml.png

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/pl/4vnkp2awhfla.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/73/7nvf0coeqqv4.png

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/cs/8ghr4wopwwoq.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/rq/ri7x05zgexe5.jpg

Shyralon · May 2016

These artifacts come from your shading groups on the lowpoly. See all those hard edges? They will transfer right into your normal map. Set up smoothing groups/soften them (since I don't use max I can't tell you what exactly it's named) and you should get rid of those.
I am pretty sure that your UVs should not be the problem, as long as you don't have any overlapping.
Other than that you might want to check your baking cage. In case you need to edit it, you can either build a cage manually or use xnormals 3d viewer for that which does an okayish-job most of the time.

SimãoSilva · May 2016

SimãoSilva · May 2016

thank you Shyralon ! and i had created a cage with max's projection modifier but i think xnormals didn't use it! im only starting now on this ive only studied 3d for like half a year and its always on my spare time since i study audiovisuals, it started off as me wanting to do vfx and cgi but im in love with modeling and texturing !

thank you very much ^^

ExcessiveZero · May 2016

Step one apply smoothing groups to the low poly, a turbosmooth also wouldn't hurt with support edges on the high poly, step 2 export SBM Only, Hugely important for max, don't export as an OBJ or anything else to xnormals, if you can't find the SBM export, reinstall Xnormals, Thirdly if you aren't getting the result you like in xnormals with the mesh selection window open select average Normals and give that a go.

and lastly, give up with 3DS max after a decade and go to modo where everything works.

(for future reference this thread would probably be better off in the technical discussion forum, and there are a ton of threads there on normal mapping and bake issues)

SimãoSilva · May 2016

thank you very much ! and yeah i realized that i made it way to low poly, btw i have 3 new questions(sorry if i'm asking for to much help), i noticed this and at first i fought it was ok but after a bit it looked odd, i think this part didnt bake well,

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/lw/n2yq6o74wbw1.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/pc/rtx0w8os853b.jpg

See ? i made some mistake and i cant figure out what it was but if you have any idea thank you !
2. Why in the back of the lense did the normlas look like they are the polygons ?
3. About modo, i talked with with a few people on which software to use and learn and one thing that a professional told me was to pick 3 to 4 softwares to use those ones and to no try to learn everything, or else il end up on not learning anything, i decided that i would learn 3ds max, modo (for modeling), quixel and substance painter for texturing, but why do you say modo is better ? i never worked with it thats why i'm asking ! hank you for your time ! (also my first ever software was cinema 4d and i took classes for it but i realized it was kinda useless when i went into modeling, but its really neat in video motion !

[HELP!] My normal maps are baking all wrong !

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