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    [Plugin] Normal Map Maker

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    • A Offline
      AcesHigh
      last edited by

      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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      • thomthomT Offline
        thomthom
        last edited by

        @aceshigh said:

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

        http://www.spinquad.com/forums/showthread.php?4478-Normal-maps-vs.-Bump-maps&s=157424c55a8e268f44d84e57618a04cb&p=54371&viewfull=1#post54371

        http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z232/Z-trooper/Modelling/mappings.png

        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.

        Thomas Thomassen — SketchUp Monkey & Coding addict
        List of my plugins and link to the CookieWare fund

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        • T Offline
          tomasz
          last edited by

          @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

          Author of [Thea Render for SketchUp](http://www.thearender.com/sketchup)

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          • PixeroP Offline
            Pixero
            last edited by

            @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!

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            • T Offline
              tspco
              last edited by

              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?

              SU make 2017, /Twilight Render Hobby
              Windows 10,64 bit,16GB ram, quad core Athlon 3.6 gHz proc. Anything else you want to know, ask me.

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              • R Offline
                RepulsiveBoy
                last edited by

                @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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                • D Offline
                  driven
                  last edited by

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

                  learn from the mistakes of others, you may not live long enough to make them all yourself...

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                  • TIGT Offline
                    TIG Moderator
                    last edited by

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

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

                    TIG

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                    • T Offline
                      Tuttlet
                      last edited by

                      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

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                      • GaieusG Offline
                        Gaieus
                        last edited by

                        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.

                        Gai...

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                        • Bob JamesB Offline
                          Bob James
                          last edited by

                          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?)

                          i7-4930K 3.4Ghz, 2x GTX780 6GB, 32GB DDR3-1600 ECC, OCZ Vertex 4 500GB, WD Black 3TB, 32TB NAS, 4x 27" Monitors, SpaceMouse Pro, X-keys XK-60

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                          • T Offline
                            Tuttlet
                            last edited by

                            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
                              Bump12.jpg

                            3. Select and apply the texture to the model
                              Bump3.jpg

                            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
                              Bump45.jpg

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                            • thomthomT Offline
                              thomthom
                              last edited by

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

                              Thomas Thomassen — SketchUp Monkey & Coding addict
                              List of my plugins and link to the CookieWare fund

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                              • T Offline
                                Tuttlet
                                last edited by

                                @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.

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                                • thomthomT Offline
                                  thomthom
                                  last edited by

                                  @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! 😄 😳

                                  Thomas Thomassen — SketchUp Monkey & Coding addict
                                  List of my plugins and link to the CookieWare fund

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                                  • sicksickisckS Offline
                                    sicksickisck
                                    last edited by

                                    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]
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                                    • V Offline
                                      v66995
                                      last edited by

                                      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. 1.jpg
                                      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.
                                      Normal.png

                                      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.

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                                      • pbacotP Offline
                                        pbacot
                                        last edited by

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

                                        MacOSX MojaveSketchUp Pro v19 Twilight v2 Thea v3 PowerCADD

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                                        • JQLJ Offline
                                          JQL
                                          last edited by

                                          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.

                                          www.casca.pt
                                          Visit us on facebook!

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                                          • V Offline
                                            v66995
                                            last edited by

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

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