Trouble with normal maps

Support Modeling
1

Hi,

I’ve recently begun to learn to make low poly models for games and in the process I’ve been trying to learn to make good normal maps by making high poly meshes and then baking the normal maps and applying them onto the low poly meshes. I’ve been however having trouble getting a good result so I was wondering if you guys could point out any mistakes I’ve made and if you have any “rules of thumb” to follow while doing these sorts of operations I’d greatly appreciate!

Here are the wireframes for both the high and low poly meshes (the high poly mesh is actually split into 2 objects, the rings are separate from the ‘barrel’):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v58/DarkHunter/th_PlasteelCylinder_Normals_HighLo.jpg<-- Click me

And here you can see both the normal map (with the uv layout on top of it) and the the “final” render of the low-poly mesh with the normal map applied:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v58/DarkHunter/th_PlasteelCylinder_Normals_UVsRender.jpg<-- Click me

Thank you http://forums.cgsociety.org/images/smilies/smile.gif

P.S: If anyone is wondering, this is a Plasteel Cylinder from the KotoR games!

2

since you don’t really need any detail on the flat bits like the bottom, you could scale down those coordinates and put them off in the corner, and then scale up the bumpy bits. that would be a more economical use of pixels and would achieve a nicer render result.

3

Looks good to me. Fine work.

4

Thanks I’ll look into that :slight_smile: But I think I’ll make a separate UV set in that case or else it’ll be problematic when I try to use it with the texture map.

If you notice, there is some weirdness in the corners (above and below the rings) and also some distortion where the rings go from the flat inner surface to the angled faces.

5

After looking at my model more closely it seems the corner weirdness is my fault, the high poly & low poly insets weren’t lining up properly. :o