[Plugin] Normal Map Maker

Pixero

1 - whats the advantage of normal map over bump and displacement maps (both of which can use the same grayscale bitmap)?

A bumpmap is like: Hey, change your normal (surface direction) by this grayscale amount!
A normal map is more like: Yo, use this normal instead of your old one!

tspco

I just downloaded and installed this plugin, but it doesn't seem to work, I am sure I missed something, nothing shows up in the plugins menu. Anybody have a step by step?

RepulsiveBoy

@tspco said:

I just downloaded and installed this plugin, but it doesn't seem to work, I am sure I missed something, nothing shows up in the plugins menu. Anybody have a step by step?

It doesn't work for me either

driven

hi, did you look in the right place?
UI.menu("File").add_item("Export normal map")
john

TIG

Didier's version says this quite clearly
@unknownuser said:

You'll find the command under the **File** menu -> Export normal map

Tuttlet

Great to find this Normal Map script. Thanks.

I found that slows down if you have the Materials Windows open to "In Model" textures. So remember to have that closed.

Was there any way to get a bump map from this ruby? I found some threads relating to bump mapping in Sketchup, but nothing conclusive, unless I missed it
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=18024&start=15
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=16660&hilit=plugin

Gaieus

You can quite easily create bump maps from (raw) geometry if you project a greyscale image from one side and then export an image from the other side.

Bob James

Just browsing through, got interested, and don't understand your reply.

@gaieus said:

You can quite easily create bump maps from (raw) geometry if you project a greyscale image from one side and then export an image from the other side.

project (from what onto to what?) a greyscale image from one side (of what?)

export an image from the other side (of what?)

Tuttlet

I believe this is the procedure:

Make a rectangle with a greyscale texture in the z direction, scale it to 1.001 to ensure the top face is white
Make the texture a projection
Select and apply the texture to the model
Set the time to noon, date to 3/21, location to near the equator (in File, Geo-location). Set light & dark to 100
With a parallel projection and no edges, the top view is your bump map

thomthom

You can do the same without a texture, use white Fog on black geometry.

Tuttlet

@thomthom said:

You can do the same without a texture, use white Fog on black geometry.

Hey, that's even easier. Thanks.

But aren't white areas usually interpreted as higher than black. I seem to get the right result with black fog on white geometry.

thomthom

@tuttlet said:

@thomthom said:

You can do the same without a texture, use white Fog on black geometry.

Hey, that's even easier. Thanks.

But aren't white areas usually interpreted as higher than black. I seem to get the right result with black fog on white geometry.

Ah, yea - my logic is inverted this morning!

sicksickisck

great plugin and real deserves to update :]

ideas ;]
-read well smoothing groups!
-Z-grab [without the need of the selection of the polygons; works with components and groups]

AO version hehe [dream:p]

v66995

May i ask if this works on Sketchup 2015(i am using window 10)?
I'm a total noob to sketchup , I've tried putting the rb file into sketchup tool folder, and it shows some error when i start up my sketchup ,so i downloaded the rbz file at extension warehouse.

I try to test the plugin with a simple cube.
Then i select everything?->extension->Normal map maker-> export
After its done , i went check the file , it only shows a purple square cube without the depths of other colors like the youtube tutorial shown.

I did everything i can , things like : changing to parallel view/ top view first before activiating the normal map maker or applying material and then try again.
It didn't work. did i do anything wrong or ?

Please help /_\ ....

Thanks all..

Vic.

pbacot

You need some surfaces visible from above which are NOT perpendicular to the camera view.

JQL

Yeah, what pbacot said is basically that all surfaces you have there have the same normal, therefore the same color and so you have a flat normal on the map.

You should slitghtly taper your shape into truncated piramidal shapes.

v66995

Ohh ok ! i got it !
Thank you so much Pbacot and JQL for the help !