BNA!@Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2003 6:31 pm :
So here we are with a quick and short tutorial how to create that amazing looking textures for Doom3 from 3D models.

Here are all the surce files you need:
Souce file download - 110kb

The download contains:
- a simple 3D modelled panel with approx 11k polys
- a material file for it to spare you writing one of your own
- a grey tga texture I usually use for specular map testing

Now let's go with step 1:
Create a folder structure below the base folder:
bna/panels/

Step 2:
Unzip the contents of the file in the panels folder and move the "bna.mtr" to the materials folder in your Doom directory - the rest will sit happy where it is now.

Step 3:
Open Doom, lower the console and type:
Code:
renderbumpflat bna/panels/panel_3_trip.lwo


Doom will load the 3D file "panel_3_trip.lwo" into memory and renderbump it with the default settings, which will leave you with two 256 * 256 .tga's :

A normal map named:
Code:
panel_3_trip_local.tga


And a diffuse map named:
Code:
panel_3_trip_color.tga


Now what happened?

The Doom engine took the model, extracted the color information from the polygons and rendered it to a flat color map (which will look even more unimpressive as the underlying 3D model used).

At the same time the engine computed the surface normals in our newly toy - the beloved fancy looking normal map.

When you open up DoomEd and go to the media browser you should find a folder called "bna" and a subfolder called "panels" with one material called "panel_3_flat" in it.
Make a brush, apply the texture, compile the map and see how it's looking.
Well, not overly exciting I know, but you've successfully accomplished the task of rendering a 3D model into a flat texture :)

So far so good.

What are the common pitfalls?

1st:
The 3D model has face towards the Z - axis (= looking at you in a front view camera perspective) in your 3D mesh modelling program of choice when you save it.

2nd:
Make sure you have converted all your polygons into triangles (watch out for these little 1 and 2 vertex polygons)

3rd:
I had some problems when I did set up a UV map, but don't quote me on that.

What else can you do?

The most important thing is the ability change the resolution of the rendered images.

When you type "renderbumpflat -size 1024 1024 yourmodelfile" you'll get a 1024*1024 resolution image which may be a better source file for building a texture upon it.

For other options just type "renderbumpflat" and Doom will show you the common use of the command with additional options.

Have fun and leave your questions here...



sic1@Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2003 3:35 am :
Another quality tutorial from the man, BNA! Nice dude - it's a great read... I'm gonna run through it later.



BNA!@Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2003 12:11 pm :
sic1 wrote:
Another quality tutorial from the man, BNA! Nice dude - it's a great read... I'm gonna run through it later.


Thanks - I hope you like the results...

I've created a second set of files for testing:
Download - 1.18 mb

This one contains a slightly modified model and a nice material I've created from the renderbumpflat result (to be honest - only the normal map got used).

I'd like to credit NEWTEK for their free texture set I used to create the base texture for this model.

Have fun with it!

Here's a render out of Lightwave how this could look like when used in a realtime environment:

Image



supposetobeamapper@Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2003 8:19 am :
Good stuff, BNA! I also noticed that there is a command RENDERBUMP (in addition to renderbumpFLAT). Do you know what it does? It definitely something does but I can't see any results



BNA!@Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2003 8:45 am :
supposetobeamapper wrote:
Good stuff, BNA! I also noticed that there is a command RENDERBUMP (in addition to renderbumpFLAT). Do you know what it does? It definitely something does but I can't see any results


Thanks.

Renderbump:

That's the process to generate a normal map from a high poly object and project it on the UV map of a low poly object.
You need a low poly object with a propperly set up UV map and the corresponding material shader.
In the material shader you specify the renderbump settings like image size, trace grid, clormap switch, aa (anti aliasing?), image file name and of course the path to the high poly model.

Generally speaking that's the magic process of baking surface details to a considerably less detailed surface for later per pixel lighting.



supposetobeamapper@Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2003 8:16 am :
thanks, I conjectured that it should be something like this and I hoped that you would explain me how to use it :D . Could you point an example of material you mentioned ? ORB is a good tool (BTW thank you for the link to it, too) but I got a feelling that D3’s normal map looks better.



supposetobeamapper@Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2003 1:42 pm :
Looks like you misunderstood me. I mean there is a console command:
RENDERBUMP [LOWPOLYMODEL]
If you tape it you will get message:
RENDERBUMP = (no action) and RENDERBUMP COMPLITED
but I can’t realize what was completed :D


EDIT: solved :) I have just realized and checked this out, it works and as I have been thinking it works much better then ORB



insectattack@Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2003 10:56 pm :
I´ve had enough of creating greyscale maps and converting them with the normal map plug, so i started modeling stuff and using the renderbumpflat command. The problem is:

If i use the size option to get a higher resolution it cuts off a few pixels at the bottom. Additionaly d3 has a strange display error when it´s done with the renderbumpflat, so i have to restart it every time :cry:

I´m using .ase objects, since i´m a 3dsmax user; could that be the problem??



BNA!@Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2003 6:07 am :
insectattack wrote:
If i use the size option to get a higher resolution it cuts off a few pixels at the bottom.


Make a square polygon (two tris), put it in the background away from your model and flip the surface normals so you can only see it from behind (= right throu it).
Then resize it (with constraint proportions) to extend the model you want to renderbumpflat. Now the model will act as a virtual spacer around your model. If the "frame" of your model is flat anyway, you can flip the spacer poly to look towards the cam.
This is also very handy for rendering things that aren't in 1x2 or 2x2 proportions. You can simply cut the resulting normals in photoshop and layer them with what you want.

Quote:
Additionaly d3 has a strange display error when it´s done with the renderbumpflat, so i have to restart it every time :cry:

I´m using .ase objects, since i´m a 3dsmax user; could that be the problem??


You're not alone - I've heard from other MAX users that they have .ase problems.
Can you email me a small .ase panel to test it?



insectattack@Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2003 10:48 am :
Cool idea! It works!
thanx alot BNA!

I sent you a small .ase object, so you can check for errors.
ok, i´ll go make some more models...
cu later



BNA!@Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2003 2:07 pm :
insectattack wrote:
Cool idea! It works!
thanx alot BNA!


The easiest solutions are the best :)

Quote:
I sent you a small .ase object, so you can check for errors.
ok, i´ll go make some more models...
cu later


Got it - no problems with it.

I should mention that I always have Doom running windowed when performing renderbumpflat tasks.

The console usually disappears while rendering and comes back when the tga's are written to your hdd.
Sometimes the window Doom is running in does not resize from the resolution chosen for the renderbumpflat images, but that's the only display error I've ever recieved.



DeaDite@Posted: Fri May 02, 2003 3:42 pm :
i made a human model in LW to test renderbump/renderbumpflat

no matter which way the model is facing when saved in LW when renderbump/renderbumpflat'd in d3 the tgas are always from behind the model

any help appreciated

DeaDite



BNA!@Posted: Fri May 02, 2003 3:58 pm :
Renderbumpflat is always a viewport render from Z- to Z+
This method you use when you attempt to render panels or other halfway flat models.

Renderbump is something completely different - there you have to set up a UV map for your low poly model and accompany the surface with a proper material shader and a high poly model.

Talking about two methods in one sentence doesn't help with trouble shooting, especially when you don't say what you've been trying to do.

Did you try to create a skin for a model?



rich_is_bored@Posted: Fri May 02, 2003 5:58 pm :
This is apparently the closest thing to a renderbump tutorial on the forum. Hopefully this should be enough to get you on your feet.

http://www.doom3world.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=529&highlight=renderbump

I would be willing to write up a quick tutorial on the steps involved but I am not quite as knowledgable in texturing. This is mainly attributed to the fact that I suck at making UV maps. :lol:

Now flat panels, bah. I can make those all day. :)



DeaDite@Posted: Sat May 03, 2003 10:16 am :
tell me about it rich...im pretty bad at UV maps too,i should be more ashamed tho....i have been a LW user for 4 years hehe
everytime i have tried UV mapping i found LWs method pretty cumbersome,so i recently bought DeepUV by right hemisphere ;)
hopefully at some time ill post a tutorial for modelling/texturing human/weapon models


DeaDite



BNA!@Posted: Sat May 03, 2003 10:20 am :
DeaDite wrote:
...so i recently bought DeepUV by right hemisphere ;)


And, satisfied?
I'm also unable to UV map - tried countless tutorials but the outcome of my work is pretty bad.

Quote:
hopefully at some time ill post a tutorial for modelling/texturing human/weapon models


Much appreciated!



DeaDite@Posted: Sat May 03, 2003 10:28 am :
deep uv makes life easier....its available for 30 day demo test at
http://www.righthemisphere.com

UVs are still pretty fiddly tho


DeaDite



DeaDite@Posted: Mon May 05, 2003 7:12 pm :
this is kinda outta place and maybe better suited to the lightwave part of this forum,but ill fire away anyway
http://www.flay.com have given a URL as well as a plugin for creating normal maps within lightwave,in flays own words "NormalMapCreate - main plug-in to create normal maps within Modeler.
NormalMapColor - an alternative way to create normal maps from Layout.
BumpMapCreate - a shader used with Surface Baker which allows you to add the high-res object's bump map to the low-res object's normal map.
NormalMapShader - allows you to render low-res objects using the created normal map"
the url for the plugin and the tuts is

http://amber.rc.arizona.edu/lw/normalmaps.html

the link also has a few links to possible useful tutorials for those new to lw and wanting to cut their teeth

DeaDite



levitateme@Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2003 1:03 am :
i wrote a tutorial for uv layout.

http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=76206



BNA!@Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2003 6:04 am :
levitateme wrote:
i wrote a tutorial for uv layout.

http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=76206


Nice once!
Please make a standalone post so it doesn't get lost!