[Plugin] Normal Map Maker
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It is a nice step forward!
I was thinking about using TIG's Java solution and produce a PNG with proper aspect ratio and without modifying the original materials. I don't know how to calculate smooth normals over a whole face when an edge is smoothed in SU, but I bet it can be done.
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I've been thinking about using a jar to mimic 'make_unique' for skewed textured materials etc as exporting these with correct UV mapping to tri-faces is not possible [or at least I don't know how to do it] - the way the built-in OBJ exporter copes is to make special versions of the texture image files that have non-exportable distorted UV-maps [from skewing etc] and then use those as a non-distorted image in the OBJ code... It's relatively easy to distort the width/height of an image in java BUT skewing is more tricky - but possible... e.g. http://www.jhlabs.com/ip/distorting.html and http://www.jhlabs.com/ip/filters/index.html or http://java.sun.com/products/java-media/jai/forDevelopers/jai1_0_1guide-unc/Geom-image-manip.doc.html
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@tig said:
I've been thinking about using a jar to mimic 'make_unique' for skewed textured materials etc as exporting these with correct UV mapping to tri-faces is not possible [or at least I don't know how to do it] - the way the built-in OBJ exporter copes is to make special versions of the texture image files that have non-exportable distorted UV-maps [from skewing etc] and then use those as a non-distorted image in the OBJ code... It's relatively easy to distort the width/height of an image in java BUT skewing is more tricky - but possible... e.g. http://www.jhlabs.com/ip/distorting.html and http://www.jhlabs.com/ip/filters/index.html or http://java.sun.com/products/java-media/jai/forDevelopers/jai1_0_1guide-unc/Geom-image-manip.doc.html
Sketchup::TextureWriter allows you to write out distorted images. If you load a face with distorted texture to the TW and write it out it'll save a modified version of it. Oddly enough, it doesn't seem to work the same way for skewed, scaled etc - then the texture is the original texture.
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And it's the skewed one we want!
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ah...
But a skewed texture only needs three co-ordinates - why are these troublesome for triangles?
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@thomthom said:
ah...
But a skewed texture only needs tree co-ordinates - why are these troublesome for triangles?Maybe I use the wrong wording... it's textures that are somehow rotated/skewed/sheared that need four UVs ?
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Only distorted textures needs four points.
Normal size (based on material width and height): 1 point
Uniformly scaled: 2 points
Non-uniformly scaled: 3 points
Skewed - sheared: 3 points
Distorted: 4 points -
It's
distortedthen - do you mean that we CAN export these already using a TW and the material's actual face front-material?
If so, how do we 'know' a face has a 'distorted' texture as opposed to a 'skewed' or 'rotated' one ?
Let's say I have a face with a material that has its texture distorted and some other faces use that material 'undistorted'.
The material is exported 'undistorted' and used with most faces with the simple 3-point UV-mapping...
I need to know how to find which face has which type of texture, then if it's distorted then export that texture as a 'variant' using the TW with the very face, and then use that image-file for that face in the exported data.
Is this what the built-in OBJ-Exporter does when it makes distorted texture files for some faces...The main issue is how do I tell if a face's material's texture is 'distorted' and needs this extra step...
It would greatly improve my OBJexporter and some 3rd party tools I am involved with... -
sorry for the stupid question but...
1 - whats the advantage of normal map over bump and displacement maps (both of which can use the same grayscale bitmap)?
2 - VRAY doesnt use normal maps, does it?
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@aceshigh said:
1 - whats the advantage of normal map over bump and displacement maps (both of which can use the same grayscale bitmap)?
a) is a bump map
b) is a parallax/normal map
c) is a relief map (normal map with self shadowing)@aceshigh said:
2 - VRAY doesnt use normal maps, does it?
Not sure what V-Ray 2 does - but the version V-Ray for SketchUp currently use doesn't.
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@tig said:
The main issue is how do I tell if a face's material's texture is 'distorted' and needs this extra step...
It would greatly improve my OBJexporter and some 3rd party tools I am involved with...http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=23947&hilit=distorted&start=60#p204899
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@aceshigh said:
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! -
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?
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@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
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hi, did you look in the right place?
UI.menu("File").add_item("Export normal map")
john -
Didier's version says this quite clearly
@unknownuser said:You'll find the command under the
**File** menu -> Export normal map
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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 -
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.
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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?)
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I believe this is the procedure:
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Make a rectangle with a greyscale texture in the z direction, scale it to 1.001 to ensure the top face is white
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Make the texture a projection
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Select and apply the texture to the model
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Set the time to noon, date to 3/21, location to near the equator (in File, Geo-location). Set light & dark to 100
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With a parallel projection and no edges, the top view is your bump map
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