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Bets ways for creating Ambient Occlusion Maps?

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hello all,

I was wondering if I can get some help on the best way top achieve Ambient Occlusion Maps.

Here are some steps that I currently know of:

  1. Use the Blue Channel from the Normal Map with some level adjustments and Bluirring in Photoshop. This is not totally accurate but can give some quick cheap results.

  2. Export high poly obj’s from Zbrush. Poly Crunch down into Max and use render to texture (GEars of War method). Though this is accurate it is a real pain in the A$$

  3. Do some kind of displacement map process and then go back into Max and do step 2 (above). Not too sure about this method.

Does anyone have some magic techniques to get this done. Oh, please, 3D max methods if using a 3D Modeling package.

Thanks in advance

#2

A lot of people use xnormal, it gives pretty good results if you know how to use it.

I myself usually just tweak the displacement map itself in PS to achieve the desired result. sometimes I will overlay a cavity map on top of it. It is quick and dirty and probably inst 100% accurate but it looks decent.

#3

Xnormal.

Is a good software (free) to get AO maps, normal maps and more.

The link