topic Re: Normal Map Looks Tiled in Mudbox Forum

Normal Map Looks Tiled

Anonymous — Sat, 14 Jan 2017 05:09:54 GMT

I'm trying to make a normal map for a model I recently sculpted, everything is fine as far as extracting the normal map. Yet once I see it it looks like it has been tiled and its quite noticeable . I don't know what the problem is maybe my UV's. The only thing that makes it less noticeable by a little bit is extracting it as 4096*4096 or higher, but i dont want to go beyond 2048*2048.

Re: Normal Map Looks Tiled

Anonymous — Sat, 14 Jan 2017 06:34:19 GMT

Here's more images that show my problem and the settings I used

Re: Normal Map Looks Tiled

Anonymous — Sat, 14 Jan 2017 06:37:41 GMT

This is how the Normal Map looks and a bunch of fragments on it. The more pressing problem would be the crazy distortion on the base mesh as shown on the first image of previous post.

Re: Normal Map Looks Tiled

sergimen2001 — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 13:35:02 GMT

Hy BABY Jaha:

I have seen your screenshots, and yes you have a problem wit the UVs.

I guess your problem can be due you have imported the UVs to your model from a OBJ file. I dont know why, but if you have an model in mudbox with no UVs, and you import the UV using File> Import UVs and select an OBJ file with UVs(the same model but UV mapped), to import the UVs all the UV faces are decomposed in an indivual UV Shell, for this reason is faceted the aspect in your model.

If you have the model with UVs ready in other app like 3DS MAX or Maya, export it in FBX instead OBJ, and repeat the Import UVs command from the LVL 0 of your 3D model in Mudbox.

I hope that could be usefull to fix your problem.

Greetings:
Sergio Mengual
3D Artist-3D Generalist-3D Character Artist
https://www.facebook.com/Sergio3D2D/
https://www.artstation.com/artist/sergiomengual
https://www.youtube.com/user/sergiomengual

Re: Normal Map Looks Tiled

mpowers — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 14:46:47 GMT

I am having the same problem mudbox 2018.2 and 3ds MAX 2019 workflow. I have tried using primitives from Mudbox and still get a similar tiling error.

Is the a bug fix for this in the works?

Re: Normal Map Looks Tiled

imre.major — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 17:13:03 GMT

@mpowers wrote:

I have tried using primitives from Mudbox and still get a similar tiling error.

Do you mean you are getting the same artifacts with a Mudbox primitive, like with the head primitive with its own UV?

Re: Normal Map Looks Tiled

mpowers — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 19:41:30 GMT

When I use the the "extract textures maps" with either the mudbox sphere primitive or an imported fbx sphere - the extracted maps have seams - they are immediately visible in Mudbox as paint layers and also in 3ds MAX. thnx

Re: Normal Map Looks Tiled

imre.major — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 09:11:23 GMT

Could you please attach some files? Like a screenshot of the seams, the extracted normal map, and a screenshot of the extraction window showing the settings you used? Thanks.

Re: Normal Map Looks Tiled

mpowers — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 17:44:03 GMT

Thnx for looking at these.

Re: Normal Map Looks Tiled

imre.major — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 08:47:15 GMT

To be honest I don't know why that is happening, but it definitely looks like a tangent problem. Did you try to extract the map with Maya tangents maybe?

Re: Normal Map Looks Tiled

mpowers — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 13:57:21 GMT

Thnx for looking into this. I attached the .mud file, as you can see the tiling error is visible in mudbox. I have tried numerous new files, uninstalled mudbox, update my display driver, etc.

I working a medical project with ~1,000 objects that need extremely high detail. Not being able to output generate proper normal maps has been a giant stumbling block and my deadline is in 3 days... So any help is appreciated. Perhaps a call with Autodesk?

Thnx

Re: Normal Map Looks Tiled

mpowers — Thu, 04 Oct 2018 19:57:49 GMT

Wow - no response from Autodesk. I had to use a free program to get working UVs/Normal maps: xNorm. I guess this is just another reason for me to reconsider our renewal of our four Creation Suites and three 3ds MAX licenses in May. Maybe zBrush and Cinema 4D will serve us better.

-Disappointed

Re: Normal Map Looks Tiled

imre.major — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 07:56:56 GMT

I cannot reach that mud file, did you attach it to this post?

Re: Normal Map Looks Tiled

mpowers — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 18:48:04 GMT

I attached. Will attach again. Thnx

Re: Normal Map Looks Tiled

imre.major — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 06:18:15 GMT

Thanks. You said that the seams are visible in Mudbox after extraction, is that correct? Could you please attach a shot showing how the sphere looks after the extraction? I'm not getting seams.

Re: Normal Map Looks Tiled

sergimen2001 — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 11:26:15 GMT

Hi:

If you are obtaining visible semana in Mudbox after normal Map extraction, perhaps is due the shading of the material inside Mud. You are using the 3DSMAX compatibility mode when you extract?

Well, by Default, the Mudbox materiales use the normal compatibility mode setted yo for Maya. If you are extracting normals for 3DSMAX after the extraction and with the normal Map applied to it, rigth click over the object and select Edit Material from they radial menú, and un the material parameters diálog scroll down and change the compatibility tangent space from Maya to 3DSMAX.

I hope this small issue could be the solution.

Regards:

Sergio.

Re: Normal Map Looks Tiled

mpowers — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 14:56:19 GMT

Brilliant, thank you. That fixed the issue in mudbox! (That would be a good setting to have change automatically when users are using 3ds MAX hotkeys). However, I am still not getting expected results 3ds MAX - I tried all combinations in UV map to no avail. xNorm is also having trouble with the UVs from mudbox native primitives.

Re: Normal Map Looks Tiled

sergimen2001 — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 15:08:16 GMT

So good that you finaly fixed your problem. Excuse me, but I mean "seams" instead "Semanas". I was responding from my cellphone and the autocorrector...is a pain in as... because my mother tongue is spanish...

About the Compatibility Tangent Space Option, is something I was thinking to suggest to the developers.

That should be an global option that every user should to configure in the preferences when you start to use Mudbox for the 1st time, instead to be obliged to change it in every new material you create, every time...

That confused a lot of new users in the past,(me included in 2011, when I started to use Mudbox more seriously for bake my normal maps).

Regards:
Sergio Mengual
3D Artist-3D Generalist-3D Character Artist

https://www.artstation.com/artist/sergiomengual

https://www.facebook.com/Sergio3D2D/

https://www.youtube.com/user/sergiomengual

Re: Normal Map Looks Tiled

mpowers — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 14:16:26 GMT

It only fixed it in Mudbox. I am still not getting expected results 3ds MAX - I tried all combinations in UV map to no avail. xNorm is also having trouble with the UVs from mudbox native primitives.