polycount - User contributions [en]

Environment Concepts

2015-11-03T12:19:11Z

Nelios: Fixed polycount links

Topics about creating environment concept art for games.

__TOC__

== Environment Concept Art ==
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/82802 Where to find environment concepts?] from the Polycount forum
* [[:Category:ReferenceConcept]] = Concept art examples from games, anime, and movies.

== Landscape Painting Tutorials ==
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/73282 Digital Environment/Landscape painting for beginners] Polycount thread
* [http://www.conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=140 Enviromentoring] and [http://www.conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=42 Tutorials, Tips & Tricks] - at [http://www.conceptart.org ConceptArt.Org]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwBcssDYJ3o Whit Brachna Snowy Mountain] timelapse video with voiceover - by ''[http://brushbook.com Whit Brachna]'' ([http://www.youtube.com/user/MassiveDVD#g/u more freebies from Massive Black])
* [http://artpad.org/wordpress/wp-content/gallery/old-work/step%20by%20step.jpg Coastline] step by step image - by ''[http://artpad.org Jaime Jones]'' ([http://artpad.org/wordpress/wp-content/gallery/2005-2007/coastline2.jpg final])
* [http://daarken.com/flash2005/tutorials/fire_escape_02.pdf Fire Escape] step by step image - by ''[http://daarken.com/ Daarken]''
* [http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/store/category/43/Feng-Zhu Concept Design Video Tutorials] ($) - by ''[http://www.artbyfeng.com/ Feng Zhu]''
* [http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/store/product/55/The-Techniques-of-Dylan-Cole-1 Introduction to Landscape Matte Painting] ($) - by ''[http://www.dylancolestudio.com/ Dylan Cole]''

== More Information ==
* [[:Category:GameDesign#Level_Design|Level Design]] = How to design game environments.
* [[Concept Fundamentals]] = The basics of concept drawing and painting.
* [[:Category:Reference]] = Reference imagery: photos, concept art, texture sites, etc.
* [[:Category:ReferenceConcept]] = Concept art examples from games, anime, and movies.
* [[:Category:TextureTechnique]] = Texturing techniques commonly used in game development.
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/65614 Painting Tutorials] thread on the Polycount forum = Links to more painting tutorials.

[[Category:Concept]] [[Category:Environment]]

Environment Texturing

2015-11-03T12:17:50Z

Nelios: Fixed polycount links

Topics about texturing levels and environments in games.

== Environment Texturing Tutorials ==
* [https://environmentart.wordpress.com/ Environment Art Blog] - by [http://www.richardpipespiper.com/ Richard 'pipes' Piper] and [http://onlinewarriors.beyondunreal.com/ Rogelio 'rogelio' Olguin], also see the [http://polycount.com/discussion/143337 Polycount Forum thread].
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/89682 An exercise in modular textures - Scifi lab UDK] - by [http://www.torfrick.com/ Tor 'Snefer' Frick], an exercise in extreme texture atlasing, packing multiple maps into the four channels of a texture file.
* [http://www.mapcore.org/page/features/_/articles/technical-breakdown-assassins-creed-ii-r24 Technical breakdown: Assassin's Creed II] - by [http://www.froyok.fr/ Piquet 'Froyok' Fabrice], a dissection of the textures used in Assassins Creed, with a great video showing texture reuse in-game.
* [http://freesdk.crydev.net/display/SDKDOC3/Using+Decals+for+Destroyed+Structures Using Decals for Destroyed Structures] - from the [http://freesdk.crydev.net/display/SDKDOC3/Home CryENGINE Art Asset Creation Guide]
* [http://www.philipk.net/tutorials/materials/materials.html Material Tutorials] - by [http://www.philipk.net Philip 'PhilipK' Klevestav]
* [http://vimeo.com/9067032 Texture Workflow videos] - by [http://www.hitenmistry.com/ Hiten 'Mistry10' Mistry], from the Polycount thread [http://polycount.com/discussion/69850 Mistry's Texture Workflow w/Video]
* [http://www.game-artist.net/forums/tutorials/182-step-step-techniques-tiling-textures-3ds-max.html Creating tiling textures in 3dsmax] - by [http://chrisholden.net/ Chris 'cholden' Holden]
* [http://poopinmymouth.com/process/tips/thirding.jpg Thirding - Utilizing your texture space for environment work] - by [http://poopinmymouth.com/ Ben 'poopinmymouth' Mathis]
* [http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=46&t=373024 Hard Surface Texture Painting] - by [http://stefan-morrell.cgsociety.org/gallery/ Stefan Morrell]
* [http://www.doom3world.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=17688 Tutorial: Brick Arch (Baking Multiple Maps in 3dsmax)] - by [http://polycount.com/profile/mikebart 'mikebart']
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/756818/#Comment_756818 Using vertex blending to grunge a level and add variety] - by [http://www.strangefate.com/ Mario 'StrangeFate' Vazquez]
* [http://www.moddb.com/tutorials/lighting-in-game-environments-the-hows-and-whys Lighting in game environments] - by [http://www.hourences.com Sjoerd 'hourences' De Jong]
* [http://www.amazon.com/Painting-Light-John-Alton/dp/0520089499 Painting with Light] - by the cinematographer John Alton.
* [http://dl.dropbox.com/u/448525/keep/Polycount/Modular%20Texture%20Optimization.jpg Modular Texture Optimization] - by [http://www.pixelsnader.nl/ Sander 'Snader' te Hennepe]

== More Information ==
* [[Concept Fundamentals]]
* [[:Category:EnvironmentModularity]]
* [[EnvironmentSculpting]]
* [[:Category:TextureTechnique]]
* [[TexturingTutorials]]

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[[Category:Environment]][[Category:EnvironmentTexturing]][[Category:Texturing]]

FaceTopology

2015-11-03T12:10:52Z

Nelios: Fixed polycount links

Examples of good face [[Topology]].

== See Also ==
* [[BodyTopology]]
* [[FaceTopology]]
* [[Limb Topology]]
* [[ShoulderTopology]]
* [[SphereTopology]]

* [[Anatomy Reference]]
* [[BaseMesh]]
* [[ReTopologyModeling]]
* [[Subdivision Surface Modeling]]

== Topology Examples ==

[[image:TomCrazyfoolParker_topology_breakdown.jpg|frame|left| Image by [https://tomparkersartdump.wordpress.com/ Tom "crazyfool" Parker]. See the Polycount thread [http://polycount.com/discussion/80005 Face Topology Breakdown Guide]. ]] 

[[image:Luis_Antonio_Facetopo.jpg|frame|left| Image by [http://artofluis.com/ Luis Antonio]. See the Polycount thread [http://polycount.com/discussion/80005 Face Topology Breakdown Guide]. ]] 

[[image:LeeAlmighty_girDevonald_conquest_heads_sneak_peak.png|frame|left| Image by [http://crazyferretstudios.com/ Lee "Almighty_gir" Devonald]. See the Polycount thread [http://polycount.com/discussion/80005 Face Topology Breakdown Guide]. ]] 

[[image:TamasVargatomVarga_blackbeard_wireframe.jpg|frame|left|Topology from the announcement trailer for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Image by [http://www.digicpictures.com/ Digic Pictures]. See the Polycount thread [http://polycount.com/discussion/80005 Face Topology Breakdown Guide]. ]] 

[[image:MalcolmAndrieshyn_gears3_topology.jpg|frame|left| Gears of War 3 topology. Image by [http://malcom341.com/ MalcolmAndrieshyn]. See the Polycount thread [http://polycount.com/discussion/80005 Face Topology Breakdown Guide]. ]] 

[[image:MassEffect3_SniperMesh.jpg|frame|left|The sniper from Mass Effect 3. See the Polycount thread [http://polycount.com/discussion/80005 Face Topology Breakdown Guide ]. Image by [http://masseffect.bioware.com/ BioWare].]] 

[[image:ex_head_wireframe.gif|frame|left|Head wireframe examples. Image by [http://www.poopinmymouth.com Ben 'poopinmymouth' Mathis].]] 

[[image:uncharted2_face.jpg|frame|left|Face model from [http://www.unchartedthegame.com/U2AT/ ''Uncharted 2'']. Image by [http://www.naughtydog.com/ Naughty Dog].]] 

[[image:bunk_poly_regions.jpg|frame|left|[http://forums.cgsociety.org/showpost.php?p=399351&postcount=82 More info in this CGTalk post]. Image by [http://forums.cgsociety.org/member.php?userid=7077 'bunk'].]] 

[[image:bunk_minimum_1.jpg|frame|left| Image by [http://forums.cgsociety.org/member.php?userid=7077 'bunk'].]] 

[[image:bunk_genericmesh.jpg|frame|left| Image by [http://forums.cgsociety.org/member.php?userid=7077 'bunk'].]] 

[[image:AndrewCamenisch_polywireBig.jpg|frame|left| Image by [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1531253/ Andrew Camenisch].]] 

[[image:xsi_female_head.jpg|frame|left| Image by (artist unknown).]] 

[[image:phreaknasty_cmw_fat.jpg|frame|left| Images by [http://forums.cgsociety.org/member.php?userid=1427 Care 'phreaknasty' Michaud].]] 

[[image:topo_samurai-spina.jpg|frame|left| Image by [http://sheaspina.com/ Shea 'spindraft' Spina].]] 

== Facial Features ==

[[image:mathis_eye_construction.jpg|frame|left|[http://www.poopinmymouth.com/process/eyes/ng_eyes.htm Next-gen eye tutorial], also see the [http://polycount.com/discussion/97962 Polycount forum thread]. Image by [http://www.poopinmymouth.com Ben 'poopinmymouth' Mathis].]] [[image:mathis_eye_beauty.jpg|frame|left|[http://www.poopinmymouth.com/process/eyes/ng_eyes.htm Next-gen eye tutorial], also see the [http://polycount.com/discussion/97962 Polycount forum thread]. Image by [http://www.poopinmymouth.com Ben 'poopinmymouth' Mathis].]] 

[[image:arshlevon_eye_construction.jpg|frame|left| Eye modeling method for Resistance 3, info in this [http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1568678/#Comment_1568678 Polycount forum thread]. Image by [http://arshlevon.cgsociety.org Samuel "arshlevon" Sharit].]] [[image:arshlevon_eye_beauty.jpg|frame|left| Eye modeling method for Resistance 3, info in this [http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1568678/#Comment_1568678 Polycount forum thread]. Image by [http://arshlevon.cgsociety.org Samuel "arshlevon" Sharit].]] 

[[image:topo_larking-eye.jpg|frame|left| Image by [http://www.subdivisionmodeling.com/forums/member.php?u=173 A. 'Larky' Larking].]] 
[[image:topo_larking-mouth.jpg|frame|left| Image by [http://www.subdivisionmodeling.com/forums/member.php?u=173 A. 'Larky' Larking].]] 
[[image:topo_larking-nose.jpg|frame|left| Image by [http://www.subdivisionmodeling.com/forums/member.php?u=173 A. 'Larky' Larking].]] 

[[image:AndrewCamenisch_nose_wire.jpg|frame|left| Image by [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1531253/ Andrew Camenisch].]] 

[[image:JuliusHettig_game-teeth.jpg|frame|left|Low-poly teeth.Image by [http://www.juliushettig.com/ Julius 'Quasar' Hettig].]] 

[[image:ama_teeth.jpg|frame|left|Teeth anatomy. Image by [http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZTD0TCGJC&sub_cat=525 The American Medical Association].]] 

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[[Category:Topology]]

CharacterSculpting

2015-11-03T12:06:29Z

Nelios: Fixed polycount links (and a typo)

Character sculpting is the process of creating a high-resolution 3D model with a series of painting strokes, using [[Tools#3D_Sculpting_Software|3D sculpting software]]. Usually the details from these models are [[Texture Baking|baked]] into a [[Normal map]] for a lower-resolution in-game model.

__TOC__

== Sculpting Tutorials ==
These tutorials cover hard-to-find subject matter, or they offer in-depth explanations of reasoning and technique. If you're looking for music-only timelapse head sculpt videos, they're widely available [http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&tbs=vid:1&q=time+lapse+head+sculpt elsewhere].

* [[Image:sculpt_zbrushclothestutorial.png]] [http://www.selwy.com/2009/zbrush-clothes-tutorial/ ZBrush Clothes Tutorial] - by ''[http://www.selwy.com Benjamin "Selwy" Leitgeb]''. In-depth tutorial about how to model folds, with references and videos.
* [[Image:sculpt_mashrumishuclothing.png]] [http://www.fx81.com/blog.htm Shirt, Pants, Facial Sculpting Timelapse Videos] - by ''[http://www.fx81.com/info.htm Mashru "MM" Mishu]''. Silent timelapse videos showing the sculpting of clothing and facial features.
* [[Image:sculpt_zbrushfurfabtorres.png]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcNnCCpNaco Fur Tutorial timelapse] - by ''[http://www.youtube.com/user/fabtorres fabtorres]''. Silent timelapse showing the sculpting of a small section of fur on a sphere.
* [[Image:sculpt_zbrushintrobook.png]] [http://www.amazon.com/Introducing-ZBrush-Eric-Keller/dp/0470262796 Introducing ZBrush] - by ''[http://www.bloopatone.com/blog/ Eric Keller]''. ($) Book with in-depth introduction to ZBrush 3.1 (ZBrushCentral [http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?t=64373 thread here]).
* [[Image:sculpt_repeatedpatterns.png]] [http://polycount.com/discussion/71712 Sculpting methods for repeated patterns] - Polycount Forum thread. How to lay down a repeating pattern like scales, knitted cloth, fur, etc.

== Hard-Surface Sculpting ==
Most mechanical modeling is done with [[Subdivision Surface Modeling]] but digital sculpting apps can also be used for mechanical work. [http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1681271/#Comment_1681271 A great post the explains why sub-d is better].

* [[Image:sculpt_cardwellmudboxhardsurfaces.png]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=126YvIpwXHQ Mudbox - Hardsurface Forms - Freestyle] - by ''[http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/dave-cardwell/1/318/b0b Dave Cardwell]'' In-depth video tutorial with voice-over.
* [[Image:sculpt_mechanicalmoondonghwa.png]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Skp_HSyCV0E ZBrush - Mechanical Sculpting timelapse] - by ''[http://blog.naver.com/dilblo moondonghwa]'' Music-only timelapse showing bio-mechanical sculpting techniques.
* [[Image:sculpt_preservinghardedges.png]] [http://vimeo.com/9473973 ZBrush - Preserving Hard Edges From Maya To ZBrush] - by ''[http://vimeo.com/nickz Nick Zuccarello]''In-depth video tutorial with voice-over.
* [[Image:sculpt_hardedgehighpoly.png]] [http://polycount.com/discussion/47041 Hard edge - highpoly] - a Polycount Forum thread.

== More Information ==
* [[Tools#3D_Sculpting_Software]]
* [[BaseMesh]]
* [[:Category:Topology]]
* [[EnvironmentSculpting]]
* [[ReTopologyModeling]]
* [[SubdivisionSurfaceModeling]]

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[[Category:Character]] [[Category:CharacterModeling]]

Concept Reference

2015-11-03T12:02:10Z

Nelios: /* Inspirational Art */ Fixed polycount links (except polycount recaps, tags not working)

Concept art examples from games, anime, and movies.

== Anime Character Sheets ==
* [http://www.anime-model-sheets.com/ Anime Model Sheets] Anime character sheets and photos of mech models.
* [http://www.the-blueprints.com/ The-Blueprints.com] Over 40,000 vehicle templates, blueprints, and character sheets.

== Game Concept Galleries ==
* [http://www.creativeuncut.com/game-art-galleries.html Creative Uncut - Video Game Art Galleries] Concept art, character sheets, matte paintings, etc. for a variety of games.
* [http://www.neoseeker.com/Games/concept_art/ Neoseeker - Games Concept Art Gallery] Concept art, character sheets, matte paintings, etc. for a variety of games.
* [http://fengzhudesign.blogspot.com/2011/06/duke-nukem-forever-concept-art.html Duke Nukem Forever concept art from Feng Zhu]

== Inspirational Art ==
(alphabetical)
* [https://www.artstation.com/ ArtStation]
* [http://forums.cgsociety.org/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=137 CG Choice Gallery: 2D, Illustrations and Concept Art]
* [http://conceptartworld.com Concept Art World]
* [http://www.conceptroot.com Concept Root]
* [http://www.gameartisans.org/showcase/index.php?artwork_cat=0&more_awarded=1 GameArtisans.org: Showcase Galleries]
* [http://www.mattepainting.org/ MattePainting.Org]
* Polycount Forums: [http://polycount.com/categories/2d-art-showcase-critiques 2D Art Showcase & Critiques], [http://polycount.com/categories/digital-sketchbooks Digital Sketchbooks], [http://polycount.com/categories/featured-artwork Featured Artwork]
* [http://www.polycount.com/tag/recap/ Polycount Recaps]
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/82802 Where to find environment concepts?] Polycount Forum thread
* [http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc-top-row-gallery.php ZBrushCentral - Top Row]

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[[Category:Reference]] [[Category:Concept]]

Cube map

2015-11-03T11:58:37Z

Nelios: Fixed polycount links

A cubemap is six images that are mapped onto a cube, creating a 360° panorama. Cubemaps are supported natively in graphics hardware so they're really quick to transform and render, because of this there's a unified method for rendering them in games.

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
| [[Image:cubemap_Sorsele_humus.jpg]]
|-
| A cubemap in horizontal-cross format. Image by [http://www.humus.name Emil 'Humus' Persson]
|}

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|-
|}

The cube is usually centered on the current viewpoint or camera. This means, when used as a backdrop or skybox it always appears infinitely distant. If you turn on wireframe mode in any 3d engine using a cubemap skybox, you'll see the geometry of the box. In the end it's just a regular mesh object.

== Reflections & Lighting ==
When used for reflections, the reflection cubemap is usually centered on the mesh object. The viewing angle bounces off the mesh surface at an angle opposite to the surface normals, so it points to particular parts of the cube map.

Cubemaps can also be used for soft ambient-occlusion-like environment lighting, by using a [[Diffusely convolved cube map|diffusely convolved cubemap]].

Another method is a [[Spherical environment map]], which maps a single image to use as a reflection similar to the behavior of a [[Billboard]].

== Creating Cubemaps ==

=== Layouts ===
Different tools expect different cubemap layouts.
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|-
| '''Cubemapgen'''
| '''3ds Max'''
| '''Maya'''
| '''CryENGINE 3'''
| '''Unity'''
|-
| +X
| _RT
|
|
| Left -X
|-
| -X
| _LF
|
|
| Right +X
|-
| +Y
| _UP
|
|
| Top +Y
|-
| -Y
| _DN
|
|
| Bottom -Y
|-
| +Z
| _BK
|
|
| Front (+Z)
|-
| -Z
| _FR
|
|
| Back (-Z)
|}

=== Angular Distortion ===
A cube map has to be created with some angular distortion in order to display a seamless panoramic image.

A cube map is always displayed from a viewpoint in the center of a cube mesh. This means the center of each cube face is closer to you than the edges and corners are. To counteract this, a cube map needs angular distortion.

This distortion becomes more obvious when you view it at any other angle, other than from the center of a cube.

[[Image:cubemap_angular_distortion.jpg|left|thumb|600px|A cubemap shows its distortion along the edges of each bitmap. Image by [http://ericchadwick.com Eric Chadwick].]]

[[Image:cubemap_from_center.jpg|left|thumb|600px|The distortion disappears when viewed from the center of the cube. Image by [http://ericchadwick.com Eric Chadwick].]]

[[Image:cubemap_off_center.jpg|left|thumb|600px|The cube becomes obvious if viewed away from the center. Image by [http://ericchadwick.com Eric Chadwick].]]
 

=== Cube Map Formats ===
The bitmaps for each of the six sides need to be square, each needs to be powers-of-two in size (128, 256, 512, etc.), and all six images need to be the same resolution.

Usually for games you store the bitmaps all in one file using [[DDS]] or another compressed format, though some editors prefer them stored as six separate bitmaps (then compress them internally).

=== 3ds Max ===
There are multiple ways to create cubemaps in 3ds Max.

# [[#Metal Bump9|Metal Bump9]] ... saves directly into DDS cubemap format, but it's limited to 256x256 and you can't set the [[DDS]] compression format (it always uses ARGB, which is uncompressed).
# [[#Reflect/Refract Map|Reflect/Refract Map]] ... more steps, but you're not limited to a particular resolution or format. However, does not support more than 24bit color, you can't output HDR with it. Also V-Ray does not support the Reflect/Refract map.
# [[#Create Six Cameras|Create six cameras]] ... a lot more work, but you can render HDR output, and use any renderer you wish. Here's a zip file with the six cameras: [http://www.ericchadwick.com/examples/files/cameras_six_for_rendering_cube_views.zip cameras_six_for_rendering_cube_views.zip]

3ds Max can display cubemap reflections in real-time if you use the DDS cubemap format and a DirectX Shader material.

==== Metal Bump9 ====
# Setup a 3D scene you wish to render into a cubemap.
# Place some type of object at the viewpoint you wish to render the cubemap from, for example a camera or a point helper or a geometric object. The orientation of the object doesn't matter, and the object itself won't be rendered into the cubemap.
# Create a Standard material, open the DirectX Manager rollout, and change the None flyout to Metal Bump9.
# Press ''Pick object and create'' and select the object.
# Choose a name and a location to render to.

3ds Max will render it directly into DDS cubemap format, but it's limited to 256x256, and you can't set the DDS compression (it uses ARGB).

==== Reflect/Refract Map ====
# Setup a 3D scene you wish to render into a cubemap.
# Place some type of object at the viewpoint you wish to render the cubemap from, for example a camera or a point helper or a geometric object. The object itself won't be rendered into the cubemap.
# Setup your rendering options (texture filtering, anti-aliasing, etc.).
# Create a Standard material and load a Reflect/Refract map into any slot.
# In the map, set ''Source'' = ''From File''.
# Set the ''Size'' spinner to the resolution you want to render. If you're going to use the cubemap for a game it should be a powers-of-two number (128, 256, 512, etc.).
# Use the ''Render Cubic Map Files / To File:'' button to set the prefix name and bitmap format to render to.
# Press ''Pick Object and Render Maps'' and select the viewpoint object.

The six rendered bitmaps will automatically be loaded into the Reflect/Refect map, or you can convert them into a DDS cubemap with Dxtex or another tool.

Warning: The render cannot be canceled once the object is picked, so save your Max file before rendering, in case Max freezes!

* [https://judegodin.wordpress.com/2011/12/06/how-the-hell-do-i-make-a-cubemap/ How the Hell do I make a cubemap with my own art?] by [https://judegodin.wordpress.com Jude Godin] walks through the process step-by-step, to create a hand-painted cubemap.

==== Create Six Cameras ====
* Here's a zip file with the six cameras: [http://www.ericchadwick.com/examples/files/cameras_six_for_rendering_cube_views.zip cameras_six_for_rendering_cube_views.zip]
* Adaptive renderers may create seams, because the lighting calculations are done individually for each camera. You may be able to solve this by pre-caching the lighting passes. V-Ray can render a single panoramic camera, which can be converted into cube faces, see [http://renderstuff.com/creating-virtual-360-panorama-cg-tutorial/ 360 panorama in 3ds Max tutorial].

==== V-Ray Cube Map Rendering ====
You can use V-Ray's [http://docs.chaosgroup.com/display/VRAY3/Camera#Camera-CameraType "Box" camera type] to render a cubemap with no lighting seams. Because V-Ray uses Global Illumination, if you try to use six cameras it will add seams between the six separate lighting solutions.

The tutorial: '''[http://www.pixelsonic.com/2011/04/360%C2%B0-in-3ds-max-with-vray-2/ 360° in 3Ds Max with VRay – Pixelsonic]''' explains how to use the Spherical camera type, but this will create blurry/smeared poles, which look terrible when converted into cube faces. Their example panorama avoids the errors because it has a flat-colored floor. But if there was a pattern there (grass, carpet, etc.) it would show the poles to be very obviously stretched.

To render seamless cubemaps in V-Ray:
# Place a VRayPhysicalCamera in your scene, pointing where you want the cube's Front to be.
# Render Setup:
#* Output Size = 3x wide, 4x tall. For example, if you want 1024x1024 for each cube face, then render 3072x4096.
#* Save File = set your filename, location, format. This is for the vertical cubecross format, which V-Ray creates.
#* V-Ray tab, V-Ray:: Camera, Type = Box, Override FOV = 90.
# Render.

If you need to convert the vertical cubecross into six cube faces, you can use the Material Editor to do it:
# Load the cubecross bitmap in the Material Editor.
# U Tiling = 0.33333
# V Tiling = 0.25
# Turn on Auto Key to animate the following:
#* To see the +X cube face, at frame 0... U Offset = 1.0, V Offset = -0.5, W Angle = 0.
#* To see the -X cube face, at frame 1... U Offset -1.0, V Offset -0.5, W Angle 0.
#* To see the +Y cube face, at frame 2... U Offset 0, V Offset 1.5, W Angle 180.
#* To see the -Y cube face, at frame 3... U Offset 0, V Offset -0.5, W Angle 180.
#* To see the +Z cube face, at frame 4... U Offset 0, V Offset -1.5, W Angle 180.
#* To see the -Z cube face, at frame 5... U Offset 0, V Offset -0.5, W Angle 0.
# Right-click on the sample image, Render Map, Range = 0-5, Dimensions = (choose your resolution), Files = (set file prefix, location, format).
# Render.
#* This will create six perfectly-seamless cube faces.
#* This animation setup will work with any resolution cubecross. Simply replace the bitmap, and re-render the same animation.

==== 3ds Max to Unity ====
* [http://www.pixelenvision.com/2242/maxscript-vray-cubemap-generator-for-unity/ Maxscript – Vray Cubemap Generator for Unity] creates a default 3ds Max camera at the origin and renders six cubemap faces, named to match Unity's convention.

=== DxTex ===
Microsoft's DxTex offers a way to create a single DDS cube bitmap from six bitmaps. DxTex is automatically installed when you install the [http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/directx/aa937788.aspx DirectX SDK]. Once installed it will be found in the folder (SDK root)\Utilities\Bin\x86 or x64. Use the x86 version unless you're running a 64bit OS. There's also a DDS plugin for Photoshop in the SDK, it expects a 1x6 layout in Photoshop:
* +X
* -X
* +Y
* -Y
* +Z
* -Z
The DDS format does not actually store the images in a horizontal layout... each image is stored as a separate layer or slice in the DDS file. The DxTex plugin merely lays them out horizontally to make the cubemap easier to edit in Photoshop.

How to compile a DDS cubemap in DxTex:

# Open an existing texture by selecting the File -> Open... menu item.
# Select the Format -> Make Into Cube Map... menu item.
# The current texture will occupy one face of the cube map. From the dialog that pops up, select which face you want the texture to occupy, and click OK.
# For each of the other cube faces, select the View->Cube Map Face menu item and select a face from the list that appears.
# Select the File->Open Onto This Cubemap Face... menu item and select a texture to open from the dialog that pops up.

=== Hugin ===
Hugin can be used to convert a 3ds Max cube map into a rectilinear panorama:
# Make sure the six cube map image files are in TIF format. Hugin doesn't load TGA.
# Start Hugin.
# "Images" tab.
# Load the six images.
# Yaw and Pitch:
1.a. _BK = Yaw 0, Pitch 0
1.a. _DN = Yaw 0, Pitch -90
1.a. _FR = Yaw 180, Pitch 0
1.a. _LF = Yaw -90, Pitch 0
1.a. _RT = Yaw 90, Pitch 0
1.a. _UP = Yaw 0, Pitch 90
# Feature Matching = Align image stack.
# "Camera and Lens" tab.
# Lens type = Normal rectilinear.
# Degrees of view = 90.
# "Stitcher" tab.
1/ Projection = Equirectangular.
# Canvas size = 4x the width of a single cube map image, 2x the height.
# Panorama Outputs = High dynamic range.
# Stitch!
# Use [[XnView]] to convert to low dynamic range (Gamma 1.66 seems good).

=== Lys ===
"Lys is an ultra-fast GPU powered solution that sets the standard for generating Radiance, Irradiance and Specular textures from panoramic, Sphere or 2d cube map cross source textures for use with HDR Image Based Lighting."

* [http://polycount.com/discussion/148953 Lys 1.0 Released!]

[[image:Lys_axis_rotation_3_855px.jpg|left|thumb|600px|Image by [http://www.metalliandy.com/ Andy "metalliandy Davies].]] 

=== Maya ===
The easiest way to render a Maya scene into a cubemap is to use six cameras, then stitch the six images together into a cubemap.

Workflow tips can be found in the Polycount thread [[http://polycount.com/discussion/75213|[Maya 2009] how to render an environment map?]].

=== Photoshop ===
The [http://developer.nvidia.com/nvidia-texture-tools-adobe-photoshop NVIDIA DDS plugin for Photoshop] is one way to create DDS cubemaps. It expects you to lay out the faces of the cubemap horizontally: +X -X +Y -Y +Z -Z. In 3ds Max terms this is: RT, LF, UP, DN, BK, FR.

The DDS format does not actually store the images in a horizontal layout... each image is stored as a separate layer or slice in the DDS file. The Nvidia plugin merely lays them out horizontally to make the cubemap easier to edit in Photoshop.

=== Unreal Engine ===
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/139823 Baking cubemaps inside UE4]

== Cubemap Seams ==
Cubemaps can show seams along the edges of the cube if they aren't mapped properly.

When a cubemap is rendered automatically in graphics hardware by a game engine, it will be seamless because it uses the '''Clamp''' uv address mode.

However if an artist manually creates a cube mesh and maps the six bitmaps onto it, usually this will cause seams from texture filtering. By default most materials use the '''Wrap''' uv address mode, which allows a texture to tile across a mesh. With a cubemap however this causes a sliver of the opposite side of each texture to be filtered into each edge. If your material has the option to use Clamp instead of Wrap, this will remove the seams.

There are some solutions for this:
# Set the texture coordinate address mode to Clamp instead of Wrap. Then the edge pixels will be sampled instead of the opposite side.
# 3ds Max doesn't support Wrap mode, but it does have Mirror mode. Use a Multi/Sub-Object material to apply the six cube faces to a Box model, and adjust the bitmap coordinates for each of the six bitmaps: change all four Offset and Tiling spinners to .5, and turn on both Mirror checkboxes.
# For each face of the cube: increase the canvas size by a couple pixels all around, copy the edge pixels out a couple times, scale each face bitmap back down to a powers-of-two size, and scale the UVs down a little too. The [http://www.imgtec.com/powervr/insider/ PowerVR SDK] has a tutorial about this in their docs.

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
| [[image:cubemap_powervr_seams.jpg]]
|-
| Seams on the edges of a cubemap. Image by [http://www.imgtec.com/powervr/insider/ PowerVR]
|}
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
| [[image:cubemap_powervr_borders.jpg]]
|-
| Seams fixed via method 3. Image by [http://www.imgtec.com/powervr/insider/ PowerVR]
|}

== Resources ==
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/96380 Big cube map pack] free cubemaps by [http://www.humus.name Emil 'Humus' Persson] and [http://www.kostas.se/ Kostas 'kodde' Gialitakis]
* [http://cgtextures.com/textures.php?t=browse&q=23740 CG Textures - Panoramic Skies] free sky panoramas.
* [http://www.philohome.com/skycollec/skycollec.htm Philo's Sky Collection] free sky panoramas.
* [https://doschdesign.com/products/hdri?subrubrik=67 Dosch Design HDR Sets] ($) HDR sky panoramas.
* [http://hyperfocal.vismasters.com/catalog/products/hyperfocal-hdri-skies_3611.aspx Hyperfocal Design: Hyperfocal HDRI Skies] (S) HDR sky panoramas.
* [http://www.marlinstudios.com/products/pano/pano.htm Marlin Studios Panoramica] ($) sky panoramas.
* [http://www.schloerb.com/Dreamscape2/ Johannes Schlörb: Dreamscape 2.1 Immersive Sky Backgrounds] ($) CG sky panoramas.
* [http://www.1000skies.com/ 1000 Skies] ($) sky panoramas.
* [http://vterrain.org/Atmosphere/ Virtual Terrain Project: Sky / Atmospheric Rendering] has links to sky texture sites.

== Tutorials ==
* [https://judegodin.wordpress.com/2011/12/06/how-the-hell-do-i-make-a-cubemap/ How the Hell do I make a cubemap with my own art?] by [http://judegodin.wordpress.com Jude Godin]
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/147893 Abstract skybox creation] on the Polycount forum.
* [[Diffusely convolved cube map]] wiki page describes how to downsample cubemaps to use for lighting.
* [http://www.zdepth.ch/tutorial/an-introduction-to-cube-mapping/ An introduction to cubemaps - Tutorial] by [http://www.zdepth.ch/about/ Zeller Samuel]. A great introduction to cubemaps.
* [http://www.cgtextures.com/content.php?action=tutorial&name=cubemaps Cubemaps Tutorial] by CGTextures.com. Tutorial using Photoshop, NVIDIA's Photoshop plugin, and [[CubeMapGen]] to convert cubemaps into various layouts.
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/82620 Correct uvmapping for a cub to preview cubemap] on the Polycount forum.
* [http://vterrain.org/Atmosphere/ Virtual Terrain Project: Sky / Atmospheric Rendering] has many links to sky rendering resources.
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/45543 360 HDR skies for sale?] from the [http://polycount.com/forum Polycount forums] has a tutorial and links about photographing HDR skies.
* [http://www.outpt.co.uk/how-to-create-a-terragen-2-skybox/ How to: Create a Terragen 2 Skybox] by ''[http://www.outpt.co.uk/about/ Outpt]''.
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=qU0hdaFARQo 3dmotive.com - Creating a Skydome] is a tutorial for converting a latlong sky into a spheremap layout and mapping it to a dome mesh with Photoshop and 3ds Max. [https://www.3dmotive.com/freebies More free tutorials here].
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/68600 Skymap workflow] by ''[http://polycount.com/profile/divi divi]'' is a quick tutorial about converting a latlong sky into a square dome-like layout that uses all the texture space. [[attachment:Skymap_workflow.pdf|PDF here]]
* [http://www.outpt.co.uk/how-to-convert-a-skybox-to-a-skydome/ How to: Convert a Skybox to a Skydome] by ''[http://www.outpt.co.uk/about/ Outpt]'' is an in-depth tutorial about converting a cubemap into a latlong image with [http://developer.amd.com/gpu/cubemapgen/pages/default.aspx CubeMapGen], HDRShop, Photoshop, and Unreal.
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/74503 Environment Cube Maps: HDR VS LDR] thread on the Polycount forum.

== Software ==
* [http://www.outerspace-software.com/bixorama.html Bixorama] ($) panorama conversion utility (warning... conversions are aliased and jaggy).
* [http://developer.amd.com/gpu/cubemapgen/pages/default.aspx CubeMapGen] from AMD.
* [http://seblagarde.wordpress.com/2012/06/10/amd-cubemapgen-for-physically-based-rendering/ Cubemapgen physically based rendering mod] by Sébastien Lagarde.
* [http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/directx/aa937788.aspx DirectX SDK] has the DxTex tool from Microsoft.
* [http://developer.nvidia.com/nvidia-texture-tools-adobe-photoshop DDS plugin for Photoshop] from NVIDIA.
* [http://www.flamingpear.com/flexify.html Flexify] ($) conversion filter for Photoshop.
* [http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/32849-To-stupid-to-use-Generate-Cubemap-the-right-way Generate Cubemap] conversion tool for Unity
* [http://www.hdrshop.com/ HDR Shop] ($) older version is free for non-commercial use.
* [http://hugin.sourceforge.net/ Hugin] stitching and conversion tool. [http://wiki.panotools.org/Extracting_and_inserting_rectilinear_Views#Inserting_cubefaces_again How to convert a cubemap into a panorama].
* [https://www.knaldtech.com/lys/ Lys] ($) GPU powered solution that generates Radiance, Irradiance and Specular textures from panoramic, Sphere or 2d cube map cross source textures for use with HDR Image Based Lighting.
* [http://ggnome.com/pano2vr Pano2VR] ($) conversion tool, used by CGTextures for all their panoramic conversions.
* [http://wiki.panotools.org/PanoCube PanoCube] ($) conversion tool.
* [http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/Planettool Planettool] command line conversion tool.
* [http://www.skypaint.com/ Skypaint] ($) cube map painting tool that requires Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, or Photo Paint.
* [http://www.planetside.co.uk/ Terragen] is another popular skydome creation tool.
* [http://www.e-onsoftware.com/products/ Vue] is a popular skydome creation tool.

----
[[Category:TextureFormat]] [[Category:Texturing]] [[Category:Environment]]

ChannelPacking

2015-11-03T11:51:38Z

Nelios: Fixed links

Channel packing means using different grayscale images in each of a texture's image channels... Red, Green, Blue, and optionally Alpha.

These channels are usually used to represent traditional RGB color data, plus Alpha transparency. However each channel is really just a grayscale image, so different types of image data can be stored in them.

Individual channels can be extracted by a [[Shaders|shader]] to use them for particular effects, for example the red channel for glow, green channel for specular, blue channel for sound types, alpha channel for physics info, etc. Each channel can have a totally different layout, and thus use different [[TextureCoordinates|UVs]].

Games use this technique to avoid loading separate grayscale images, which saves [[Memory]]. However this does increase shader complexity, which can increase [[GameRenderingTerminology#Draw Call|draw calls]].

[[RMA]] is a type of packed map which contains [[Roughness map|Roughness]] + [[Metallic map|Metallic]] + [[Ambient occlusion map|Ambient occlusion]], which are used with [[PBR]] (Physically Based Rendering).

== Examples ==
[[image:SneferTileExplain.jpg|thumb|600px|left|Two channel-packed textures, which store a total of six unique textures, see [http://polycount.com/discussion/89682 An exercise in modular textures - Scifi lab UDK] on the Polycount Forum. Image by [http://www.torfrick.com/ Tor 'Snefer' Frick].]] 

[[image:DistingTileExplain.jpg|thumb|400px|left|A channel-packed texture used to texture an entire scene, see [http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1588220/#Comment_1588220 [UDK] Oil Rig Observation Outpost] on the Polycount Forum. Image by [http://artbywiktor.com/ Wiktor 'Disting' Öhman].]] 

[[image:Marcan-MassEffect3-swizzle.jpg|thumb|600px|left|A channel-packed texture used in Mass Effect 3, see [http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1881634/#Comment_1881634 Mass Effect 3 art - Marc-Antoine Hamelin] on the Polycount Forum. Image by [http://www.marc-antoine.ca/ Marc-Antoine 'Marcan' Hamelin].]] 

== Compression Artifacts ==
If you save a channel-packed texture using [[DXT]] compression, it will probably add blocky artifacts to your maps. To learn how to reduce these errors, see [[Normal Map Compression]].

== Tools ==
* [http://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/channel-basics.html Photoshop alpha channels]
* [http://docs.gimp.org/en/gimp-channel-dialog.html Gimp alpha channels]
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/148082 Channel Shuffle]

== More Information ==
* [[MultiTexture]]
* [[Normal Map Compression]]
* [[Shaders]]
* [[Texture atlas]]
* [[TextureCoordinates]]

----
[[Category:Texturing]] [[Category:TextureTechnique]] [[Category:Glossary]]

Cavity map

2015-11-03T11:49:43Z

Nelios: Fixed link

A cavity map is a texture that stores small-scale [[Ambient occlusion map|ambient occlusion]]. Also called a Crevice map.

Cavity map is different from [[Curvature map]] which stores the convexity/concavity of a mesh.

To [[Texture Baking|bake]] a cavity map, use ambient occlusion with the ray distance set to a lower value.

<gallery mode="nolines" heights=200px widths=200px>
cavity_marmoset.jpg
ambientocclusion_marmoset.jpg
</gallery>Cavity maps use the same baking method as ambient occlusion, except it captures smaller details. Images by [http://www.marmoset.co Marmoset].

* [http://polycount.com/discussion/72813 My Cavity Map Notes] Polycount Forum thread.

== Related Pages ==
* [[Cavity map]]
* [[Curvature map]]
* [[DuDv map]]
* [[Flow map]]
* [[Normal map]]
* [[Radiosity normal map]]
* [[Vector displacement map]]

----
[[Category:TextureTypes]] [[Category:Bump map]]

BaseMesh

2015-11-03T11:46:57Z

Nelios: /* Creating a Base Mesh */ Fixed link

= Base Mesh =
A base mesh is a low-resolution polygonal model that can be used as the starting point for [[DigitalSculpting]].

== Creating a Base Mesh ==
When using a [[Category:Tools#A3D_Sculpting_Software|sculpting app]] it's usually best to create a cage or basemesh that is as close as possible to 100% quads. Also try to avoid "poles" of 5+ edges running into each other. Triangles and poles can lead to "pinching" in the model when sculpting.

Keep the quads a fairly uniform density over the model, and be clever about adding more detail where it will be necessary (eyes, ears, nose, etc.), since otherwise you will end up subdividing your mesh far more than necessary just to get enough polygons to sculpt detail into these areas.

It helps to add a quick UV to the basemesh before sculpting, since this can be used to bake a [[DiffuseMap]] if you choose to do some 3D painting at some point. This is much easier than trying to UV your basemesh later and trying to morph it or merge it with your sculpt. For methods see the Polycount thread [http://polycount.com/discussion/72144 Importing UV's into sculpted mesh in ZBrush].

Some more good advice from Scott Eaton in his ZClassroom article [http://www.pixologic.com/zclassroom/artistinaction/scotteaton/modeling/ Artist In Action: Digital Figure Sculpture].

== Base Mesh Library ==
If you use one of these as the base for your sculpt, please credit the author. For example "Sculpt by me, base mesh by Samuel Sharit".

These meshes are made specifically for digital sculpting, by avoiding triangles and n-gons wherever possible. For better in-game mesh wireframe examples, see [[:Category:Topology]].

The meshes are in OBJ format unless otherwise noted.

[[image:basemesh_01.gif|frame|left|Model by ??(if you know who modeled this, please [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=1128422 let us know]!).]] [[file:basemesh_01.obj.zip]] 

[[image:basemesh_arshlevon_shoes.gif|frame|left| Model by [http://arshlevon.cgsociety.org Samuel "arshlevon" Sharit].]] [[file:basemesh_arshlevon_shoes.obj]] 

[[image:basemesh_arshlevon_toes.gif|frame|left|Model by [http://arshlevon.cgsociety.org Samuel "arshlevon" Sharit].]] [[file:basemesh_arshlevon_toes.obj]] 

[[image:basemesh_bust.gif|frame|left|An alteration of [http://arshlevon.cgsociety.org Samuel "arshlevon" Sharit]'s base mesh, author unknown.]] [[file:basemesh_bust.obj]] 

[[image:basemesh_fuse.gif|frame|left|Model by [http://www.thatpolygon.com Greg "Fuse" Tchjen].]] [[file:basemesh_fuse.obj]] 

[[image:basemesh_fuse_bust.gif|frame|left|Model by [http://www.thatpolygon.com Greg "Fuse" Tchjen]. ]] [[file:basemesh_fuse_bust.obj]] 

[[image:basemesh_headsculpt01.gif|frame|left|Model by ??(if you know who modeled this, please [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=1128422 let us know]!).]] [[file:basemesh_headsculpt01.obj]] 

[[image:basemesh_talon_body.gif|frame|left|Model by [http://www.farfarer.com/ James "Talon" O'Hare].]] [[file:basemesh_talon_body.obj]] 

[[image:basemesh_talon_bodyfemale.gif|frame|left|Model by [http://www.farfarer.com/ James "Talon" O'Hare].]] [[file:basemesh_talon_bodyfemale.obj]] 

[[image:basemesh_talon_bust.gif|frame|left|Model by [http://www.farfarer.com/ James "Talon" O'Hare].]] [[file:basemesh_talon_bust.obj]] 

[[image:basemesh_talon_bust_lowres.gif|frame|left|Model by [http://www.farfarer.com/ James "Talon" O'Hare].]] [[file:basemesh_talon_bust_lowres.obj]] 

[[image:basemesh_selwy_arthur_zbrush.jpg|frame|left|Model by [http://www.selwy.com Benjamin "selwy" Leitgeb].]] [http://www.selwy.com/2008/download-free-model-arthur/ arthur.rar] (ZBrush ZTL format) 

[[image:basemesh_zuccarello-athletic-zbrush.jpg|frame|left|Model by [http://nickzucc.blogspot.com Nick Zuccarello].]] [http://nickzucc.blogspot.com/2008/08/human-male-athletic-final-model.html H_M_A_base_final_nickZ.ZTL] (ZBrush ZTL format) 

[[image:basemesh_female_regular_almightygir.gif|frame|left|[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1570047#post1570047 Course Character: Rogue] Polycount forum thread. Model by [http://crazyferretstudios.com/ Lee "Almighty_gir" Devonald].]] [[file:basemesh_female_regular.obj]] [[file:basemesh_female_regular.ztl]] 

[[image:basemesh_female_ZTL_almightygir.png|frame|left|[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1570047#post1570047 Course Character: Rogue] Polycount forum thread. Model by [http://crazyferretstudios.com/ Lee "Almighty_gir" Devonald]. ]] [[file:basemesh_female_heroic.obj]] [[file:basemesh_female_heroic.ztl]] 

[[image:basemesh_anzhou_body.gif|frame|left|[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=108292 Male Base Mesh] Polycount forum thread. Model by [http://www.polycount.com/forum/member.php?u=62595 Andrew "anzhou" Zhou].]] [[file:Basemesh_Body_Anzhou.zip]] 

[[file:basemesh_anzhou_bust.gif|frame|left|[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=108292 Male Base Mesh] Polycount forum thread. Model by [http://www.polycount.com/forum/member.php?u=62595 Andrew "anzhou" Zhou].]] [[file:Basemesh_Bust_Anzhou.zip]] 

----
[[Category:CharacterModeling]] [[Category:Topology]]

BearKub

2015-11-03T11:45:54Z

Nelios: Fixed links

Bearkub (Ted Shockey) is a close friend of [[Rogue13]] and is one of the few community members that has been around since the very beginning. Bearkub has played many roles in the long history of [[Polycount]], predominantly those of administration. He continues to help the site grow and foster a positive community, through both the message boards and in [http://polycount.com/discussion/54212 #model_design].

kubbo gets more bio later!

=== Nickname Origin ===
Something dirty, probably.

=== Links ===
* Forum name: [http://polycount.com/profile/bearkub bearkub]

BDRF map

2015-11-03T11:43:46Z

Nelios: /* BRDF Shaders */ Missed one link

BRDF stands for Bidirectional Radiance Distribution Function, a way for describing how a surface reflects light. In game shaders BRDF is usually a rougher approximation, simplified for faster rendering. A BRDF map is a vertical gradient mixed with a horizontal gradient, each controlling how the surface reflects light relative to a different angle: one for the camera, and the other for the main light.

[[image:BRDF_Brice-Vandemoortele.jpg|left|frame|BRDF shader examples. Image by [http://www.mentalwarp.com/~brice/ Brice Vandemoortele].]] 

== BRDF Shaders ==
1. [http://www.mentalwarp.com/~brice Brice Vandemoortele] and [http://www.kjapi.com/ Cedric Caillaud]'s '''[http://www.mentalwarp.com/~brice/brdf.php BRDF shader for Maya]''' supports a BRDF map. It's also been [http://www.luxinia.de/index.php/ArtTools/3dsmaxFX#genbrdf ported to 3ds Max] by [http://crazybutcher.cottages.polycount.com/ Christoph "CrazyButcher" Kubisch]. More info in the Polycount thread ''[http://polycount.com/discussion/49920 Free Maya/max cgfx/fx Shader]''. '''Update:''' [http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/821862/#Comment_821862 New version here] with many updates, including object-space normal maps, relief mapping, self-shadowing, etc.

2. [http://www.kostas.se Kostas "Kodde" Gialitakis]' '''[http://www.kostas.se/shader/ Maya CG shader]''' also supports a BRDF map. More info in the Polycount thread ''[http://polycount.com/discussion/69161 "KoddeShader", a Maya CGFX shader]''.

3. [http://www.laurenscorijn.com/ Laurens "Xoliul" Corijn]'s '''[http://www.laurenscorijn.com/viewportshader 3ds Max viewport shader]''' supports Rim Lighting and other techniques similar to BRDF. More info in the Polycount thread ''[http://polycount.com/discussion/64453 TF2 and TOON realtime viewport shader (3ds max)]''.

4. [http://www.till.maginot.eu/ Till "Rollin" Maginot]'s '''[http://blog.maginot.eu/index.php?seite=people&people=till&page=mhn2048106717 TF2 Shader for 3ds Max]''' and '''[http://blog.maginot.eu/index.php?p=till.1__scriptnstuff_shader_toon Toon/Comic Shader for 3ds Max]''' support various lighting techniques similar to BRDF... litsphere, ramp texture, half-Lambert, etc. More info in the Polycount thread ''[http://polycount.com/discussion/64453 TF2 and TOON realtime viewport shader (3ds max)]''.

More shaders are available on the [[:Category:Shaders]] page.
----
[[Category:TextureTypes]] [[Category:Light map]] [[Category:Specular map]]

BDRF map

2015-11-03T11:43:07Z

Nelios: /* BRDF Shaders */ Fixed polycount links

BRDF stands for Bidirectional Radiance Distribution Function, a way for describing how a surface reflects light. In game shaders BRDF is usually a rougher approximation, simplified for faster rendering. A BRDF map is a vertical gradient mixed with a horizontal gradient, each controlling how the surface reflects light relative to a different angle: one for the camera, and the other for the main light.

[[image:BRDF_Brice-Vandemoortele.jpg|left|frame|BRDF shader examples. Image by [http://www.mentalwarp.com/~brice/ Brice Vandemoortele].]] 

== BRDF Shaders ==
1. [http://www.mentalwarp.com/~brice Brice Vandemoortele] and [http://www.kjapi.com/ Cedric Caillaud]'s '''[http://www.mentalwarp.com/~brice/brdf.php BRDF shader for Maya]''' supports a BRDF map. It's also been [http://www.luxinia.de/index.php/ArtTools/3dsmaxFX#genbrdf ported to 3ds Max] by [http://crazybutcher.cottages.polycount.com/ Christoph "CrazyButcher" Kubisch]. More info in the Polycount thread ''[http://polycount.com/discussion/49920 Free Maya/max cgfx/fx Shader]''. '''Update:''' [http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/821862/#Comment_821862 New version here] with many updates, including object-space normal maps, relief mapping, self-shadowing, etc.

2. [http://www.kostas.se Kostas "Kodde" Gialitakis]' '''[http://www.kostas.se/shader/ Maya CG shader]''' also supports a BRDF map. More info in the Polycount thread ''[http://polycount.com/discussion/69161 "KoddeShader", a Maya CGFX shader]''.

3. [http://www.laurenscorijn.com/ Laurens "Xoliul" Corijn]'s '''[http://www.laurenscorijn.com/viewportshader 3ds Max viewport shader]''' supports Rim Lighting and other techniques similar to BRDF. More info in the Polycount thread ''[http://polycount.com/discussion/64453 TF2 and TOON realtime viewport shader (3ds max)]''.

4. [http://www.till.maginot.eu/ Till "Rollin" Maginot]'s '''[http://blog.maginot.eu/index.php?seite=people&people=till&page=mhn2048106717 TF2 Shader for 3ds Max]''' and '''[http://blog.maginot.eu/index.php?p=till.1__scriptnstuff_shader_toon Toon/Comic Shader for 3ds Max]''' support various lighting techniques similar to BRDF... litsphere, ramp texture, half-Lambert, etc. More info in the Polycount thread ''[http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=64453 TF2 and TOON realtime viewport shader (3ds max)]''.

More shaders are available on the [[:Category:Shaders]] page.
----
[[Category:TextureTypes]] [[Category:Light map]] [[Category:Specular map]]

Anisotropic map

2015-11-03T11:39:32Z

Nelios: Fixed links

An anisotropic map is a texture that controls the shape of the specular highlights from real-time lights, often used for hair shading. Anisotropic highlights are characterized by long directional strokes, instead of the typical circular shape.

The texture is very similar in concept to a [[Normal map|normal map]], except instead of controlling surface normals, it stretches the specular highlight in specific directions across the surface.

== Anisotropic Tutorials ==
* [http://stephenjameson.com/tutorials/anisotropic-shader-for-hair/ Anisotropic Shader For Hair] by Stephen Jameson provides a breakdown of a shader setup in the Unreal Development Kit (UDK).
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/77968 HAIR!?] thread on Polycount by [http://technicalartlead.blogspot.com/ Paul 'Prolow' Lohman] has some examples of an anisotropic hair shader in Maya.
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1229069/#Comment_1229069 Making an anisotropic map for Marmoset Toolbag] post on the Polycount forum from the Lead Engineer at 8monkey Labs.
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1229339/#Comment_1229339 Deriving an anisotropic map from vectors] post on the Polycount forum from a Character Artist at [[ArenaNet]].
* [http://tech-artists.org/forum/showthread.php?t=429 Painting a "flow" normalmap?] thread on the Tech-Artists.Org forum.

----
[[Category:TextureTypes]] [[Category:Specular map]]

Ambient occlusion vertex color

2015-11-03T11:36:13Z

Nelios: Fixed link

[[VertexColor|Vertex color]] can be used to store [[AmbientOcclusionMap|ambient occlusion]] (AO) lighting information.

== Pros ==
Vertex color AO works well for meshes that use tiled textures, like environment models, because the tiling prevents unique lighting from being added to the textures. In this case texture-based AO would require a separate non-tiled texture using a second set of UVs, which would increase the texture memory and also increase the vertex count for the model (to store the 2nd set of UVs).

== Cons ==
The downside of vertex color is that AO resolution is dependent on the complexity of the mesh. The less vertices there are, the less precise the shading will be. More edges can be added to the model, but it usually requires a tedious manual process.

== Examples ==
CryEngine2 uses vertex color for baked ambient occlusion, see the [http://doc.crymod.com/SandboxManual/frames.html?frmname=topic&frmfile=MaterialEditorRef.html Sandbox Manual].

== Methods ==

=== 3ds Max - GPU AO ===
[http://www.maxplugins.de/max2010.php?search=yang&bit=96&sort=Author GPU AO Vertex Color] plugin by Yang Zhang is 22 times faster than CPU, but requires a Nvidia 8 series or later graphic card and 3ds Max 9 or later.

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=== 3ds Max - Pits & Peaks ===
[http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/pits-peaks Pits & Peaks] Maxscript by Jeff Stewart was written for Max 3.1 but still works. May be unstable with larger meshes.

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=== 3ds Max - Radiosity ===
The simplest way to bake vertex color AO in 3ds Max is to use Radiosity. For additional methods, see the thread [http://polycount.com/discussion/52495 Baking Vertex Illumination without using radiosity] on the Polycount forum.

1. Place skylight anywhere.
* Set the sky color to white.
* Turn on "Cast Shadows" (optional).

2. Render menu > Render
* Advance Lighting tab
* Advanced Lighting rollout, set to Radiosity
* Radiosity Processing Parameters Rollout:
** Initial quality = 95
** Refine Iterations (All Objects) = 1
** Indirect Light Filter = 1
* Rendering Parameters:
** Re-Use Direct Illumination from Radiosity Solution
* Radiosity Processing Parameters:
** Start

3. Select all the geometry.

4. Command Panel > Utility Tab > More...
* Assign Vertex Colors
* Vertex Illum
* Lighting Only
* Color by Vertex
* Radiosity > Reuse Direct Illum. From Solution
* Assign to Selected

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|}

=== 3ds Max - Render Surface Map ===
Surface map rendering tool included in 3dsmax 2010, found in the Rendering menu as "Render Surface Map". The tool was part of Polyboost but is now called Graphite Modeling Tools. This tool creates a bitmap instead of vertex color, however you can use the Vertex Paint modifier to convert any bitmap into vertex color.

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=== FAOGen ===
[http://www.rusteddreams.net/faogen.html FAOGen]

=== Maya ===
Maya has a "batch bake (mental ray)" option, and you can choose to bake occlusion to a map, or directly to the vertex colors of the selected mesh. See this [http://www.digitaltutors.com/digital_tutors/video.php?v=815 Digital Tutors tutorial].

=== xNormal ===
The latest versions of [http://www.xnormal.net xNormal] (3.14 or above) can bake the AO to a map or also to vertex colors. The xNormal default software renderer only renders maps. The GPU AO tool can render ao maps or per-vertex ao. If you want to bake it to vertex colors you need to look for the "Simple GPU AO Tool section".

If you press the "generate" button with the "image" tab button selected will render the AO to the output image you specify. On the other hand, if you press the "generate" button with the per-vertex tab selected it will render the AO per vertex into a .SBM or .OVB file (which can be seen in the xNormal 3D interactive viewer or imported into a 3d engine).

----
[[Category:TextureTypes]] [[Category:TextureTechnique]] [[Category:Light map]]

Ambient occlusion map

2015-11-03T11:34:24Z

Nelios: Fixed polycount links (one still broken, not sure about user Frell/MainManiac?)

An Ambient Occlusion (AO) map creates soft shadowing, as if the model was lit without a direct light source, like on a cloudy day. Similar map types: Cavity Map, Crevice Map, [[Curvature map]], Dirt Map.

AO is usually [[Texture Baking|baked from geometry]] because it is created using a non-realtime ray-casting lighting solution. It can either be stored in a texture, or it can be [[Ambient occlusion vertex color|stored in the vertex colors]] of the model. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screen_Space_Ambient_Occlusion Screen Space Ambient Occlusion] is a realtime AO method that does not require baking at all, but it requires a more recent graphics card and has some shading errors.

Typically the AO map is blended into the [[PBR|metalness or specular map]], instead of being stored as a unique texture, because this saves memory. However this generally creates incorrect lighting because an AO map should only mask ambient lighting, not specular lighting. If the AO is stored as a 2nd texture, it can be baked with a 2nd set of UVs that do not overlap or mirror.

[http://polycount.com/discussion/78649 Quick question about ambient occlusion maps] on the Polycount forum has discussion about when to include ambient occlusion in the [[Diffuse map]], and when not to.

__TOC__

= 3ds Max Baking Methods =

* [http://donott-lcad.blogspot.com/2009/09/mental-ray-ambient-occlusion.html Mental Ray - Ambient Occlusion walkthrough - 3dsMax 2011 and earlier] - by ''[http://www.donaldott.com/ Don 'Ott' Ott]''- mental ray AO baking, step by step.
* [http://www.laurenscorijn.com/articles/ambient-occlusion-baking Ambient Occlusion Baking] - by ''[http://www.laurenscorijn.com Laurens 'Xoliul' Corijn]'' - Comparing the positives and negatives of five AO baking methods in 3ds Max.
* [http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/CreatingShadeMaps.html Techniques for Creating Shade Maps] - by ''[http://udn.epicgames.com Epic Games]'' - How Epic uses the mental ray Ambient Occlusion shader in 3ds Max to bake for Unreal Engine 3.

== Floating Mesh Problem ==
When creating the high-poly model for a [[Normal map]], mesh details can be "floated" above the rest of the mesh, instead of cutting them into the rest of the mesh. However this can also cause errors in the ambient occlusion, which need to be painted out or removed. There are a couple different methods to solve this.

=== Object Properties Method ===
This is the simplest method, as long as your floaters are separate objects.
# Select the floater meshes.
# Right-click and choose Object Properties.
# In the General tab, disable Cast Shadows.
# In the Adv. Lighting tab, disable Cast Shadows.

<gallery>
image:ao_floater-shadows-off.jpg|Disabling "Cast Shadows" in Object Properties. by [http://www.polycount.com/forum/member.php?u=32411 Frell].]]
</gallery>
[http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe 'EarthQuake' Wilson] wrote: ''"In xnormal there is an option to disable backfaces when rendering ao, this fixes the "shadow around the floater" problem by about 95%, you'll still have to manually do a few tweaks, but in generally it saves a LOT of time. I think you can do similar things in max by disabling shadow casting and enabling backface culling on your floater object, by going to the object properties or something."''

=== Light Tracer Method ===
<gallery>
image:ao_lighttracer_oniram.jpg|Floaters can leave unwanted shadows; Light Tracer filters these out. by [http://www.digitalmarino.com/ Sean "Oniram" Marino].
image:ao_lighttracer_oniram_wire.jpg|Wireframe for the floaters. by [http://www.digitalmarino.com/ Sean "Oniram" Marino].
</gallery>
When baking AO in 3ds Max with Render To Texture, the Ambient Occlusion (MR) element can leave shadows underneath floaters as well, which is usually unwanted. To avoid this you can use the Scanline renderer along with a Skylight, Light Tracer, and the Complete Map element to filter out those shadows. Supersampling may also be required, if any floaters are creating sharp aliased edges.

=== Mental Ray Method ===
If you use the mental ray renderer to bake AO in 3ds Max / Maya / Softimage, you can manually define the Max_Distance. This is set to 0 by default which means occlusion rays will be cast an infinite distance. If you set it to a value lower than the distance between your floaters and the surface then the problem is fixed. This way you get to keep the Falloff and Spread settings giving you nice cavity shading that the Light Tracer can't do.

For every pixel rendered a cone of rays is shot from its world space position. These rays won't return hits for faces more than the Max Distance. So faces further than the Max Distance from the pixel will not cause occlusion shading. The end result is corners and contact areas will get shadowed but the floaters wont.

Alternatively, you can disable rendering the back faces on the highpoly/floating objects to prevent them from contributing to occlusion.

<gallery>
file:ao-mr-fletcher_mat.png|The Ambient/Reflective Occlusion map in 3ds Max. by [http://polycount.com/profile/r_fletch_r Robert "r_fletch_r" Fletcher].
file:ao-mr-fletcher_maps_thumb.png|The normal map (left) and the AO map. by [http://polycount.com/profile/r_fletch_r Robert "r_fletch_r" Fletcher].
file:ao-mr-fletcher_mesh_thumb.png|The mesh, showing the floater at center. by [http://polycount.com/profile/r_fletch_r Robert "r_fletch_r" Fletcher].
</gallery>

=== EarthQuake's Baking Method ===
[http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe "EarthQuake" Wilson] explains how he combines low-poly AO with high-poly AO to get better results.

<gallery>
Image:JoeWilson_AObake_DiffuseAndAO_thumb.jpg | Finished asset with AO. by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe "EarthQuake" Wilson]
Image:JoeWilson_AObake_DiffuseAndAO.jpg | Without AO. by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe "EarthQuake" Wilson]
</gallery>

# UV your low-res mesh.
# Make a copy of low-res mesh.
# Explode both the copied low-res and the high-res.
# Save out the original low-res mesh.
# Bake the ambient occlusion from the exploded high-res mesh to the exploded low-res mesh.
# Load up the original low-res mesh in [http://www.xnormal.net xNormal]'s ''Simple AO Tool'' and bake at the same resolution as your other textures.
# Composite the low-res AO with the high-res AO, edit out the shadows on parts that need to move, etc.

This could also be done with 3ds Max or another program if you don't like the quality of the Simple AO Tool for low-res meshes. I usually blur the map a little and spend a few seconds painting out errors. Also be sure to make a layer mask for parts of your mesh that would need to move, so they don't get ambient occlusion on them.

Theres actually a few extra practical advantages to doing it this way as well:
# When using floating geometry, you'll often get AO artifacts that you need to paint out, if your mesh is exploded and you have separate layers for high and low frequency AO its easier and quicker to paint out these errors that it is when you have the small shadows along with the large shadows both in the same texture.
# Matching the exact silhouette of the low-poly is actually a more desirable result than that of the high-poly. Example: You have a 32 sided cylinder intersecting with some other shape, if you bake the AO directly from the high-res you'll get a perfectly round shape. If you bake it from the low-res you'll get a shape that actually fits your model instead of just hurting the mesh by point out how jagged your low-res really is (via the contrast from the 12 sided guy casting a perfectly round shadow, not matching up correctly etc.).

Images of what goes into my lightmap for a texture:
<gallery>
Image:JoeWilson_AObake_1.jpg| 1. AO from exploded high-res mesh. by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe "EarthQuake" Wilson]
Image:JoeWilson_AObake_2.jpg| 2. AO from non-exploded low-res mesh. by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe "EarthQuake" Wilson]
Image:JoeWilson_AObake_3.jpg| 3. 1 and 2 combined. by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe "EarthQuake" Wilson]
Image:JoeWilson_AObake_4.jpg| 4. Gradient baked, detail map overlaid, etc. by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe "EarthQuake" Wilson]
Image:JoeWilson_AObake_5.jpg| 5. Final diffuse. by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe "EarthQuake" Wilson]
</gallery>

= Blender Baking Methods =
* [http://katsbits.com/htm/tutorials/blender_ao_baking_terrain.htm Baking AO maps for terrain using Blender 3D] - by ''[http://katsbits.com KatsBits]'' - Baking ambient occlusion in Blender.
* [http://eat3d.com/free/floating_geo Floating Geometry Overview] - by ''[http://polycount.com/profile/metalliandy Andy 'metalliandy' Davies]'' - Video tutorial about creating floaters and baking in Blender.

= Maya Baking Methods =
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/84505 Maya ao !! :@] from the Polycount forum.
* [http://www.game-artist.net/forums/vbarticles.php?do=article&articleid=17 Ambient Occlusion in Maya 8] - by ''[http://www.benjaminclark.net Ben Clark]''- Baking ambient occlusion in Maya.

= Xnormal Baking Methods =
* [http://donaldphan.com/tutorials/xnormal/xnormal_occ.html Ambient Occlusion in XNormal] - by ''[http://donaldphan.com/ Donald Phan]'' - Baking ambient occlusion in Xnormal.

= Softimage / XSI Baking Methods =
* [http://cryrid.com/art/?p=12 XSI Ambient Occlusion Methods] - by ''[http://cryrid.com/art Michael Taylor]''- Baking ambient occlusion in Softimage.

= Vertex Color Baking Method =
* Baking AO to Vertex Color can be an inexpensive way to store typically expensive information. See [[AmbientOcclusionVertexColor]] for more information.

----
[[Category:TextureTypes]] [[Category:Light map]]

AlphaChannel

2015-11-03T11:20:59Z

Nelios: /* Tools */

An optional channel of image date in a texture file that can be used as a [[Transparency map]], [[Height map]], [[:Category:Specular map|specular map]], etc.

The alpha channel is usually 8 bits per pixel (256 colors), though certain file formats support different [[Transparency#Alpha_Bit_Depths|bit depths]].

See also [[ChannelPacking]], [[MultiTexture]].

== Tools ==
* [http://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/channel-basics.html Photoshop alpha channels]
* [http://docs.gimp.org/en/gimp-channel-dialog.html Gimp alpha channels]
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/148082 Channel Shuffle]

----
[[Category:Glossary]]

3d printing

2015-11-03T11:19:30Z

Nelios: /* 3D printing threads */

== 3D printing threads ==
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/156891 Tell me everything about 3D Printing]
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/140727 3d Printing noob questions]

VertexNormal

2015-11-03T11:14:20Z

Nelios: /* Editing Normals */

Vertex normals are invisible lines pointing out of a 3D model's surface, at each vertex. The game compares these normals against a light's direction. If the light is directly facing a normal, the surface is brightest there. When a normal is facing away from a light, the surface doesn't get lit by it.

Game artists can manually alter the vertex normals to change the way an in-game mesh is lit, how it renders a reflection, how the fresnel falloff looks, etc. Any lighting effect that uses vertex normals can be tweaked by changing the model's vertex normals.

Some game engines do not import edited vertex normals. Check your engine's documentation, or try a quick test.

== What Is a Vertex Normal? ==
[http://frostsoft.blogspot.com/2012/01/what-are-vertex-normals.html FrostSoft: WHAT ARE VERTEX NORMALS (VNT documentation)]

[[image:FrostSoft_doc-3.png|left|frame|Image by [http://frostsoft.blogspot.com/2012/01/what-are-vertex-normals.html FrostSoft].]] 

== Model Seams ==
Game models are often cut apart into different segments, for example to allow a player to customize their character by swapping out different clothing models.

When a contiguous mesh is cut apart, the vertex normals along the edge usually change. Vertex normals are usually calculated automatically by the modeling software, to average out the local surface curvature. However this causes a shading seam along the cut, because the two models now have different vertex normals along their shared edge.

To help hide this artifact, the seams between the pieces are usually cut along natural seams, like the belt line, shoulders, neck, wrists. This doesn't hide all of the seams though.

Bent vertex normals can be used to hide these seams completely, by manually averaging the two models' edges together.

== Smoother Shading ==
Shading can be improved by editing the vertex normals so flat surfaces have perpendicular normals. The vertex normals are then forced to blend across smaller bevel faces, instead of across the larger faces.

* [http://polycount.com/discussion/154664 A short explanation about custom vertex normals (tutorial)] Polycount Forum thread
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/85809 Face weighted normals] Polycount Forum thread
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/66139 Superspecular soft edges tutorial chapter 1] Polycount Forum thread

[[image:oliverio_bevel_normals.gif|frame|none|Bending normals on bevelled models. From the tutorial [http://deadlineproof.com/model-shading-techniques-soft-edge-superspecular/ Shading techniques Superspecular soft edges] Image by [http://deadlineproof.com/ Paolo Oliverio]]]

== Normal Mapping ==
Vertex normals have a strong influence on tangent-space [[Normal map]]s. Some game engines require a bit more geometry near areas that have a lot of change in angle (hard corners, etc.) otherwise the vertex normals [http://polycount.com/discussion/68173 fight with the normal map] and create shading errors. Careful [[Topology]] can minimize or avoid these errors altogether.

== Editing Normals ==

=== 3ds Max ===
Vertex normals can be manually bent in 3ds Max by using the Edit Normals modifier. See the [http://docs.autodesk.com/3DSMAX/13/ENU/Autodesk%203ds%20Max%202011%20Help/files/WSf742dab04106313366400bf6112a1cea097-7f65.htm 3ds Max 2011 online help].

Vertex normals can also be modified by using ''Smoothing Groups'', as long as the normals have not been edited by the Edit Normals modifier beforehand. See the [[Smoothing_Groups#Tutorials|Smoothing Groups Tutorial]] by [http://poopinmymouth.com Ben "poopinmymouth" Mathis].

==== 3ds Max Restrictions ====
Edited vertex normals are somewhat fragile in 3ds Max, they can be lost easily:
* If you take an Editable Mesh model, activate Attach, and try to attach an Editable Poly to it, the vertex normals of the Poly model will be reset. However using Attach in an Editable Poly model will work fine.
* If you Attach multiple meshes together, make sure each has at least one edited normal. Meshes without edited normals will have their vertex normals jumbled.
* If you Attach models that have been rotated, make sure to use Reset Xforms on them first. Attaching a rotated model to another will skew all its edited normals.
* If you use Detach to make a new object, the detached object's vertex normals will be reset.
* If you use Detach to create a new element in the same object, the detached element's vertex normals will be reset.

==== AverageNormal MAXScript ====
[[file:AverageNormal.mcr.zip|AverageNormal]] by [http://mathieujacquin.free.fr/ Mathieu 'zOffTy' Jacquin] is a 3ds Max MAXScript tool that averages all the vertex normals for the selected faces, so they all point the same direction.

==== GetVertNormalsFromFace MAXScript ====
[[file:GetVertNormalsFromFace_0_2.ms.zip|GetVertNormalsFromFace]] by [http://www.illusioncatalyst.com/ Enrico 'SyncViewS' Gullotti] is a 3ds Max MAXScript tool that aligns all the vertex normals for the selected faces so they point perpendicular to their polygons. In other words, the same direction as the face normal would be facing. This is similar to the [[#mig_Normal_Tools|mig Normal Tools]] option "Fillet Outside".

Once installed the script will be under the category ''Normal Tools'', named ''Get Vert Normals from Faces''. It works on Editable Poly objects only, and that must be the active modifier in the modifier stack. If an Edit Normals Modifier is not present, the script will add one right above Editable Poly. It should not mess with Smoothing Groups at all.

Go into Face sub-object level, make a face selection and run the script. Every time a normal is modified by the script, it is made Explicit to retain the modifications. At the end the script will switch back to the base Editable Poly modifier and re-enter Face sub-object level (even if other modifiers are present in the stack). If you want to revert back to the original default normals, add an Edit Normals Modifier and reset the normals.

See the Polycount forum thread [http://polycount.com/discussion/75753 Editing vertex normals in Max, got scripts?].

==== Slide Normal Thief MAXScript ====
[http://slidelondon.com/_downloads/SlideNormalThief/SlideTools-SlideNormalThief.rar SlideNormalThief] by the studio [http://slidelondon.com/ Slide London] is a 3ds Max MAXScript tool that projects vertex normals from one model to another, automating what would otherwise be a tedious manual process.

{| border="1"
|[[image:SlideNormalThief_UI.png]]
|-
|Interface for the SlideNormalThief MAXScript. Script by [http://slidelondon.com/ Slide London].
|}

The script is based on a much-slower script called [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/normal-thief NormalThief.ms] written by [http://br.linkedin.com/pub/mauricio-b-gehling/1b/9b6/5b6 Mauricio B. Gehling].

The ''Reference Object'' is the model you wish to copy vertex normals from, and the ''Target Object'' is the model that will get its normals bent to match. The two models should be superimposed on one another, the normals on the Target will be bent to match the nearest normals on the Reference. This is similar to the way [[NormalMap]] projection works, the copying is based off location in 3D space. The vertex counts of the two models don't need to match, but both models need to have an Edit Normals modifier applied.

==== Vertex Normals Stitcher ====
* [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/vertex-normals-stitcher Vertex Normals Stitcher | ScriptSpot]

This script averages vertex normals at the borders (Open Edges). It allows you to smooth surfaces after separating their vertices/edges/faces. For example after detaching faces or splitting edges. It still keeps hard edges if the object has multiple smoothing groups.

==== Exporting Edited Normals ====
Edited vertex normals can be exported from 3ds Max with some file formats:

{| border="1"
| '''File Format'''
| '''Supports Edited Normals?'''
|-
| 3DS
|style="color:red;"| no
|-
| ASE
|style="color:green;"| yes
|-
| CGF (CryEngine)
|style="color:yellow;"| ?
|-
| Collada
|style="color:red;"| no
|-
| FBX
|style="color:green;"| yes
|-
| OBJ
|style="color:green;"| yes
|-
| PSK (Unreal Engine)
|style="color:red;"| no
|-
| WRL (VRML)
|style="color:red;"| no
|}

=== Cinema 4D ===
* [http://frostsoft.blogspot.com/2012/01/vertex-normal-tool-plugin.html FrostSoft: VERTEX NORMAL TOOL PLUGIN] allows the editing of vertex normals in Cinema 4D.

[[image:FrostSoft_VNT_banner.png|left|frame|Vertex Normal Tool plugin for Cinema 4D. Image by [http://frostsoft.blogspot.com/2012/01/what-are-vertex-normals.html FrostSoft].]] 

* [https://skinprops.com/addnormals.php Add Normals plugin] explicitly creates the Normals Tag for each vertex, allowing the export (but not editing) of explicit normals.

* [http://polycount.com/discussion/60571 Cinema 4d tips and tricks thread] from the Polycount Forums.

* [http://www.okino.com/conv/imp_c4d_selective.htm CINEMA 4D Import Conversion System by Okino Computer Graphics] has in-depth information about vertex normal support in Cinema 4D

=== Maya ===
Vertex normals can be adjusted in Maya by using the [http://download.autodesk.com/us/maya/2011help/files/Editing_polygons_Edit_the_vertex_normals_to_affect_polygon_shading.htm Normals tools in the Polygons menu] (Maya 2011 online help).

Vertex normals can also be baked from one model to another by using [http://download.autodesk.com/us/maya/2011help/files/Mesh__Transfer_Attributes.htm Transfer Attributes].

{| border="1"
|[[image:maya_transferattributes.jpg]]
|-
|"Transfer Attributes" in Maya can be used to copy vertex normals from a dome to a tree. Select the dome, then the tree, then choose Mesh > Transfer Attributes, and enable only Vertex Normals. Image by [http://polycount.com/profile/callebo 'callebo'].
|}

==== mig Normal Tools ====
The [http://cmcproductions.co.uk/files/migNormalTools.mel mig Normal Tools] is a collection of MEL scripts for editing vertex normals in Maya.

{| border="1"
|[[image:migNormalToolsUI.png]]
|-
|Interface for the mig Normals Tools MEL scripts. Scripts by [http://migugi.net/ Mika Göös].
|}

==== FaceNRMtoVert ====
[http://polycount.com/profile/passerby "passerby"] wrote a melscript that does a similar function as the [[#SetNormals_MAXScript|GetVertNormalsFromFace]] maxscript.

<pre><nowiki>#!highlight csharp
global proc FaceNRMtoVert() {

string $Fs[] = `filterExpand -sm 34`;
select -cl;
for ($F in $Fs) {
select -r $F;
string $normals[] = `polyInfo -faceNormals`;
string $buffer[];
tokenize $normals[0] $buffer;

float $plane[3];
$plane[0] = $buffer[2];
$plane[1] = $buffer[3];
$plane[2] = $buffer[4];
PolySelectConvert 3;
polyNormalPerVertex -xyz $plane[0] $plane[1] $plane[2];
}
}
</nowiki></pre>

For more info see the Polycount forum thread [http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1584696/#Comment_1584696 GetVertNormalsFromFace script for maya].

=== Modo ===
{| border="1"
|[[image:chai_bentnormals.jpg]]
|-
|Baking normals in modo, using the [http://forums.luxology.com/topic.aspx?f=37&t=41509 pipelineIO plugin]. Image by [http://www.svartberg.com/ Ariel Chai].
|}

== More Information ==
* [[Foliage]]
* [[Foliage Vertex Color]]
* [[Normal map]]
* [[Smoothing Groups]]
* [[Vertex color]]

----
[[Category:CharacterModeling]] [[Category:EnvironmentModeling]] [[Category:TextureTechnique]] [[Category:EnvironmentFoliage]]

VertexNormal

2015-11-03T11:09:31Z

Nelios: /* Normal Mapping */

Vertex normals are invisible lines pointing out of a 3D model's surface, at each vertex. The game compares these normals against a light's direction. If the light is directly facing a normal, the surface is brightest there. When a normal is facing away from a light, the surface doesn't get lit by it.

Game artists can manually alter the vertex normals to change the way an in-game mesh is lit, how it renders a reflection, how the fresnel falloff looks, etc. Any lighting effect that uses vertex normals can be tweaked by changing the model's vertex normals.

Some game engines do not import edited vertex normals. Check your engine's documentation, or try a quick test.

== What Is a Vertex Normal? ==
[http://frostsoft.blogspot.com/2012/01/what-are-vertex-normals.html FrostSoft: WHAT ARE VERTEX NORMALS (VNT documentation)]

[[image:FrostSoft_doc-3.png|left|frame|Image by [http://frostsoft.blogspot.com/2012/01/what-are-vertex-normals.html FrostSoft].]] 

== Model Seams ==
Game models are often cut apart into different segments, for example to allow a player to customize their character by swapping out different clothing models.

When a contiguous mesh is cut apart, the vertex normals along the edge usually change. Vertex normals are usually calculated automatically by the modeling software, to average out the local surface curvature. However this causes a shading seam along the cut, because the two models now have different vertex normals along their shared edge.

To help hide this artifact, the seams between the pieces are usually cut along natural seams, like the belt line, shoulders, neck, wrists. This doesn't hide all of the seams though.

Bent vertex normals can be used to hide these seams completely, by manually averaging the two models' edges together.

== Smoother Shading ==
Shading can be improved by editing the vertex normals so flat surfaces have perpendicular normals. The vertex normals are then forced to blend across smaller bevel faces, instead of across the larger faces.

* [http://polycount.com/discussion/154664 A short explanation about custom vertex normals (tutorial)] Polycount Forum thread
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/85809 Face weighted normals] Polycount Forum thread
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/66139 Superspecular soft edges tutorial chapter 1] Polycount Forum thread

[[image:oliverio_bevel_normals.gif|frame|none|Bending normals on bevelled models. From the tutorial [http://deadlineproof.com/model-shading-techniques-soft-edge-superspecular/ Shading techniques Superspecular soft edges] Image by [http://deadlineproof.com/ Paolo Oliverio]]]

== Normal Mapping ==
Vertex normals have a strong influence on tangent-space [[Normal map]]s. Some game engines require a bit more geometry near areas that have a lot of change in angle (hard corners, etc.) otherwise the vertex normals [http://polycount.com/discussion/68173 fight with the normal map] and create shading errors. Careful [[Topology]] can minimize or avoid these errors altogether.

== Editing Normals ==

=== 3ds Max ===
Vertex normals can be manually bent in 3ds Max by using the Edit Normals modifier. See the [http://docs.autodesk.com/3DSMAX/13/ENU/Autodesk%203ds%20Max%202011%20Help/files/WSf742dab04106313366400bf6112a1cea097-7f65.htm 3ds Max 2011 online help].

Vertex normals can also be modified by using ''Smoothing Groups'', as long as the normals have not been edited by the Edit Normals modifier beforehand. See the [[Smoothing_Groups#Tutorials|Smoothing Groups Tutorial]] by [http://poopinmymouth.com Ben "poopinmymouth" Mathis].

==== 3ds Max Restrictions ====
Edited vertex normals are somewhat fragile in 3ds Max, they can be lost easily:
* If you take an Editable Mesh model, activate Attach, and try to attach an Editable Poly to it, the vertex normals of the Poly model will be reset. However using Attach in an Editable Poly model will work fine.
* If you Attach multiple meshes together, make sure each has at least one edited normal. Meshes without edited normals will have their vertex normals jumbled.
* If you Attach models that have been rotated, make sure to use Reset Xforms on them first. Attaching a rotated model to another will skew all its edited normals.
* If you use Detach to make a new object, the detached object's vertex normals will be reset.
* If you use Detach to create a new element in the same object, the detached element's vertex normals will be reset.

==== AverageNormal MAXScript ====
[[file:AverageNormal.mcr.zip|AverageNormal]] by [http://mathieujacquin.free.fr/ Mathieu 'zOffTy' Jacquin] is a 3ds Max MAXScript tool that averages all the vertex normals for the selected faces, so they all point the same direction.

==== GetVertNormalsFromFace MAXScript ====
[[file:GetVertNormalsFromFace_0_2.ms.zip|GetVertNormalsFromFace]] by [http://www.illusioncatalyst.com/ Enrico 'SyncViewS' Gullotti] is a 3ds Max MAXScript tool that aligns all the vertex normals for the selected faces so they point perpendicular to their polygons. In other words, the same direction as the face normal would be facing. This is similar to the [[#mig_Normal_Tools|mig Normal Tools]] option "Fillet Outside".

Once installed the script will be under the category ''Normal Tools'', named ''Get Vert Normals from Faces''. It works on Editable Poly objects only, and that must be the active modifier in the modifier stack. If an Edit Normals Modifier is not present, the script will add one right above Editable Poly. It should not mess with Smoothing Groups at all.

Go into Face sub-object level, make a face selection and run the script. Every time a normal is modified by the script, it is made Explicit to retain the modifications. At the end the script will switch back to the base Editable Poly modifier and re-enter Face sub-object level (even if other modifiers are present in the stack). If you want to revert back to the original default normals, add an Edit Normals Modifier and reset the normals.

See the Polycount forum thread [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=75753 Editing vertex normals in Max, got scripts?].

==== Slide Normal Thief MAXScript ====
[http://slidelondon.com/_downloads/SlideNormalThief/SlideTools-SlideNormalThief.rar SlideNormalThief] by the studio [http://slidelondon.com/ Slide London] is a 3ds Max MAXScript tool that projects vertex normals from one model to another, automating what would otherwise be a tedious manual process.

{| border="1"
|[[image:SlideNormalThief_UI.png]]
|-
|Interface for the SlideNormalThief MAXScript. Script by [http://slidelondon.com/ Slide London].
|}

The script is based on a much-slower script called [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/normal-thief NormalThief.ms] written by [http://br.linkedin.com/pub/mauricio-b-gehling/1b/9b6/5b6 Mauricio B. Gehling].

The ''Reference Object'' is the model you wish to copy vertex normals from, and the ''Target Object'' is the model that will get its normals bent to match. The two models should be superimposed on one another, the normals on the Target will be bent to match the nearest normals on the Reference. This is similar to the way [[NormalMap]] projection works, the copying is based off location in 3D space. The vertex counts of the two models don't need to match, but both models need to have an Edit Normals modifier applied.

==== Vertex Normals Stitcher ====
* [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/vertex-normals-stitcher Vertex Normals Stitcher | ScriptSpot]

This script averages vertex normals at the borders (Open Edges). It allows you to smooth surfaces after separating their vertices/edges/faces. For example after detaching faces or splitting edges. It still keeps hard edges if the object has multiple smoothing groups.

==== Exporting Edited Normals ====
Edited vertex normals can be exported from 3ds Max with some file formats:

{| border="1"
| '''File Format'''
| '''Supports Edited Normals?'''
|-
| 3DS
|style="color:red;"| no
|-
| ASE
|style="color:green;"| yes
|-
| CGF (CryEngine)
|style="color:yellow;"| ?
|-
| Collada
|style="color:red;"| no
|-
| FBX
|style="color:green;"| yes
|-
| OBJ
|style="color:green;"| yes
|-
| PSK (Unreal Engine)
|style="color:red;"| no
|-
| WRL (VRML)
|style="color:red;"| no
|}

=== Cinema 4D ===
* [http://frostsoft.blogspot.com/2012/01/vertex-normal-tool-plugin.html FrostSoft: VERTEX NORMAL TOOL PLUGIN] allows the editing of vertex normals in Cinema 4D.

[[image:FrostSoft_VNT_banner.png|left|frame|Vertex Normal Tool plugin for Cinema 4D. Image by [http://frostsoft.blogspot.com/2012/01/what-are-vertex-normals.html FrostSoft].]] 

* [https://skinprops.com/addnormals.php Add Normals plugin] explicitly creates the Normals Tag for each vertex, allowing the export (but not editing) of explicit normals.

* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=60571 Cinema 4d tips and tricks thread] from the Polycount Forums.

* [http://www.okino.com/conv/imp_c4d_selective.htm CINEMA 4D Import Conversion System by Okino Computer Graphics] has in-depth information about vertex normal support in Cinema 4D

=== Maya ===
Vertex normals can be adjusted in Maya by using the [http://download.autodesk.com/us/maya/2011help/files/Editing_polygons_Edit_the_vertex_normals_to_affect_polygon_shading.htm Normals tools in the Polygons menu] (Maya 2011 online help).

Vertex normals can also be baked from one model to another by using [http://download.autodesk.com/us/maya/2011help/files/Mesh__Transfer_Attributes.htm Transfer Attributes].

{| border="1"
|[[image:maya_transferattributes.jpg]]
|-
|"Transfer Attributes" in Maya can be used to copy vertex normals from a dome to a tree. Select the dome, then the tree, then choose Mesh > Transfer Attributes, and enable only Vertex Normals. Image by [http://www.polycount.com/forum/member.php?u=48876 'callebo'].
|}

==== mig Normal Tools ====
The [http://cmcproductions.co.uk/files/migNormalTools.mel mig Normal Tools] is a collection of MEL scripts for editing vertex normals in Maya.

{| border="1"
|[[image:migNormalToolsUI.png]]
|-
|Interface for the mig Normals Tools MEL scripts. Scripts by [http://migugi.net/ Mika Göös].
|}

==== FaceNRMtoVert ====
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/member.php?u=38320 "passerby"] wrote a melscript that does a similar function as the [[#SetNormals_MAXScript|GetVertNormalsFromFace]] maxscript.

<pre><nowiki>#!highlight csharp
global proc FaceNRMtoVert() {

string $Fs[] = `filterExpand -sm 34`;
select -cl;
for ($F in $Fs) {
select -r $F;
string $normals[] = `polyInfo -faceNormals`;
string $buffer[];
tokenize $normals[0] $buffer;

float $plane[3];
$plane[0] = $buffer[2];
$plane[1] = $buffer[3];
$plane[2] = $buffer[4];
PolySelectConvert 3;
polyNormalPerVertex -xyz $plane[0] $plane[1] $plane[2];
}
}
</nowiki></pre>

For more info see the Polycount forum thread [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1584696#post1584696 GetVertNormalsFromFace script for maya].

=== Modo ===
{| border="1"
|[[image:chai_bentnormals.jpg]]
|-
|Baking normals in modo, using the [http://forums.luxology.com/topic.aspx?f=37&t=41509 pipelineIO plugin]. Image by [http://www.svartberg.com/ Ariel Chai].
|}

== More Information ==
* [[Foliage]]
* [[Foliage Vertex Color]]
* [[Normal map]]
* [[Smoothing Groups]]
* [[Vertex color]]

----
[[Category:CharacterModeling]] [[Category:EnvironmentModeling]] [[Category:TextureTechnique]] [[Category:EnvironmentFoliage]]

VertexNormal

2015-11-03T11:08:45Z

Nelios: /* Smoother Shading */

Vertex normals are invisible lines pointing out of a 3D model's surface, at each vertex. The game compares these normals against a light's direction. If the light is directly facing a normal, the surface is brightest there. When a normal is facing away from a light, the surface doesn't get lit by it.

Game artists can manually alter the vertex normals to change the way an in-game mesh is lit, how it renders a reflection, how the fresnel falloff looks, etc. Any lighting effect that uses vertex normals can be tweaked by changing the model's vertex normals.

Some game engines do not import edited vertex normals. Check your engine's documentation, or try a quick test.

== What Is a Vertex Normal? ==
[http://frostsoft.blogspot.com/2012/01/what-are-vertex-normals.html FrostSoft: WHAT ARE VERTEX NORMALS (VNT documentation)]

[[image:FrostSoft_doc-3.png|left|frame|Image by [http://frostsoft.blogspot.com/2012/01/what-are-vertex-normals.html FrostSoft].]] 

== Model Seams ==
Game models are often cut apart into different segments, for example to allow a player to customize their character by swapping out different clothing models.

When a contiguous mesh is cut apart, the vertex normals along the edge usually change. Vertex normals are usually calculated automatically by the modeling software, to average out the local surface curvature. However this causes a shading seam along the cut, because the two models now have different vertex normals along their shared edge.

To help hide this artifact, the seams between the pieces are usually cut along natural seams, like the belt line, shoulders, neck, wrists. This doesn't hide all of the seams though.

Bent vertex normals can be used to hide these seams completely, by manually averaging the two models' edges together.

== Smoother Shading ==
Shading can be improved by editing the vertex normals so flat surfaces have perpendicular normals. The vertex normals are then forced to blend across smaller bevel faces, instead of across the larger faces.

* [http://polycount.com/discussion/154664 A short explanation about custom vertex normals (tutorial)] Polycount Forum thread
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/85809 Face weighted normals] Polycount Forum thread
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/66139 Superspecular soft edges tutorial chapter 1] Polycount Forum thread

[[image:oliverio_bevel_normals.gif|frame|none|Bending normals on bevelled models. From the tutorial [http://deadlineproof.com/model-shading-techniques-soft-edge-superspecular/ Shading techniques Superspecular soft edges] Image by [http://deadlineproof.com/ Paolo Oliverio]]]

== Normal Mapping ==
Vertex normals have a strong influence on tangent-space [[Normal map]]s. Some game engines require a bit more geometry near areas that have a lot of change in angle (hard corners, etc.) otherwise the vertex normals [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=68173 fight with the normal map] and create shading errors. Careful [[Topology]] can minimize or avoid these errors altogether.

== Editing Normals ==

=== 3ds Max ===
Vertex normals can be manually bent in 3ds Max by using the Edit Normals modifier. See the [http://docs.autodesk.com/3DSMAX/13/ENU/Autodesk%203ds%20Max%202011%20Help/files/WSf742dab04106313366400bf6112a1cea097-7f65.htm 3ds Max 2011 online help].

Vertex normals can also be modified by using ''Smoothing Groups'', as long as the normals have not been edited by the Edit Normals modifier beforehand. See the [[Smoothing_Groups#Tutorials|Smoothing Groups Tutorial]] by [http://poopinmymouth.com Ben "poopinmymouth" Mathis].

==== 3ds Max Restrictions ====
Edited vertex normals are somewhat fragile in 3ds Max, they can be lost easily:
* If you take an Editable Mesh model, activate Attach, and try to attach an Editable Poly to it, the vertex normals of the Poly model will be reset. However using Attach in an Editable Poly model will work fine.
* If you Attach multiple meshes together, make sure each has at least one edited normal. Meshes without edited normals will have their vertex normals jumbled.
* If you Attach models that have been rotated, make sure to use Reset Xforms on them first. Attaching a rotated model to another will skew all its edited normals.
* If you use Detach to make a new object, the detached object's vertex normals will be reset.
* If you use Detach to create a new element in the same object, the detached element's vertex normals will be reset.

==== AverageNormal MAXScript ====
[[file:AverageNormal.mcr.zip|AverageNormal]] by [http://mathieujacquin.free.fr/ Mathieu 'zOffTy' Jacquin] is a 3ds Max MAXScript tool that averages all the vertex normals for the selected faces, so they all point the same direction.

==== GetVertNormalsFromFace MAXScript ====
[[file:GetVertNormalsFromFace_0_2.ms.zip|GetVertNormalsFromFace]] by [http://www.illusioncatalyst.com/ Enrico 'SyncViewS' Gullotti] is a 3ds Max MAXScript tool that aligns all the vertex normals for the selected faces so they point perpendicular to their polygons. In other words, the same direction as the face normal would be facing. This is similar to the [[#mig_Normal_Tools|mig Normal Tools]] option "Fillet Outside".

Once installed the script will be under the category ''Normal Tools'', named ''Get Vert Normals from Faces''. It works on Editable Poly objects only, and that must be the active modifier in the modifier stack. If an Edit Normals Modifier is not present, the script will add one right above Editable Poly. It should not mess with Smoothing Groups at all.

Go into Face sub-object level, make a face selection and run the script. Every time a normal is modified by the script, it is made Explicit to retain the modifications. At the end the script will switch back to the base Editable Poly modifier and re-enter Face sub-object level (even if other modifiers are present in the stack). If you want to revert back to the original default normals, add an Edit Normals Modifier and reset the normals.

See the Polycount forum thread [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=75753 Editing vertex normals in Max, got scripts?].

==== Slide Normal Thief MAXScript ====
[http://slidelondon.com/_downloads/SlideNormalThief/SlideTools-SlideNormalThief.rar SlideNormalThief] by the studio [http://slidelondon.com/ Slide London] is a 3ds Max MAXScript tool that projects vertex normals from one model to another, automating what would otherwise be a tedious manual process.

{| border="1"
|[[image:SlideNormalThief_UI.png]]
|-
|Interface for the SlideNormalThief MAXScript. Script by [http://slidelondon.com/ Slide London].
|}

The script is based on a much-slower script called [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/normal-thief NormalThief.ms] written by [http://br.linkedin.com/pub/mauricio-b-gehling/1b/9b6/5b6 Mauricio B. Gehling].

The ''Reference Object'' is the model you wish to copy vertex normals from, and the ''Target Object'' is the model that will get its normals bent to match. The two models should be superimposed on one another, the normals on the Target will be bent to match the nearest normals on the Reference. This is similar to the way [[NormalMap]] projection works, the copying is based off location in 3D space. The vertex counts of the two models don't need to match, but both models need to have an Edit Normals modifier applied.

==== Vertex Normals Stitcher ====
* [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/vertex-normals-stitcher Vertex Normals Stitcher | ScriptSpot]

This script averages vertex normals at the borders (Open Edges). It allows you to smooth surfaces after separating their vertices/edges/faces. For example after detaching faces or splitting edges. It still keeps hard edges if the object has multiple smoothing groups.

==== Exporting Edited Normals ====
Edited vertex normals can be exported from 3ds Max with some file formats:

{| border="1"
| '''File Format'''
| '''Supports Edited Normals?'''
|-
| 3DS
|style="color:red;"| no
|-
| ASE
|style="color:green;"| yes
|-
| CGF (CryEngine)
|style="color:yellow;"| ?
|-
| Collada
|style="color:red;"| no
|-
| FBX
|style="color:green;"| yes
|-
| OBJ
|style="color:green;"| yes
|-
| PSK (Unreal Engine)
|style="color:red;"| no
|-
| WRL (VRML)
|style="color:red;"| no
|}

=== Cinema 4D ===
* [http://frostsoft.blogspot.com/2012/01/vertex-normal-tool-plugin.html FrostSoft: VERTEX NORMAL TOOL PLUGIN] allows the editing of vertex normals in Cinema 4D.

[[image:FrostSoft_VNT_banner.png|left|frame|Vertex Normal Tool plugin for Cinema 4D. Image by [http://frostsoft.blogspot.com/2012/01/what-are-vertex-normals.html FrostSoft].]] 

* [https://skinprops.com/addnormals.php Add Normals plugin] explicitly creates the Normals Tag for each vertex, allowing the export (but not editing) of explicit normals.

* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=60571 Cinema 4d tips and tricks thread] from the Polycount Forums.

* [http://www.okino.com/conv/imp_c4d_selective.htm CINEMA 4D Import Conversion System by Okino Computer Graphics] has in-depth information about vertex normal support in Cinema 4D

=== Maya ===
Vertex normals can be adjusted in Maya by using the [http://download.autodesk.com/us/maya/2011help/files/Editing_polygons_Edit_the_vertex_normals_to_affect_polygon_shading.htm Normals tools in the Polygons menu] (Maya 2011 online help).

Vertex normals can also be baked from one model to another by using [http://download.autodesk.com/us/maya/2011help/files/Mesh__Transfer_Attributes.htm Transfer Attributes].

{| border="1"
|[[image:maya_transferattributes.jpg]]
|-
|"Transfer Attributes" in Maya can be used to copy vertex normals from a dome to a tree. Select the dome, then the tree, then choose Mesh > Transfer Attributes, and enable only Vertex Normals. Image by [http://www.polycount.com/forum/member.php?u=48876 'callebo'].
|}

==== mig Normal Tools ====
The [http://cmcproductions.co.uk/files/migNormalTools.mel mig Normal Tools] is a collection of MEL scripts for editing vertex normals in Maya.

{| border="1"
|[[image:migNormalToolsUI.png]]
|-
|Interface for the mig Normals Tools MEL scripts. Scripts by [http://migugi.net/ Mika Göös].
|}

==== FaceNRMtoVert ====
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/member.php?u=38320 "passerby"] wrote a melscript that does a similar function as the [[#SetNormals_MAXScript|GetVertNormalsFromFace]] maxscript.

<pre><nowiki>#!highlight csharp
global proc FaceNRMtoVert() {

string $Fs[] = `filterExpand -sm 34`;
select -cl;
for ($F in $Fs) {
select -r $F;
string $normals[] = `polyInfo -faceNormals`;
string $buffer[];
tokenize $normals[0] $buffer;

float $plane[3];
$plane[0] = $buffer[2];
$plane[1] = $buffer[3];
$plane[2] = $buffer[4];
PolySelectConvert 3;
polyNormalPerVertex -xyz $plane[0] $plane[1] $plane[2];
}
}
</nowiki></pre>

For more info see the Polycount forum thread [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1584696#post1584696 GetVertNormalsFromFace script for maya].

=== Modo ===
{| border="1"
|[[image:chai_bentnormals.jpg]]
|-
|Baking normals in modo, using the [http://forums.luxology.com/topic.aspx?f=37&t=41509 pipelineIO plugin]. Image by [http://www.svartberg.com/ Ariel Chai].
|}

== More Information ==
* [[Foliage]]
* [[Foliage Vertex Color]]
* [[Normal map]]
* [[Smoothing Groups]]
* [[Vertex color]]

----
[[Category:CharacterModeling]] [[Category:EnvironmentModeling]] [[Category:TextureTechnique]] [[Category:EnvironmentFoliage]]

GrassTechnique

2015-11-03T11:07:20Z

Nelios: /* Tutorials */

Grass in-game can be created using a variety of techniques.

[[image:farmhouse_grass.jpg|thumb|300px|left|Grass texture from a high-poly model. Image by [http://ericchadwick.com Eric Chadwick].]] 

== Tutorials ==
* [http://www.crydev.net/viewtopic.php?f=315&t=100319 Tutorial: Modeling low-poly grass for Cryengine 3] CryDevForums thread. Tutorial for creating grass in CryEngine.
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/130038 Ryse Moss Tutorial] Polycount forum thread. Tutorial about how the moss was created for Ryse.
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/101198 Grass in DOTA 2] Polycount forum thread. Discussion about how the grass was created for Dota 2.
* [http://oggyart.com/blog/?p=264 Hand Painted Grass Tutorial] by [http://www.oggyart.com Mark "Jenn0_Bing" Foreman]. How to bake high-res grass geometry into tiled textures.
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/74765 Realistic Mowed Grass - ideas?] Polycount forum thread. Realtime grass techniques for both long and short grass.
* [http://www.kevinboulanger.net/grass.html Rendering Grass in Real Time with Dynamic Lighting] from Kévin Boulanger. Research whitepaper on rendering grass efficiently for realtime use.

== More Information ==
* [[Billboard]]
* [[Foliage]]
* [[HairTechnique]]
* [[Transparency map]]
* [[VertexNormal]]

----
[[Category:TextureTechnique]] [[Category:EnvironmentFoliage]]

Foliage

2015-11-03T11:05:51Z

Nelios: /* Foliage Examples */

Topics about foliage and vegetation in games.

__TOC__

== Foliage Tutorials ==

[[image:AlexDracott_ForestLightingStudy.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/149632 Forest Lighting study]. Maya and Unreal 4.

[[image:FuturePoly_Grass.jpg|120px]]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4j5tzAIflU Creating Grass and Vegetation For Video Games]. 3ds Max and CryEngine.

[[image:Airborn_Trees.jpg|120px]]
[http://simonschreibt.de/gat/airborn-trees/ A Game Art Trick: Airborn – Trees]. Modeling and texturing for stylized bushes.

[[image:MarkDygert_Hedges.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/67620 Hedges and Topiary a quick tutorial]. Modeling and texturing for stylized bushes.

[[image:EricChadwick_NormalThief.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/72325 Tree making fast technique?] Tree modeling techniques discussed.

[[image:RexMcnish_latestfirs.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/72008 My Work - New Forest Asset update]

[[image:Steppenwolf_eDgLo.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/86606 Modeling a tree crown with ease]. Foliage modeling for easy LODs.

[[image:AllodsOnline_Clumping_29.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/98976 any tutorials on grouping and spreading out vegetation realistically].

[[image:JamesStout_foliage.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1312273/#Comment_1312273 "BC" - some simple, game-friendly ivy]. How to create game-friendly ivy meshes & textures.

[[image:TreeTutorialbyJeramyCooke-image005.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1021264/#Comment_1021264 3D Trees Tutorials]. Multiple methods.

===3ds Max===
* [http://oggyart.com/blog/?p=299 Climbing Rose Tutorial] - by ''[http://www.oggyart.com Mark 'Jenn0_Bing' Foreman]''. How to create custom and efficient ivy-style meshes in 3ds Max.
* [http://www.game-artist.net/forums/support-tech-discussion/11251-trees-beginners-3ds-max-tutorial.html Trees for Beginners in 3ds Max Tutorial] - by ''"braveryd"''. Using the AEC Extended: Foliage tree generator in 3ds Max.
* [http://www.andyzibits.com/tut_particle_tree_generation.html Tree creation using particle generator] - by ''[http://www.andyzibits.com Andy Zibits]''. Using a particle system in 3ds Max.
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1152529/#Comment_1152529 Bending vertex normals and using vertex color] - by ''[http://ericchadwick.com Eric Chadwick]''. Using the Edit Normals modifier in 3ds Max to bend the vertex normals of low-poly foliage planes.
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1149155/#Comment_1149155 Bending the vertex normals with Normal Thief] - by ''[http://ericchadwick.com Eric Chadwick]''. Using the [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/normal-thief Normal Thief] script in 3ds Max to bend the vertex normals of low-poly foliage planes.
* [http://3dfolio.com/files/tree_tut.pdf Tree Modeling Techniques and Principles] (PDF) - by ''[http://www.3dfolio.com/ Matthew D'Onofrio]''. Modeling efficient low-poly branches in 3ds Max using ''Extrude Along Spline''.

===Maya===
* [http://learnfobia.com/category-Maya-129/tutorial-Sprite-Based-Particle-Trees-2259.html Sprite-Based Particle Trees] - by ''[http://stores.lulu.com/sunchirp Steven J. Tubbrit]''. Using a particle system in Maya.
* [http://www.andyzibits.com/tut_maya_low_poly.html Ultra-efficient tree texturing and modeling] - by ''[http://www.andyzibits.com Andy Zibits]''. Using ''Paint Effects'' in Maya to create the foliage texture and branches.
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1020341/#Comment_1020341 Low-poly Tree Using Maya PaintFX] - by ''[http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,107125/ Jeramy Cooke]''. Using ''Paint Effects'' in Maya to create the foliage texture, then hand-modeling the tree.

===CryEngine===
* [http://www.crydev.net/viewtopic.php?p=985051#p985051 Creating foliage in 3ds Max for CryEngine 3] Crydev forum post.
* [http://http.developer.nvidia.com/GPUGems3/gpugems3_ch16.html Vegetation Procedural Animation and Shading in Crysis] - by ''[https://www.cmpevents.com/GD08/a.asp?option=G&V=3&id=563008 Tiago Sousa]''. A detailed overview of Crytek's process for vegetation shading.

===Unity===
* [http://www.unifycommunity.com/wiki/index.php?title=TreeCreator_Tutorial Tree Creator Tutorial] - by larsbertram. Using Unity to create trees.

===UDK===
* [https://www.3dmotive.com/f102101/ Creating Foliage for UDK] ($) - 3dmotive tutorial by ''[http://www.damianlazarski.com/ Damian 'teaandcigarettes' Lazarski]''. Using 3ds Max 2012, Photoshop, and UDK to create grass and tree branches. See also the [http://polycount.com/discussion/92432 Polycount forum thread].

== Vertex Normals ==
Foliage meshes in game are usually made using flat planes with a [[Transparency map]] containing a bunch of leaves (or grass blades). These textures are used instead of modeling each leaf or blade of grass discretely, because they would slow the framerate too much. Also the increased vertex count uses much more memory.

However the flat planes do not shade very well when lit. To counteract this, the [[VertexNormal|vertex normals]] can be bent to influence the shading, helping to hide the flatness of the geometry.

If you want to use edited vertex normals on 2-sided models, you must explicitly create those backfaces yourself. If you let a game engine create backfaces automatically, the engine has to generate new polygons so it has to figure out where the new normals will point, resetting them all in the process.

{| border="1"
|[[image:TreeMakerScript_plus_NormalThiefScript.gif]]
|-
|Foliage shading is improved by bending the vertex normals. The [[file:TreeMakerScript_plus_NormalThiefScript_Max2010.zip|model in Max 2010 format]] (textures copyright SpeedTree). Image by [http://ericchadwick.com Eric Chadwick].
|}

{| border="1"
|[[image:Tree_Normals.gif]]
|-
|A comparison of different flat geometry types, with and without bent normals. Top row uses "crossing planes", bottom row uses "tri planes". Left to right: wireframe, default normals, "global" normals using [[#Normal_Thief|Normal Thief]], and clump-based normals. Image by [http://ericchadwick.com Eric Chadwick].
|}

{| border="1"
|[[image:tree_shading_examples.jpg]]
|-
|Foliage shading examples compared, with and without [[Vertex color]]. Image by [http://ericchadwick.com Eric Chadwick].
|}

* [http://wypierpapier.blogspot.com/2010/02/vertex-normal-tutorial.html Vertex Normal tutorial] by [http://wypierpapier.blogspot.com/ 'gutekfiutek']. This is a blog post in Polish that explains in pictures how vertex normals can be used for better foliage shading ([http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=pl&tl=en&u=http://wypierpapier.blogspot.com/2010/02/vertex-normal-tutorial.html&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhiAwMTQRdRZ8uQcN3n4w1XypaFsVQ translation by Google here]). He used this technique to great effect in his [http://wypierpapier.blogspot.com/2010/03/polished-landscapes-m-mod.html Polished Landscapes Mod] for Mount & Blade.

== Foliage Tools ==
These tools are useful for creating game-resolution models.

===Stand Alone===
* [http://www.frecle.net/index.php?show=treed.about frecle tree[d]] (exports formats .B3D, .OBJ, .X) ([https://web.archive.org/web/20130715071506/http://www.frecle.net/index.php?show=treed.about alternate download] via web.archive.org)
* [http://renderhjs.net/shoebox/ ShoeBox: Mask Image] by [http://renderhjs.net Hendrik-Jan "renderhjs" Schoenmaker] - converts tree photos into transparent textures.
* [http://ngplant.sourceforge.net/ ngPlant]

===3ds Max===
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/93240 TreeGen script for 3ds Max]
* [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/tree-maker TreeMaker script for 3ds Max]
* [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/avizstudio-tools-atree3d ATree3D script for 3ds Max]

===UDK===
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG79EosNiBQ SpeedTree in UDK] ($)

== Foliage Examples ==
{|
|rowspan="2"|[[image:Airborn_Trees.jpg|Airborn_Trees.jpg]]
|[[image:Airborn_Trees2.jpg|300px|left]]
|-
|[[image:SlideNormalThief.jpg|300px|left]]
|-
|colspan="2"|Images from [https://www.facebook.com/airborngame Airborn - Piño's Journey] by [https://www.facebook.com/airborngame/info?tab=page_info Airborn Studios]. Also see [http://simonschreibt.de/gat/airborn-trees/ A Game Art Trick: Airborn – Trees].
|}

{|
|[[image:AdrienThierry_tree_02.jpg|600px|left]]
|[[image:AdrienThierry_tree_01.jpg|500px|left]]
|-
|colspan="2"|Trees from DISHONORED by [http://adrienthierry.free.fr Adrien "Crêpator" Thierry], from the Polycount Forum thread [http://polycount.com/discussion/141486 DISHONORED assets].
|}

* [http://simonschreibt.de/gat/airborn-trees/ A Game Art Trick: Airborn – Trees]
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/128021 Battlefield 4 Vegetation - Art dump] Polycount Forum thread.
* [http://www.crydev.net/viewtopic.php?p=981387#p981387 Foliage growth in CryEngine 3] Crydev forum post. Probably using a gradient in the alpha to grow the leaves. Another video [http://www.crydev.net/viewtopic.php?p=1000239#p1000239 here] showing both grass and leaf growth.

== More Information ==
* [[TransparencyMap#Alpha_Blend|Alpha Blend]]
* [[Foliage Vertex Color]]
* [[Normal map]]
* [[TransparencyMap#Sorting_Problems|Sorting Problems]]
* [[Vertex color]]
* [[VertexNormal]]

----
[[Category:Environment]] [[Category:EnvironmentFoliage]] [[Category:EnvironmentModeling]] [[Category:EnvironmentTexturing]]

Foliage

2015-11-03T11:04:59Z

Nelios: /* Foliage Tools */

Topics about foliage and vegetation in games.

__TOC__

== Foliage Tutorials ==

[[image:AlexDracott_ForestLightingStudy.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/149632 Forest Lighting study]. Maya and Unreal 4.

[[image:FuturePoly_Grass.jpg|120px]]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4j5tzAIflU Creating Grass and Vegetation For Video Games]. 3ds Max and CryEngine.

[[image:Airborn_Trees.jpg|120px]]
[http://simonschreibt.de/gat/airborn-trees/ A Game Art Trick: Airborn – Trees]. Modeling and texturing for stylized bushes.

[[image:MarkDygert_Hedges.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/67620 Hedges and Topiary a quick tutorial]. Modeling and texturing for stylized bushes.

[[image:EricChadwick_NormalThief.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/72325 Tree making fast technique?] Tree modeling techniques discussed.

[[image:RexMcnish_latestfirs.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/72008 My Work - New Forest Asset update]

[[image:Steppenwolf_eDgLo.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/86606 Modeling a tree crown with ease]. Foliage modeling for easy LODs.

[[image:AllodsOnline_Clumping_29.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/98976 any tutorials on grouping and spreading out vegetation realistically].

[[image:JamesStout_foliage.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1312273/#Comment_1312273 "BC" - some simple, game-friendly ivy]. How to create game-friendly ivy meshes & textures.

[[image:TreeTutorialbyJeramyCooke-image005.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1021264/#Comment_1021264 3D Trees Tutorials]. Multiple methods.

===3ds Max===
* [http://oggyart.com/blog/?p=299 Climbing Rose Tutorial] - by ''[http://www.oggyart.com Mark 'Jenn0_Bing' Foreman]''. How to create custom and efficient ivy-style meshes in 3ds Max.
* [http://www.game-artist.net/forums/support-tech-discussion/11251-trees-beginners-3ds-max-tutorial.html Trees for Beginners in 3ds Max Tutorial] - by ''"braveryd"''. Using the AEC Extended: Foliage tree generator in 3ds Max.
* [http://www.andyzibits.com/tut_particle_tree_generation.html Tree creation using particle generator] - by ''[http://www.andyzibits.com Andy Zibits]''. Using a particle system in 3ds Max.
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1152529/#Comment_1152529 Bending vertex normals and using vertex color] - by ''[http://ericchadwick.com Eric Chadwick]''. Using the Edit Normals modifier in 3ds Max to bend the vertex normals of low-poly foliage planes.
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1149155/#Comment_1149155 Bending the vertex normals with Normal Thief] - by ''[http://ericchadwick.com Eric Chadwick]''. Using the [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/normal-thief Normal Thief] script in 3ds Max to bend the vertex normals of low-poly foliage planes.
* [http://3dfolio.com/files/tree_tut.pdf Tree Modeling Techniques and Principles] (PDF) - by ''[http://www.3dfolio.com/ Matthew D'Onofrio]''. Modeling efficient low-poly branches in 3ds Max using ''Extrude Along Spline''.

===Maya===
* [http://learnfobia.com/category-Maya-129/tutorial-Sprite-Based-Particle-Trees-2259.html Sprite-Based Particle Trees] - by ''[http://stores.lulu.com/sunchirp Steven J. Tubbrit]''. Using a particle system in Maya.
* [http://www.andyzibits.com/tut_maya_low_poly.html Ultra-efficient tree texturing and modeling] - by ''[http://www.andyzibits.com Andy Zibits]''. Using ''Paint Effects'' in Maya to create the foliage texture and branches.
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1020341/#Comment_1020341 Low-poly Tree Using Maya PaintFX] - by ''[http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,107125/ Jeramy Cooke]''. Using ''Paint Effects'' in Maya to create the foliage texture, then hand-modeling the tree.

===CryEngine===
* [http://www.crydev.net/viewtopic.php?p=985051#p985051 Creating foliage in 3ds Max for CryEngine 3] Crydev forum post.
* [http://http.developer.nvidia.com/GPUGems3/gpugems3_ch16.html Vegetation Procedural Animation and Shading in Crysis] - by ''[https://www.cmpevents.com/GD08/a.asp?option=G&V=3&id=563008 Tiago Sousa]''. A detailed overview of Crytek's process for vegetation shading.

===Unity===
* [http://www.unifycommunity.com/wiki/index.php?title=TreeCreator_Tutorial Tree Creator Tutorial] - by larsbertram. Using Unity to create trees.

===UDK===
* [https://www.3dmotive.com/f102101/ Creating Foliage for UDK] ($) - 3dmotive tutorial by ''[http://www.damianlazarski.com/ Damian 'teaandcigarettes' Lazarski]''. Using 3ds Max 2012, Photoshop, and UDK to create grass and tree branches. See also the [http://polycount.com/discussion/92432 Polycount forum thread].

== Vertex Normals ==
Foliage meshes in game are usually made using flat planes with a [[Transparency map]] containing a bunch of leaves (or grass blades). These textures are used instead of modeling each leaf or blade of grass discretely, because they would slow the framerate too much. Also the increased vertex count uses much more memory.

However the flat planes do not shade very well when lit. To counteract this, the [[VertexNormal|vertex normals]] can be bent to influence the shading, helping to hide the flatness of the geometry.

If you want to use edited vertex normals on 2-sided models, you must explicitly create those backfaces yourself. If you let a game engine create backfaces automatically, the engine has to generate new polygons so it has to figure out where the new normals will point, resetting them all in the process.

{| border="1"
|[[image:TreeMakerScript_plus_NormalThiefScript.gif]]
|-
|Foliage shading is improved by bending the vertex normals. The [[file:TreeMakerScript_plus_NormalThiefScript_Max2010.zip|model in Max 2010 format]] (textures copyright SpeedTree). Image by [http://ericchadwick.com Eric Chadwick].
|}

{| border="1"
|[[image:Tree_Normals.gif]]
|-
|A comparison of different flat geometry types, with and without bent normals. Top row uses "crossing planes", bottom row uses "tri planes". Left to right: wireframe, default normals, "global" normals using [[#Normal_Thief|Normal Thief]], and clump-based normals. Image by [http://ericchadwick.com Eric Chadwick].
|}

{| border="1"
|[[image:tree_shading_examples.jpg]]
|-
|Foliage shading examples compared, with and without [[Vertex color]]. Image by [http://ericchadwick.com Eric Chadwick].
|}

* [http://wypierpapier.blogspot.com/2010/02/vertex-normal-tutorial.html Vertex Normal tutorial] by [http://wypierpapier.blogspot.com/ 'gutekfiutek']. This is a blog post in Polish that explains in pictures how vertex normals can be used for better foliage shading ([http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=pl&tl=en&u=http://wypierpapier.blogspot.com/2010/02/vertex-normal-tutorial.html&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhiAwMTQRdRZ8uQcN3n4w1XypaFsVQ translation by Google here]). He used this technique to great effect in his [http://wypierpapier.blogspot.com/2010/03/polished-landscapes-m-mod.html Polished Landscapes Mod] for Mount & Blade.

== Foliage Tools ==
These tools are useful for creating game-resolution models.

===Stand Alone===
* [http://www.frecle.net/index.php?show=treed.about frecle tree[d]] (exports formats .B3D, .OBJ, .X) ([https://web.archive.org/web/20130715071506/http://www.frecle.net/index.php?show=treed.about alternate download] via web.archive.org)
* [http://renderhjs.net/shoebox/ ShoeBox: Mask Image] by [http://renderhjs.net Hendrik-Jan "renderhjs" Schoenmaker] - converts tree photos into transparent textures.
* [http://ngplant.sourceforge.net/ ngPlant]

===3ds Max===
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/93240 TreeGen script for 3ds Max]
* [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/tree-maker TreeMaker script for 3ds Max]
* [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/avizstudio-tools-atree3d ATree3D script for 3ds Max]

===UDK===
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG79EosNiBQ SpeedTree in UDK] ($)

== Foliage Examples ==
{|
|rowspan="2"|[[image:Airborn_Trees.jpg|Airborn_Trees.jpg]]
|[[image:Airborn_Trees2.jpg|300px|left]]
|-
|[[image:SlideNormalThief.jpg|300px|left]]
|-
|colspan="2"|Images from [https://www.facebook.com/airborngame Airborn - Piño's Journey] by [https://www.facebook.com/airborngame/info?tab=page_info Airborn Studios]. Also see [http://simonschreibt.de/gat/airborn-trees/ A Game Art Trick: Airborn – Trees].
|}

{|
|[[image:AdrienThierry_tree_02.jpg|600px|left]]
|[[image:AdrienThierry_tree_01.jpg|500px|left]]
|-
|colspan="2"|Trees from DISHONORED by [http://adrienthierry.free.fr Adrien "Crêpator" Thierry], from the Polycount Forum thread [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=141486 DISHONORED assets].
|}

* [http://simonschreibt.de/gat/airborn-trees/ A Game Art Trick: Airborn – Trees]
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=128021 Battlefield 4 Vegetation - Art dump] Polycount Forum thread.
* [http://www.crydev.net/viewtopic.php?p=981387#p981387 Foliage growth in CryEngine 3] Crydev forum post. Probably using a gradient in the alpha to grow the leaves. Another video [http://www.crydev.net/viewtopic.php?p=1000239#p1000239 here] showing both grass and leaf growth.

== More Information ==
* [[TransparencyMap#Alpha_Blend|Alpha Blend]]
* [[Foliage Vertex Color]]
* [[Normal map]]
* [[TransparencyMap#Sorting_Problems|Sorting Problems]]
* [[Vertex color]]
* [[VertexNormal]]

----
[[Category:Environment]] [[Category:EnvironmentFoliage]] [[Category:EnvironmentModeling]] [[Category:EnvironmentTexturing]]

Foliage

2015-11-03T11:02:57Z

Nelios: /* Foliage Tutorials */

Topics about foliage and vegetation in games.

__TOC__

== Foliage Tutorials ==

[[image:AlexDracott_ForestLightingStudy.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/149632 Forest Lighting study]. Maya and Unreal 4.

[[image:FuturePoly_Grass.jpg|120px]]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4j5tzAIflU Creating Grass and Vegetation For Video Games]. 3ds Max and CryEngine.

[[image:Airborn_Trees.jpg|120px]]
[http://simonschreibt.de/gat/airborn-trees/ A Game Art Trick: Airborn – Trees]. Modeling and texturing for stylized bushes.

[[image:MarkDygert_Hedges.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/67620 Hedges and Topiary a quick tutorial]. Modeling and texturing for stylized bushes.

[[image:EricChadwick_NormalThief.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/72325 Tree making fast technique?] Tree modeling techniques discussed.

[[image:RexMcnish_latestfirs.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/72008 My Work - New Forest Asset update]

[[image:Steppenwolf_eDgLo.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/86606 Modeling a tree crown with ease]. Foliage modeling for easy LODs.

[[image:AllodsOnline_Clumping_29.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/98976 any tutorials on grouping and spreading out vegetation realistically].

[[image:JamesStout_foliage.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1312273/#Comment_1312273 "BC" - some simple, game-friendly ivy]. How to create game-friendly ivy meshes & textures.

[[image:TreeTutorialbyJeramyCooke-image005.jpg|120px]]
[http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1021264/#Comment_1021264 3D Trees Tutorials]. Multiple methods.

===3ds Max===
* [http://oggyart.com/blog/?p=299 Climbing Rose Tutorial] - by ''[http://www.oggyart.com Mark 'Jenn0_Bing' Foreman]''. How to create custom and efficient ivy-style meshes in 3ds Max.
* [http://www.game-artist.net/forums/support-tech-discussion/11251-trees-beginners-3ds-max-tutorial.html Trees for Beginners in 3ds Max Tutorial] - by ''"braveryd"''. Using the AEC Extended: Foliage tree generator in 3ds Max.
* [http://www.andyzibits.com/tut_particle_tree_generation.html Tree creation using particle generator] - by ''[http://www.andyzibits.com Andy Zibits]''. Using a particle system in 3ds Max.
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1152529/#Comment_1152529 Bending vertex normals and using vertex color] - by ''[http://ericchadwick.com Eric Chadwick]''. Using the Edit Normals modifier in 3ds Max to bend the vertex normals of low-poly foliage planes.
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1149155/#Comment_1149155 Bending the vertex normals with Normal Thief] - by ''[http://ericchadwick.com Eric Chadwick]''. Using the [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/normal-thief Normal Thief] script in 3ds Max to bend the vertex normals of low-poly foliage planes.
* [http://3dfolio.com/files/tree_tut.pdf Tree Modeling Techniques and Principles] (PDF) - by ''[http://www.3dfolio.com/ Matthew D'Onofrio]''. Modeling efficient low-poly branches in 3ds Max using ''Extrude Along Spline''.

===Maya===
* [http://learnfobia.com/category-Maya-129/tutorial-Sprite-Based-Particle-Trees-2259.html Sprite-Based Particle Trees] - by ''[http://stores.lulu.com/sunchirp Steven J. Tubbrit]''. Using a particle system in Maya.
* [http://www.andyzibits.com/tut_maya_low_poly.html Ultra-efficient tree texturing and modeling] - by ''[http://www.andyzibits.com Andy Zibits]''. Using ''Paint Effects'' in Maya to create the foliage texture and branches.
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/comment/1020341/#Comment_1020341 Low-poly Tree Using Maya PaintFX] - by ''[http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,107125/ Jeramy Cooke]''. Using ''Paint Effects'' in Maya to create the foliage texture, then hand-modeling the tree.

===CryEngine===
* [http://www.crydev.net/viewtopic.php?p=985051#p985051 Creating foliage in 3ds Max for CryEngine 3] Crydev forum post.
* [http://http.developer.nvidia.com/GPUGems3/gpugems3_ch16.html Vegetation Procedural Animation and Shading in Crysis] - by ''[https://www.cmpevents.com/GD08/a.asp?option=G&V=3&id=563008 Tiago Sousa]''. A detailed overview of Crytek's process for vegetation shading.

===Unity===
* [http://www.unifycommunity.com/wiki/index.php?title=TreeCreator_Tutorial Tree Creator Tutorial] - by larsbertram. Using Unity to create trees.

===UDK===
* [https://www.3dmotive.com/f102101/ Creating Foliage for UDK] ($) - 3dmotive tutorial by ''[http://www.damianlazarski.com/ Damian 'teaandcigarettes' Lazarski]''. Using 3ds Max 2012, Photoshop, and UDK to create grass and tree branches. See also the [http://polycount.com/discussion/92432 Polycount forum thread].

== Vertex Normals ==
Foliage meshes in game are usually made using flat planes with a [[Transparency map]] containing a bunch of leaves (or grass blades). These textures are used instead of modeling each leaf or blade of grass discretely, because they would slow the framerate too much. Also the increased vertex count uses much more memory.

However the flat planes do not shade very well when lit. To counteract this, the [[VertexNormal|vertex normals]] can be bent to influence the shading, helping to hide the flatness of the geometry.

If you want to use edited vertex normals on 2-sided models, you must explicitly create those backfaces yourself. If you let a game engine create backfaces automatically, the engine has to generate new polygons so it has to figure out where the new normals will point, resetting them all in the process.

{| border="1"
|[[image:TreeMakerScript_plus_NormalThiefScript.gif]]
|-
|Foliage shading is improved by bending the vertex normals. The [[file:TreeMakerScript_plus_NormalThiefScript_Max2010.zip|model in Max 2010 format]] (textures copyright SpeedTree). Image by [http://ericchadwick.com Eric Chadwick].
|}

{| border="1"
|[[image:Tree_Normals.gif]]
|-
|A comparison of different flat geometry types, with and without bent normals. Top row uses "crossing planes", bottom row uses "tri planes". Left to right: wireframe, default normals, "global" normals using [[#Normal_Thief|Normal Thief]], and clump-based normals. Image by [http://ericchadwick.com Eric Chadwick].
|}

{| border="1"
|[[image:tree_shading_examples.jpg]]
|-
|Foliage shading examples compared, with and without [[Vertex color]]. Image by [http://ericchadwick.com Eric Chadwick].
|}

* [http://wypierpapier.blogspot.com/2010/02/vertex-normal-tutorial.html Vertex Normal tutorial] by [http://wypierpapier.blogspot.com/ 'gutekfiutek']. This is a blog post in Polish that explains in pictures how vertex normals can be used for better foliage shading ([http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=pl&tl=en&u=http://wypierpapier.blogspot.com/2010/02/vertex-normal-tutorial.html&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhiAwMTQRdRZ8uQcN3n4w1XypaFsVQ translation by Google here]). He used this technique to great effect in his [http://wypierpapier.blogspot.com/2010/03/polished-landscapes-m-mod.html Polished Landscapes Mod] for Mount & Blade.

== Foliage Tools ==
These tools are useful for creating game-resolution models.

===Stand Alone===
* [http://www.frecle.net/index.php?show=treed.about frecle tree[d]] (exports formats .B3D, .OBJ, .X) ([https://web.archive.org/web/20130715071506/http://www.frecle.net/index.php?show=treed.about alternate download] via web.archive.org)
* [http://renderhjs.net/shoebox/ ShoeBox: Mask Image] by [http://renderhjs.net Hendrik-Jan "renderhjs" Schoenmaker] - converts tree photos into transparent textures.
* [http://ngplant.sourceforge.net/ ngPlant]

===3ds Max===
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=93240 TreeGen script for 3ds Max]
* [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/tree-maker TreeMaker script for 3ds Max]
* [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/avizstudio-tools-atree3d ATree3D script for 3ds Max]

===UDK===
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG79EosNiBQ SpeedTree in UDK] ($)

== Foliage Examples ==
{|
|rowspan="2"|[[image:Airborn_Trees.jpg|Airborn_Trees.jpg]]
|[[image:Airborn_Trees2.jpg|300px|left]]
|-
|[[image:SlideNormalThief.jpg|300px|left]]
|-
|colspan="2"|Images from [https://www.facebook.com/airborngame Airborn - Piño's Journey] by [https://www.facebook.com/airborngame/info?tab=page_info Airborn Studios]. Also see [http://simonschreibt.de/gat/airborn-trees/ A Game Art Trick: Airborn – Trees].
|}

{|
|[[image:AdrienThierry_tree_02.jpg|600px|left]]
|[[image:AdrienThierry_tree_01.jpg|500px|left]]
|-
|colspan="2"|Trees from DISHONORED by [http://adrienthierry.free.fr Adrien "Crêpator" Thierry], from the Polycount Forum thread [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=141486 DISHONORED assets].
|}

* [http://simonschreibt.de/gat/airborn-trees/ A Game Art Trick: Airborn – Trees]
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=128021 Battlefield 4 Vegetation - Art dump] Polycount Forum thread.
* [http://www.crydev.net/viewtopic.php?p=981387#p981387 Foliage growth in CryEngine 3] Crydev forum post. Probably using a gradient in the alpha to grow the leaves. Another video [http://www.crydev.net/viewtopic.php?p=1000239#p1000239 here] showing both grass and leaf growth.

== More Information ==
* [[TransparencyMap#Alpha_Blend|Alpha Blend]]
* [[Foliage Vertex Color]]
* [[Normal map]]
* [[TransparencyMap#Sorting_Problems|Sorting Problems]]
* [[Vertex color]]
* [[VertexNormal]]

----
[[Category:Environment]] [[Category:EnvironmentFoliage]] [[Category:EnvironmentModeling]] [[Category:EnvironmentTexturing]]

Character

2015-11-03T10:55:03Z

Nelios: /* Character Examples */

Character art for games.

__TOC__

== What is a Character? ==
Characters are models in a game which represent humans, animals, monsters, spirits, etc.

The game player controls a "playable character" (PC) while the game controls "non-playable characters" (NPCs). Hero characters typically have extra detail, while the rest use lower resolution models and textures, to save production time and increase [[:Category:Rendering|in-game performance]].

== Character Process ==
Characters for games are usually created as a group effort, involving an Art Director, Concept Artists, Character Artists, Technical Artists, Animators, and Effects Artists (usually in this order). The number of artists depends on the size of the art team: the team can be tens of people, or sometimes it is all accomplished by one person.

Characters are first designed as [[Character_Concepts|concepts]], [[CharacterSculpting|sculpted]] to create form and details, [[ReTopologyModeling|re-topology]] modeled for in-game use, [[TexturingTutorials|textured]] and [[Shaders|shaded]] to create color and surface materials, [[Rigging|rigged]] to a skeleton, [[Animation|animated]] to move and act, and [[Special Effects|special effects]] are added.

Concept art is almost always used as the starting point because it's a more loose, fast, and efficient way to iterate and find the best character design than using 3D.

For most modern game characters, a high poly model is first created using a combination of modeling and digital sculpting software. These high resolution models are later re-topologized into the game resolution or low poly model.

The surface details from the high poly model are transferred to the in-game model using [[:Category:Texturing|textures]] and [[Shaders]] though a process called baking. This baking process can generate a variety of texture maps that help fool the eye into believing the in-game model has more modeled detail than it actually has. The most common of these texture maps are [[Normal map]], and [[AmbientOcclusionMap]].

Typical character art process:
* Build a blockout model.
* Do a rough sculpt.
* Do a final sculpt.
* Polypaint.
* Retopo to create the final low-poly model.
* Unwrap the UVs.
* Set up an exploded bake if needed.
* If the engine is poorly synced, need to rely on convoluted smoothing groups techniques to compensate.
* If the budget is too tight, need to rely on painful edited cage setups.
* Bake it, meaning that one has to know about a whole lot of different texture passes.
* OS to TS conversion in some cases.
* Set up a master PSD file with all the texture passes as groups.
* Use the QuickSaveMaps script for Photoshop to save all maps at once.
* Texturing (either in Photoshop only, or using 3DCoat or Substance Painter, or using DDO or Substance Designer), in PBR fashion or not.
* Export and refine in-engine or Marmoset.

== Character Examples ==
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/138341 The Great 3D Game Art Giveaway Thread!] Polycount Forum thread.
* [https://gumroad.com/l/NYsAA Argonaut (Game Asset)] by [http://www.gavimage.com/ Gavin 'Gav' Goulden], "Originally created for my presentation with Marmoset at GDC2015. Covering PBR materials and real time rendering for portfolios with the Toolbag 2. In this download, you get my Marmoset scene (lighting setup, material setup), textures (created in ddo and tweaked later), and low poly model. Free / by donation - looking for feedback for future tutorials and assets." [https://gumroad.com/gavingoulden More models from Gavin on Gumroad].
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/117608 Testing the new DX11 features of ma2013.5], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5fOwSmSaW8 Youtube timelapse] by [http://www.paultosca.com Paul "paultosca" Tosca], sharing the source files for his Nyra character "to help others that might be on the road to becoming game character artists and want to check out the model/textures/psd layout".
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/70908 SDK Master Thread] Polycount Forum thread, models to practice texturing with.
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/38292 P&P - SDK THREAD] Polycount Forum thread, models to practice texturing with.
* [[SkankerzeroModularCharacterSystem]] - By [http://www.skankerzero.com/ Jesse 'skankerzero' Sosa], Polycount Wiki page, how to create a modular character system.
* [[Roguedevelopmentdiary]] - By [http://crazyferretstudios.com Lee 'almighty_gir' Devonald], Polycount Wiki page, sharing his female superhero creation process, step by step.
* [[BaseMesh]] - Low-resolution models that can be used as the starting point for [[CharacterSculpting]].
* [[:Category:Topology]] - Wireframe screencaptures of meshes used in games.

== More Information ==
* [[Anatomy Reference]]
* [[Character Modeling]]
* [[Character Reference]]
* [[CharacterSculpting]]
* [[:Category:CharacterTexturing|CharacterTexturing]]
* [[ReTopologyModeling]]
* [[Subdivision Surface Modeling]]
* [[Topology]]

-----
[[Category:Discipline]][[Category:Character]]

Animation

2015-11-03T10:52:57Z

Nelios: /* Animation Tutorials */

About animation for games.

__TOC__

== Animation Theory ==
* [http://www.scribd.com/doc/7582342/Preston-Blair-Cartoon-Animation Cartoon Animation] by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preston_Blair Preston Blair]
* [http://www.animationarena.com/principles-of-animation.html 28 Principles of Animation] by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Stanchfield Walt Stanchfield]
* [http://www.siggraph.org/education/materials/HyperGraph/animation/character_animation/principles/lasseter_s94.htm Tricks to Animating Characters with a Computer] by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lasseter John Lasseter]
* [http://www.animationarena.com/acting-and-animation.html Acting and Animation] by [http://www.doronmeir.com Doron A. Meir]
* [http://www.lettersofnote.com/2010/06/how-to-train-animator-by-walt-disney.html Letters of Note - How to Train an Animator] by Walt Disney

== Animation Tutorials ==
* [http://polycount.com/discussion/105589 I want to be animator] thread on the Polycount forum with a bunch of useful links.
* [http://www.3dtotal.com/ffa/tutorials/maya/pose_animation/pose1.php Pose to Pose Pop-Through Animation] by [http://keithlango.com Keith Lango]
* [http://www.idleworm.com/how/anm/02w/walk1.shtml The Walk Cycle] tutorial by [http://www.angryanimator.com Dermot O’ Connor]
* [http://www.anticz.com/learn.htm Animation tutorials] by [http://www.anticz.com Mike Brown] (theory, gimbal lock, rigging, walk cycles)
* [http://animationclinic.com/ The Animation Clinic: Animation Training for the Masses] ($) by [http://keithlango.com Keith Lango]
* [http://spungella.blogspot.com/2008/06/animation-links-tools-tutorials-and.html Spungella] Many tutorials and links, great resource for Portfolio Tips, Animation Resources, and Rigs
* [http://andres.aniguild.com/animation_resources.htm Great Links at AndyToons] More links, Tutorials, Interviews with Great Animators etc.gathered by [http://andres.aniguild.com/email.htm Andres G. Lazaro]
* [http://www.angryanimator.com/word/test/ The Angry Animator] Bouncing Ball, Walk Cycle, and Lip Sync Tutorials by Dermot O' Conner
* [http://animationbuffet.blogspot.com/2008/03/norman.html Manipulating Rigs] at Animation Buffet (norman rig but can be applied to any rig) by Nair Archawattana
* [http://www.jasonryananimation.com/ Jason Ryan Animation]
* [http://www.traptcg.com/ TraptCG - animation tutorials as well as others.]
* [http://www.3dfiggins.com/writeups/fastAction/ Blocking Fast Action Shots] By Kiel Figgins

== Rigging ==
[[Rigging]] means weighting a polygon mesh to a skeleton so the model can be animated.

== Motion Capture ==
Sources for free motion capture (mocap).

* http://www.animazoo.com/
* http://freemotionfiles.blogspot.com/
* http://www.mixamo.com/motions
* http://mocap.cs.cmu.edu/ ([http://sites.google.com/a/cgspeed.com/cgspeed/motion-capture/3dsmax-friendly-release-of-cmu-motion-database bvh format for 3ds Max here])
* http://www.mocapdata.com/
* http://stockmoves.e-motek.com/

== Blogs, Podcasts, Etc. ==
* http://www.navone.org/blogger/ Victor Navone's blog (The alien song guy who works for Pixar now)
* http://animationpodcast.com/ Animation Pod Cast
* [http://www.speakingofanimation.com/ Speaking of Animation] - Podcasts with Industry Professionals on current releases by [http://www.speakingofanimation.com/about/ Ben Willis, Adam Strick, Jacob Gardner, Stephen Melagrano]
* [http://www.carlosbaena.com Carlos Baena's Blog]
* [http://theyellingrocket.blogspot.com/ The Yelling Rocket]

== Must Read Books ==
* [http://www.amazon.com/Illusion-Life-Disney-Animation/dp/0786860707/ The Illusion of Life] by Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas
* [http://www.theanimatorssurvivalkit.com The Animator's Survival Kit] by [http://www.theanimatorssurvivalkit.com/biography.html Richard Williams]
* [http://www.amazon.com/Drawn-Life-Classes-Stanchfield-Lectures/dp/0240810961 Drawn to Life] by Walt Stanchfield
* [http://www.amazon.com/Animators-Workbook-Step-Step-Techniques/dp/0823002292/ The Animators Workbook] by Tony White
* [http://www.amazon.com/Stop-Staring-Facial-Modeling-Animation/dp/0471789208/ Stop Staring] by Jason Osipa
* [http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/0240810767/ Directing the Story] by Francis Glebas
* [http://www.anamie.com/anamie_home.html Anamie - simplified Drawing/planning animation] by
* [http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/0811850161/ Draw the Looney Toons] by Dan Romanelli

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[[Category:Discipline]][[Category:Animation]][[Category:Character]][[Category:Environment]][[Category:Technical Art]]