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Generate normal map – documentation

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Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 16 total)
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  • 2019-09-04 at 2:16 pm #18412
    scalare
    Customer

    Hello Yuri and team,

    would it be possible to get from you some directions/explanations about what each parameter in that new puzzle does, and what we would use them for? I’ve been playing with them, but I have not been able to grasp the meaning of each one.

    Also, I’m planning to use this new puzzle to simulate engravings on wood and leather products, and I haven’t been able to make it look like that.

    Thank you!

    2019-09-04 at 2:26 pm #18413
    scalare
    Customer

    I should add that I’ve been able to create the texture, convert it to a normal map, and replace it into the material. What I need to know is how the additional parameters work: invert G, invert R, invert height, the two filters, etc.

    Thanks!

    2019-09-04 at 2:41 pm #18415
    Yuri Kovelenov
    Staff

    Hi,

    We provided some explanations for the parameters in the docs
    https://www.soft8soft.com/docs/manual/en/puzzles/Materials.html#generate_normal_map

    Chief 3D Verger | LinkedIn | Twitter

    2019-09-04 at 2:48 pm #18417
    scalare
    Customer

    Thank you, Yuri. So Invert G and Invert R don’t do anything? I’ve tested changing values for invert height, but I did not notice any changes there.

    Also, we’re creating a texture from text, that generates the image as black text on white background. I think this is right for an engraving. But what if we needed to do it in the opposite direction? Since the invert height seems not to do anything, we’d need to invert the original texture colors. Please advise.

    In any case, would you please recommend which values to use to simulate an engraving? :)

    2019-09-04 at 3:22 pm #18418
    Yuri Kovelenov
    Staff

    Just in case, we are creating a demo at the moment which utilizes engraving. I’ll ask Mikhail to share his experience.

    Chief 3D Verger | LinkedIn | Twitter

    2019-09-04 at 4:10 pm #18420
    scalare
    Customer

    Thank you!

    2019-09-04 at 4:57 pm #18421
    Mikhail Luzyanin
    Staff
    scalare wrote:

    Thank you!

    This implementation based on this online converter. You can test your image at first in it and then type the same parameters in the engine. Height must invert bump direction of the normal.

    Co-founder and lead graphics specialist at Soft8Soft.

    2019-09-04 at 5:34 pm #18422
    scalare
    Customer

    Excellent! Thank you!

    One more question: when a texture is created from text, because of the text being black and the background white, the resulting normal map is kind of hard, even when reducing strength or increasing the level. If we wanted the engraving to look “softer” or “more rounded”, how would we do it? The “inner part” of the resulting normal map fonts looks flat and as if the height of the normals was the same as outside of the fonts (I hope this makes sense). Is there any way to soften the black and white texture BEFORE we convert to a normal map?

    In that online converter, for example, the circles black and white texture is soft (there almost isn’t a place where you can find absolute black or absolute white, and certainly not where black and white pixels are contiguous). But I haven’t been able to do that “softness” with the create texture from text puzzle.

    2019-09-04 at 5:38 pm #18423
    Mikhail Luzyanin
    Staff

    You can soften your nexture using blur/sharp parameter if generate normal map puzzle by setting it to -1 for example.

    Co-founder and lead graphics specialist at Soft8Soft.

    2019-09-04 at 6:01 pm #18424
    scalare
    Customer

    Yes, I’ve tried that. But I still see it as a bevel effect, where only the edges of fonts show something when the normal map is applied, but not the inner area of the font, that still shows as if it was at the same level of the surrounding surface (background of the normal map)

    The attached example, has
    Strength: 5
    Level: 2
    Blur/Sharp: -3

    I see it blurred, but only on the font edges. Any way to extend that blurring into the inner part of the fonts?

    Thanks a lot!

    2019-09-04 at 9:21 pm #18426
    Mikhail Luzyanin
    Staff

    Unfortunally there’s no way to do it now without codeng, may be one day we can implement something to do it.

    Co-founder and lead graphics specialist at Soft8Soft.

    2019-09-04 at 9:24 pm #18427
    scalare
    Customer

    OK, thanks a lot, Mikhail!

    2019-09-14 at 8:43 pm #18725
    HoboCat
    Customer

    Hey scalare,
    Its good to hear that someone else is working on engraving simulations! Im working on this almost year, trying to make dynamic simulation for my co2 laser works.
    The best result for the most realistic engravings I got by using 3 textures from the start: main wood texture, engraved wood texture, image to be engraved on model.
    The engraved wood texture must be made out of main texture, but you have to make it look engraved with image editing softwares(becouse its made out of main wood texture it will keep having same wood relief and marks – thats important for realistic engraving simulations)

    Now this is how my workflow goes:
    1. I put main texture on my model.
    2. I take the image that I want to engrave on my model, make it grayscale.
    3. I set this image as bump map on my model, so the darker pixels the deeper engraving.
    4. I use this image also to put the ‘engraved texture’ on ‘main texture’, but I make so that the darker pixels the more of ‘engraved texture’ is put on ‘main texture’

    Attaching the basic material setup in blender for this.
    Also an example image of what Im working on.

    2019-09-14 at 9:05 pm #18731
    HoboCat
    Customer

    Hey scalare,
    Its good to hear that someone else is working on engraving simulations! Im working on this almost year, trying to make dynamic simulation for my co2 laser works.
    The best result for the most realistic engravings I got by using 3 textures from the start: main wood texture, engraved wood texture, image to be engraved on model.
    The engraved wood texture must be made out of main texture, but you have to make it look engraved with image editing softwares(becouse its made out of main wood texture it will keep having same wood relief and marks – thats important for realistic engraving simulations)

    Now this is how my workflow goes(in blender):
    1. I put main texture on my model.
    2. I take the image that I want to engrave on my model, make it grayscale.
    3. I set this image as bump map on my model, so the darker pixels the deeper engraving.
    4. I use this image also to put the ‘engraved texture’ on ‘main texture’, but I make so that the darker pixels the more of ‘engraved texture’ is put on ‘main texture’

    After everything I can make that the image for engraving would by changeable in browser(using puzzles and some javascript)

    Attaching the basic material setup in blender for this.
    Also an example image of what Im working on.

    2019-09-15 at 9:12 am #18743
    Yuri Kovelenov
    Staff

    Thanks for sharing your experience! We learned that the bump node does not produce good results so we are using normal map for engraving in our upcoming demo. We generate the normal map from grey-scale image using the new puzzle.

    Chief 3D Verger | LinkedIn | Twitter

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