Maya Normal Map Problems

# 1 02-01-2014 , 06:57 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2014

Posts: 6

Hey!

I dont have a lot of experience with Maya and I have a problem with creating some Normal Maps. You may have to get a little bit specific if you explain something so I can follow it step by step.

At the moment I am following a tutorial on character creation and I did not encounter a lot of problems until I had to create maps for the Low Poly Version.

I am using a Map Size of 2048, Sampling Quality is on Low(2x2) and the rest is default. I already made Nomal Maps for different parts of my female character and they are working even so the resolution looks like crap. I already raised to 2048 from 1024. For example I have a headphone-cable running over her skin from her backpocket over her stomach, in between her breasts and up to her ears. I can see every single giant pixel. I dont know if thats okay for those kind of settings. Just want to make sure since the tutorial is not very clear on that.

Now i have a Sash around the characters leg and after creating the Normal Map and looking at it in Photoshop, the colors of the Sash are all warm colors which turn my low Poly Sash black. The same with a few other parts. I can not figure out the problem. Maybe it has something to do with the shaders and I have no knowledge about that stuff.
After that I tried making the normal map with xnormal and I got a version that is sliced in the middle and mirrored over it. The same happens with the characters belt.

I would be really grateful for some ideas and hopefully a solution to this.

Burny

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# 2 02-01-2014 , 08:40 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2011

Location: Dortmund, Germany

Posts: 229

post some screenshots

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# 3 02-01-2014 , 10:18 PM

Technical Director
Join Date: Feb 2004

Posts: 2,988

How big is the UV shell in relation to the texture?

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

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# 4 03-01-2014 , 01:35 AM

Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2014

Posts: 6

Posted a Screenshot.

The high poly is supposed to have a red color but its almost black. On the inside however it has a red hue. I tried changing materials and color but nothing works. Its probably a very simple solution. But I dont think its whats causing the problem since the Belt does not have that problem even though the same thing happens with the normal map.

My UV Layout is on the Positive 0 to 1 grid. Nothing is overlapping. Everything got its own space if thats what you wanted to know.

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# 5 03-01-2014 , 03:02 AM

Technical Director
Join Date: Feb 2004

Posts: 2,988

That looks like an object-space normal map. You generally should use tangent-space. However if you open up your bump node, you should be able to set it to object-space.

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

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