MR Normal map & Reflection Problem! Help!

# 1 27-06-2015 , 03:35 AM

Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2015

Posts: 4

Hi everyone,

I'm having an problem with reflection and my normal maps that I can't figure out.

I'm building some log booms and only a small number of my logs are actually reflecting the way that they should be. My normals are all fine, all histories are deleted, everything is cleared.

If I go into my MR shader for the logs and set reflection to 0.00, then all the logs look consistent. as soon as I add any reflection (would like to have it set to ~0.35) I only get a few logs catching light and reflecting. Crank the reflection to 1.0 and the problem is really obvious (see attached pic). Remove the Normal map and everything is A-OK.

-I'm using an IBL system and a number of point lights, spot lights, and two fairly strong directional lights.
-The logs have a displacement map & I'm using the MR approximation editor (LDA).
-Built my Normal map and displacement map using Crazy Bump (Have built several of each now)
-Removing displacement doesn't solve the issue.
-Removing IBL doesn't solve the issue.
-Exporting logs as OBJ (with & without normals) & then reimporting doesn't solve the issue.

Anyone here encountered this before? I hope so!

-M

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# 2 27-06-2015 , 04:44 AM

Technical Director
Join Date: Feb 2004

Posts: 2,988

Can you post the normal map and let us know where the dark logs occur in the texture space? It could be that the dark regions are caused by the normal map flipping the normals.

One thing you could check is to export the displaced normals right out of Maya, and compare it with the output of CrazyBump to see if there is anything grossly different between the two. Did you have shape recognition on when you exported the normals from CrazyBump?

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

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# 3 27-06-2015 , 06:14 AM

Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2015

Posts: 4

Here are some compressed versions of the maps I have made. It's a tiling texture and the logs are randomly placed over it - there isn't any connection btwn darkness on the map & darkness in the render (as far as I can tell).

I'm not sure what you mean by "export the displaced normals right out of Maya" - could you elaborate? :-)

Thanks NextDesign!

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# 4 29-06-2015 , 05:39 AM

Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2015

Posts: 4

Got it sorted out - it was the normals direction. Had to rotate the normals on the dark logs 180 degrees and they rendered properly. Had never had that happen before...

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MR Normal map & Reflection Problem! Help!

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