ZBrushCentral

Zbrush Normal Maps to Max

Okay, so I’ve got a weird issue going on. I use ZBrush 3.5 and used it to generate a 2048 x 2048 normal map from a 5 million poly model (yeah, the model’s higher res than the map, but that’s not really an issue here).

I export the normal map, texture, and .obj of my model to Max, import it all there, and assign the textures as normal.

But when I rendered, the normal map inverted on the -x axis of the model. To make that clearer (just in case), the raised bumps on the +x axis of the normal map became depressions on the -x axis. It’s really weird.

The first thing I did was check the normals on my model, but they’re all properly aligned. There are the flip R, G, and B settings in the normal map dialog, but they didn’t resolve the issue either (at least, not in any combination that I tried).

Any help would be great. I’ve got a demo reel in process and am really looking forward to getting it out the door.

Thanks ahead of time,
Brian

Are you sure you have the right kind of normal map? Sorry, if this sounds obvious to you, but make sure you have object or tangent based normals correct. I use 3.1 in the zmapper there’s a special setting for 3dsmax. hope this helps