Need Help - Normal Baking

RCatossi · March 13, 2020, 11:49am

BakingProblem.blend (1.2 MB) Hi Community!

I’ve just spent hours trying to fix this, but I have literally no idea why this is not working…

I’ve made a very detailed model for the shoulder, and no matter how big I set the range it just won’t bake it…

I’d really appreciate if someone could point me the right way, thanks!

RSEhlers · March 13, 2020, 2:20pm

Lots of problems here…

You have to encompass the High Poly with the Low Poly. That is why you have all the tutorials on Retopo. You had half your High Poly outside of your Low Poly, and will never get a good Normal Map that way. I didn’t have the time, so I just shrunk down your High Poly to fit inside.
There was no actual material, initialized in the file. Not sure what you did but the material was not there as soon as I added a new material and disconnected it and baked it worked.

Normal-Test1920×1000 482 KB

RCatossi · March 13, 2020, 3:06pm

Thanks for your time @RSEhlers
As for the material maybe you’re opening in a different version, I’m using 2.82 (maybe I need to update)
Anyway, making a new material didn’t make a difference.
Also scaling the mesh down didn’t help either.
I’m going to download lastest version and try again

RCatossi · March 13, 2020, 3:41pm

Well, I guess some problems come to make us learn better things…
Baking with Multires mode and works amazing!

humanartist · March 13, 2020, 3:46pm

The normal map texture must be selected in the shader node for the normal map bake to work. First selecting the high resolution, then selecting the low resolution for the bake. The normal map should be unconnected from the shader, but defined in the shader node for the low resolution mesh.

Are you getting any error message?

RCatossi · March 13, 2020, 3:48pm

@humanartist I was baking Normal for the other parts of the model, so, I know how to do it… I forgot to mention that, sorry.
I get no error messages, just a almost blank normal map.

RSEhlers · March 13, 2020, 3:52pm

Glad you figured it out, but FYI, I didn’t use Multires…or didn’t have to

I used 2.82.7, which is a rather older version…

RCatossi · March 13, 2020, 3:55pm

this more what I was looking for

RCatossi · March 17, 2020, 10:11am

In case anyone needs help, best solution is to learn how to work with Cages.

in short, making a copy of the lowpoly, add a Displacement modifier, make sure the hipoly stays inside the cage limits, and set it as the cage object.

learned it from this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyOWzpKPDjQ