Do I need to filp the green channel for Normal map from 3DS Max into Blender or are they handling it the same way ? And to add to the confusing, what about Unity and Unreal?

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Do I need to filp the green channel for Normal map from 3DS Max into Blender or are they handling it the same way ? And to add to the confusing, what about Unity and Unreal ?

Ok, To CLEAR ALL CONFUSION, let’s use Blender’s way of handling Normal map as the base standard.

The same normal map if used in 3DS Max, does the green channel need to be flipped ?

The same normal map if used in Unity, does the green channel need to be flipped ?

The same normal map if used in Maya, does the green channel need to be flipped ?

The same normal map if used in Unreal, does the green channel need to be flipped ?

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Blender bakes and considers normal maps in OpenGL (+X +Y +Z) by default
This means normal maps baked in Blender (Cycles) by default work with Unity, but must have its GREEN flipped for UE.

See the bottom of this page for reference:
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Normal_Map_Technical_Details

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So you answered two questions:

The same normal map if used in Unity, does the green channel need to be flipped ? No
The same normal map if used in Unreal, does the green channel need to be flipped ? Yes

Two more questions waiting ;p And can anyone else answer in this format ? it would make things VERY EASY to understand, a yes, or a no, that’s all.

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Maya: No. Although there are options to use DirectX if you’d like
3DS: No. But again there are options to enable DirectX instead

If the software uses OpenGL, then normal maps baked by Blender do not need to be edited in any way

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In normal map swizzle directions there are only two conventions you need to know: OpenGL and DirectX.
If you know what format the baker uses and what the target engine uses, you yourself would be able to determine whether a normal map “needs to be flipped” or not. That’s why I added the link for reference. It shows a table of major modelers and engines and what swizzle direction they use.

But to answer your questions to the T:

Do I need to filp the green channel for Normal map from 3DS Max into Blender or are they handling it the same way ?

  • Yes you need to flip green

And to add to the confusing, what about Unity and Unreal ?

  • A normal map made in Blender does not need a green flip for Unity.
  • A normal map made in Blender NEEDS a green flip for UE.

The same normal map if used in 3DS Max, does the green channel need to be flipped ?

  • Yes

The same normal map if used in Unity, does the green channel need to be flipped ?

  • No

The same normal map if used in Maya, does the green channel need to be flipped ?

  • No

The same normal map if used in Unreal, does the green channel need to be flipped ?

  • Yes
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you are referring to the blue VS . orange normal maps ? correct ?

created using the NVIDIA texture tools

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Thank you !
To sum it up:

Using Blender as the base standard.

Green Needs to be flipped Yes/No:
Maya: No
Unity: No
3DS Max: Yes
Unreal Engine: Yes

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