Hard Light Productions Forums

Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The Modding Workshop => Topic started by: ION3 on August 11, 2010, 01:23:51 pm

Title: Blender setup
Post by: ION3 on August 11, 2010, 01:23:51 pm
How do I get normal maps to show correctly in Blender? Best i got so far attached as .blend file. I don't know what's wrong with my setup.

Looks like it's really difficult to get something into blender. I used 5 conversion programs so far an in two of them i needed to do heavy manual editing.

My workflow is ->
*.vp -> Maja Express -> .dds -> Compressionator -> tga -> GIMP for switching channels and filling missing channels in -> tga -> Blender setting up ------for normal maps
*.vp -> Maja Express -> .dds -> Blender setting up------------ for diffuse, glow and specular
*.vp -> Maja Express -> .pov -> PCS2 -> .dae -> blender --------- for the model

Ps: I wanted to do this as PM but i can't attach anyhing there.

[attachment deleted by ninja]
Title: Re: Blender setup
Post by: Water on August 12, 2010, 12:56:54 am
This is for Blender 2.5 ( if you have 2.49 let me know)

Texture > Image Sampling > Tick Normal Map and change type from Camera to Tangent.

Texture > Influence > Geometry (ticked) - Change Normal from 0.5 to 1.0 (makes the effect stronger)

Hit N > Display > Change shading from Multi-texture to GLSL (GLSL mode always needs lights to see anything)

My workflow is ->
*.vp -> Maja Express -> .dds -> Compressionator -> tga -> GIMP for switching channels and filling missing channels in -> tga -> Blender setting up ------for normal maps
*.vp -> Maja Express -> .dds -> Blender setting up------------ for diffuse, glow and specular
*.vp -> Maja Express -> .pov -> PCS2 -> .dae -> blender --------- for the model

Ps: I wanted to do this as PM but i can't attach anyhing there.
This part is more for having a quick look at the model with just the diffuse texture.
When you have the .dae file, just open it in a good editor (not notepad - craps out on large files) do a replace .tga with .dds and save. Put the .dae and .dds in the same folder and import the .dae. The basic model and diffuse texture will show up in either multitexture or Texture face mode.

There is a script for Gimp that can do the channel swapping in one hit using the Mathmap filter.
Title: Re: Blender setup
Post by: ION3 on August 12, 2010, 11:48:57 am
Quote
if you have 2.49 let me know

I do.

The problem is my graphics card doesn't support normal maps in Freespace so i have to find another way to see them if i want to create some.

Quote
There is a script for Gimp that can do the channel swapping in one hit using the Mathmap filter.

Could you elaborate on that?
Title: Re: Blender setup
Post by: Water on August 13, 2010, 01:44:26 am
For Blender 2.49

Top menu > Game > Blender GLSL Materials

Material > Map To > change Nor slider from 0.5 to 1.0

Texture > Map Image > click Normal Map and set the one beside it to tangent.

Since it's openGL mode, there is no guarantee that you'll be able to see the normal maps in Blender  with your card either.

Using the Mathmap filter to re-swap DDS normal map channels back for Blender.
http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=69064.0 (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=69064.0)
Title: Re: Blender setup
Post by: ION3 on August 13, 2010, 12:45:40 pm
Wow!

Everything works! (Freespace is my only game where normalmapping doesn't work)

I always wanted something like Mathmap.

I'thought blender wouldn't support advanced realtime shading. Blender hides it's capabilities very well.



Edit: Lol, my container has the normalmap mirror issue.

Edit: What kind of normal map does the loki have?