XNormal and Max differences!?

Davision3D · Feb 2008

Here is the problem as you can see the normal rendered with Xnormal is messed up and i have no idea why is that!?

I allready tryed different versions of xnormal and it was
always the same, i also tried to apply smoothing groups but that did nothing but what helped was cutting the mesh in pieces but that is something that shouldnt be needed!

Uly · Feb 2008

This isn't exactly a definitive answer, but I've always caught a comment here and there about Max's .obj exporter creating some kind of irreparable damage do an object's normals, which isn't really noticeable until you try and stuff a normal map on it... I'm just shooting in the dark, though, really. Hell, I don't even know if you rendered this thing out on an .obj.

I'm curious about the difference between apps with their rendering, and real-time displays of normal maps. I eagerly await a more well-informed response.

Davision3D · Feb 2008

Yeah, it was the .obj. I tryed it with .3ds now and everything worked fine, stupid max!

Is there a good obj. import export plugin that would solve such problems with this format?

rooster · Feb 2008

try this on for size:
http://www.guruware.at/main/objio/index.html

jogshy · Feb 2008

The OBJ exporter that comes with 3dmax is very buggy. It messes completely the vertex normals ( specially if you export box objects ). Avoid it. Better use other format like ASE, FBX or 3DS... For xNormal better use the SBM exporter because will be the fastest to load.

[Deleted User] · Feb 2008

Are you using a projection cage in xNormal when you generate the maps? If not, that could fix the edges around the cap of the cylinder the same way that cutting it up did. (I'm not sure about how that translates to or from Max though)

JordanW · Feb 2008

Kinda unrelated but seeing that plugin rooster posted I tried it and it's awesome! Imported some shit tons faster than max's default one!

Michael Knubben · Feb 2008

I've had some issues with losing smoothing groups and transferring uv's recently, so I was wondering if this plugin (or any other) can preserve the vert index? For example, I had a max file with smoothing groups from which I exported an .obj to unwrap. Somewhere along the line the smoothing groups got stripped and I thought "No worries, I'll just load the .uvw onto the max file, right?"
Wrong. it just goes all over the place since the vertex numbers are no longer in the right places. Does anyone know if it's even possible to reserve these between the two formats, or if there's a reason it *should change them?
If I can't get this fixed, I'm looking at recreating the smoothing groups on a whole lot of other models as well, and I'd rather just skip that step.

Davision3D · Feb 2008

Thx for all the help. The plugin is just great

Eric Chadwick · Feb 2008

You should be enabling Global Supersampling when creating a normalmap in Max, gives you antialiasing in the normalmap.

Davision3D · Feb 2008

Yeah i know about that, it was just a quick test.

XNormal and Max differences!?

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