3d max9, Normal maps trouble.

Tyki_Mikk · May 12, 2009, 4:38pm

Heya, I’m a newbie here, and google as much as I can I haven’t found any solution yet.

I’m currently trying to figure out how I could use ability to make details and still keep low poly 3d max characters viable via normal maps, but each time I export them from zbrush to Max9 it looks simply…ugly for the lack of words.

They look okey in zmapper most of time, I followed the tutorials from zclassroom but that didn’t work either, could it be zmapper configuration? I’m currently trying 3dsmax8modfied configuration. Any and all help are much appriciated!

goast666 · May 12, 2009, 5:00pm

what are your settings in MAX? What does your UV layout look like? What size map are you using? What does the Hipoly look like in relation to the low?

What does it look like in Zmapper? what does it look like in MAX?
are you getting major seams? or is there some other problem that makes it “simply…ugly for the lack of words.”

Tyki_Mikk · May 12, 2009, 5:04pm

Right, my bad, sorry, been up a late night trying to figure this out.
My settings in Max are sofar as I know default ones with mental ray render, I usualy do the UV with quick planar mapping and the premade gizmo like cylindrical for a sword/bat.

The main problem is that when done detailing/making texture in Zbrush and once taken into zmapper, it looks fine once the normal map is finishing, showing the texture I made in a multicolored texture that can be exported, but once uploaded into MAX either it looks really messed up, having non of the textures I made or simply as if something exploded, I could try making a simple char or a bat and screenshot as I go along if that helps?

goast666 · May 13, 2009, 5:56am

yes, please pictures!!!

It’s hard to gauge a visual problem without seeing the visual

system · May 13, 2009, 7:49am

hey there ,same problem here .so you can try video tutorial and document in zbc

sonn · May 13, 2009, 8:57am

Maybe one of you channels is inverted?

Tyki_Mikk · May 16, 2009, 10:44am

Sorry for the delay, much to do lately…
Anyways, here’s some screenshots of a random box item…

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/5265/scr7182150.jpg boxitem.

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/8990/scr7121998.jpg box with exported normal map.

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/344/scr7534116.jpg how it should look from zbrush…

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/7601/box.jpg shows how it renders with a normal bump map in the Bump Map slot… this is somewhat what everything I try turns out.

dustinbrown · May 20, 2009, 10:15am

Actually, it even looks pretty jacked up in your ZBrush screen shot. Are you sure you have UVs applied?