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    [Plugin] Normal Map Maker

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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 β€” 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... πŸ˜•
        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
                  πŸ˜’

                  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 β€” 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! πŸ˜„ 😳

                                Thomas Thomassen β€” 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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