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brendonl93653726
Participating Frequently
January 31, 2019
Answered

Problems applying Normals map

  • January 31, 2019
  • 1 reply
  • 4046 views

I'm having issues when I apply a Normals map. I created a seamless marble texture in photoshop that's 2048x2048, which I used for my color map. Then I applied a roughness map which was made using the newly created color map, adjusted in photoshop. Finally I generated a normals map. All in photoshop, all 2048x2048 jpgs. When I apply the color and roughness map to a default object from Dimension, I get good render results, but once I add the Normals map, I get a strange tile-like patchwork on the surface. This is more prominent in other models with more geometry. For this test, I used a default sphere model from Dimension.  I did not attempt to Generate UVs under the Object menu, that actually makes the effect worse when I do, and my render engine is set to V-Ray. What am I doing wrong? (See screenshots below)

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Correct answer davescm

so its not so much the normal map as the way in witch Dimension is appying it?

what is odd to be is I can get a nice result in the preview rendor but the final rendor is crappy... I will keep testing


Hi

I was wrong - it is the map!

I did a bit more digging this evening and replaced that normal map with a map generated from Photoshop based on the Base color texture. It had none of those issues.

So I looked closer at the map.

The Red and Green channels (x and y) are both offset on the map used by Brendon with an average value 178,188,255

Whereas the Photoshop generated map had values around the centre point for those channels 128,128,255 which is what I would expect. This is what is causing issues with the shading using that map.

So I used a levels adjustment in Photoshop to centre the Red and Green channels around 128 (leaving Blue at 255) . Success, the map and material now render  correctly.

Dave

1 reply

Ussnorway7605025
Ussnorway7605025
Legend
January 31, 2019

why are you making the normals in Photoshop?

does this patchwork show after the rendor is finished or is it just in the pre-rendor preview like your screengrab shows?

I would assume its a scale issue i.e, Dimension sees this sphear as being bigger or smaller than you think...

can you share the dn for tests?

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brendonl93653726Author
Participating Frequently
February 1, 2019

Thanks for replying! So through researching Adobe Capture I found out Photoshop CC has some 3D tools help make various texture maps including Normals, but I'm new to that workflow. So, I followed a tutorial to make the Normals for this texture, and in the material preview in photoshop, the map looked good. What do you recommend I try instead of Photoshop? Since all three textures (color/roughness/normals) originated from the same source and saved out at the same size I didn't think it was a scale issue because I added them in and didn't touch the scales of any one of them in Dimension. It also shows up in a fast quality render (attached screenshot). Here's the working file: Dropbox - marble-texture-test.dn

Ussnorway7605025
Ussnorway7605025
Legend
February 2, 2019

looks fine to me when viewed at actual size it rendors well as well so imo it is just a scale issue

Photoshop is ok if you don't have anything else, I use Allegorithmic's Substance suite but may have to look around now that Adobe owns it... no body knows what the future holds

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