Multi-texture mix cycles node set-up help

myfist0 · March 9, 2017, 9:58pm

Hello, new to Blender, just love it.

I run a Star Trek mod where the models share 3 .DDS sheets each.

-colour.ddsRGB channels are the models main colour
Alpha is the team colour (grey scale)

-data.dds (grey scales)R: Specular
G: Lighting
B: Chrome/Reflective
A: Bloom

-normal.ddsNormal map made in Gimp

I have all the separate channels in .tga format, and I would like to attach each in a node setup I can group and save to use for all the models. I am very new and tried to watch as many YouTube tutorials as I could find. Many explain a specular with a colour mix, or a normal with a colour mix, but not all I require to get the closest render I can as what shows in-game.

So far (updated)

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/13495173/GalaxyClass.nodes2.png

Render Preview

The Green logos on top of the nacelles in the team colour emitter. The Main colour is working along with the lit windows. There is some metallic look starting to come in with curtain external lighting.

I’m looking to group this node, import all my game models from Softimage|XSI 7.5 free version (we use to convert to game mesh) into blender, and just connect all the tga images, and start on high definition upgrades, renders and animations. Most of the specular and normal maps were just converted from the main colour map, these all need to be custom done.

I can upload any or all the files required if needed.

JA12 · March 9, 2017, 10:22pm

Not going to decipher that. What is apparent in the image though is that the normal map setup is very wrong. When it’s connected to material output displacement, it’s interpreted as a bump map. Normal map node should connect to shaders instead. Or bump node, when combining with bump, which in turn would connect to shaders.

myfist0 · March 9, 2017, 10:28pm

Yeah, I figured it’s a mess. The entire -da.dds data map mixing is confusing and I figured it was all wrong, which is why I’m here.

Thanks for the normal map info. I will see if I can figure out those connections next.

EDIT: updated OP with new setup

jandress · March 10, 2017, 5:41am

If your data image is carrying distinct information in the individual colour channels you need to use a converter->separateRGB node to access the individual channels.

Also, don’t use a mix node with an empty material input. It is essentially equivalent to mixing with an emission shader set to black.

myfist0 · March 10, 2017, 11:17am

thanks for that, did not realize that was possible, but as I stated in the OP, the dds sheets are not yet assembled, they are uncompressed tga’s, except for the normal.dds. I only assemble once I am ready to make a new .mesh.

I will mess around with filling the empty mix.

Here is the model in-game.