[Plugin] Normal Map Maker

[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:

1. Make a rectangle with a greyscale texture in the z direction, scale it to 1.001 to ensure the top face is white

2. Make the texture a projection
   

3. Select and apply the texture to the model
   

4. Set the time to noon, date to 3/21, location to near the equator (in File, Geo-location). Set light & dark to 100

5. 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 !