Ambient occlusion map - Revision history

EricChadwick: Summary improved, current PBR standards, new section on AO+Diffuse.

2023-09-05T22:27:45Z

Summary improved, current PBR standards, new section on AO+Diffuse.

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

2015-11-03T11:34:24Z

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

EricChadwick: Texture Baking, etc.

2015-07-20T21:28:54Z

Texture Baking, etc.

EricChadwick: /* EarthQuake's Baking Method */ EarthQuake isn't a page

2015-05-23T14:32:50Z

‎EarthQuake's Baking Method: EarthQuake isn't a page

EricChadwick: removed Category:Texturing

2014-11-29T22:22:56Z

removed Category:Texturing

Cman2k at 09:42, 24 November 2014

2014-11-24T09:42:52Z

Cman2k at 09:32, 24 November 2014

2014-11-24T09:32:47Z

Cman2k at 09:10, 24 November 2014

2014-11-24T09:10:53Z

Cman2k at 09:07, 24 November 2014

2014-11-24T09:07:40Z

Throttlekitty: Throttlekitty moved page AmbientOcclusionMap to Ambient occlusion map: Convert old>new space and case.

2014-08-14T16:27:00Z

Throttlekitty moved page AmbientOcclusionMap to Ambient occlusion map: Convert old>new space and case.

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 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.
+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, sometimes called an Atlas layout. Alternatively, sometimes the UVs can be arranged in an atlas layout and the occlusion can use them as-is, while other tiled textures can use the same UVs but be scaled in the material so they repeat or tile; this avoids having to store two UV sets.
-[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__
-__TOC__
+With [[PBR]] workflow it is best to keep the ambient occlusion as a separate texture from the diffuse or albedo. Since occlusion is grayscale it is often stored in one of the RGB channels of a packed texture.
 = 3ds Max Baking Methods =
@@ Line 29: / Line 37: @@
 <gallery>
-image:ao_floater-shadows-off.jpg|Disabling "Cast Shadows" in Object Properties. <BR> by [http://www.polycount.com/forum/member.php?u=32411 Frell].]]
+image:ao_floater-shadows-off.jpg|Disabling "Cast Shadows" in Object Properties. <BR> 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."''

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 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://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=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.
+[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.
@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 <gallery>
-file:ao-mr-fletcher_mat.png|The Ambient/Reflective Occlusion map in 3ds Max. <BR> by [http://boards.polycount.net/member.php?u=31662 Robert "r_fletch_r" Fletcher].
+file:ao-mr-fletcher_mat.png|The Ambient/Reflective Occlusion map in 3ds Max. <BR> 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. <BR> by [http://boards.polycount.net/member.php?u=31662 Robert "r_fletch_r" Fletcher].
+file:ao-mr-fletcher_maps_thumb.png|The normal map (left) and the AO map. <BR> 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. <BR> by [http://boards.polycount.net/member.php?u=31662 Robert "r_fletch_r" Fletcher].
+file:ao-mr-fletcher_mesh_thumb.png|The mesh, showing the floater at center. <BR> by [http://polycount.com/profile/r_fletch_r Robert "r_fletch_r" Fletcher].
 </gallery>
@@ Line 86: / Line 86: @@
 = 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://www.polycount.com/forum/member.php?u=18770 Andy 'metalliandy' Davies]'' - Video tutorial about creating floaters and baking 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://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84505 Maya ao !! :@] from the Polycount forum.
+* [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.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 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.
-Typically the AO map is blended into the diffuse map, instead of being stored as a unique bitmap, because this saves memory. However this generally creates incorrect lighting because an AO map should only mask ambient lighting, not diffuse lighting. If the AO is stored as a 2nd texture, it usually is baked with a 2nd set of UVs that do not overlap or mirror, as diffuse often does.
+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.
-AO is usually pre-computed (baked) 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://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=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.

@@ Line 53: / Line 53: @@
 </gallery>
-=== [[EarthQuake]]'s Baking Method ===
+=== 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.

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:22, 29 November 2014
Line 102:		Line 102:

	----		----
−	~~[[Category:Texturing]]~~ [[Category:TextureTypes]] [[Category:Light map]]	+	[[Category:TextureTypes]] [[Category:Light map]]

@@ Line 56: / Line 56: @@
 [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe "EarthQuake" Wilson] explains how he combines low-poly AO with high-poly AO to get better results.
-{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
+<gallery>
-| [[Image:AmbientOcclusionMap$JoeWilson_AObake_DiffuseAndAO_thumb.jpg]]
+Image:JoeWilson_AObake_DiffuseAndAO_thumb.jpg | Finished asset with AO. <BR> by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe "EarthQuake" Wilson]
-|-
+Image:JoeWilson_AObake_DiffuseAndAO.jpg | Without AO. <BR> by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe "EarthQuake" Wilson]
-| Finished asset with AO.[[attachment:JoeWilson_AObake_DiffuseAndAO.jpg|Actual size]]<<BR>><span style="font-size: smaller">image by[http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe "EarthQuake" Wilson]</span>
+</gallery>
-|}
 # UV your low-res mesh.
@@ Line 77: / Line 76: @@
 Images of what goes into my lightmap for a texture:
+<gallery>
-{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
+Image:JoeWilson_AObake_1.jpg| 1. AO from exploded high-res mesh. <BR> by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe "EarthQuake" Wilson]
-|-
+Image:JoeWilson_AObake_2.jpg| 2. AO from non-exploded low-res mesh. <BR> by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe "EarthQuake" Wilson]
-|}
+Image:JoeWilson_AObake_3.jpg| 3. 1 and 2 combined. <BR> by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe "EarthQuake" Wilson]
+Image:JoeWilson_AObake_4.jpg| 4. Gradient baked, detail map overlaid, etc. <BR> by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe "EarthQuake" Wilson]
-{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
+Image:JoeWilson_AObake_5.jpg| 5. Final diffuse. <BR> by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe "EarthQuake" Wilson]
-|-
+</gallery>
-|}
-−
-{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
-|-
-|}
-−
-{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
-|-
-|}
-−
-{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
-|-
-|}
-−
 = Blender Baking Methods =

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=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.
@@ Line 104: / Line 107: @@
 * [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://www.polycount.com/forum/member.php?u=18770 Andy 'metalliandy' Davies]'' - Video tutorial about creating floaters and baking in Blender.
 = Maya Baking Methods =
 * [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=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.
@@ Line 113: / Line 114: @@
 = 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.
+* [http://cryrid.com/art/?p=12 XSI Ambient Occlusion Methods] - by ''[http://cryrid.com/art Michael Taylor]''- Baking ambient occlusion in Softimage.
-−
-= Vertex Color AO =
+= Vertex Color Baking Method =
-Baking AO to Vertex Color can be an inexpensive way to store typically expensive information. See [[AmbientOcclusionVertexColor]] for more information.
+* Baking AO to Vertex Color can be an inexpensive way to store typically expensive information. See [[AmbientOcclusionVertexColor]] for more information.
 ----
 [[Category:Texturing]] [[Category:TextureTypes]] [[Category:Light map]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 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.
@@ Line 10: / Line 8: @@
-<span id="3MBM"></span><span id="3MBMC"></span><span id="3dsMaxBakingMethodsCompared"></span>
+* [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.
-== 3ds Max Baking Methods ==
+* [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.
-<span id="FMP"></span><<Anchor([[FloatingMeshProblem]])>>
+== Floating Mesh Problem ==
-=== 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.
 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 ===
-−
-# [[#OPM|Object Properties Method]]
-# [[#LBM|Light Tracer Method]]
-# [[#MRM|mental ray Method]]
-# [[#EQBM|EarthQuake's Baking Method]]
-−
-<span id="OPM"></span>
-==== Object Properties Method ====
 This is the simplest method, as long as your floaters are separate objects.
 # Select the floater meshes.
@@ Line 43: / Line 31: @@
 [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."''
-<span id="LTM"></span>
+=== Light Tracer Method ===
-==== Light Tracer Method ====
 {| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
 |-
@@ Line 53: / Line 40: @@
 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.
-<span id="MRM"></span>
+=== Mental Ray Method ===
-==== 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.
@@ Line 69: / Line 55: @@
 |}
 === [[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.
@@ Line 115: / Line 100: @@
 |}
-[http://eat3d.com/free/floating_geo Floating Geometry Overview] - by ''[http://www.polycount.com/forum/member.php?u=18770 Andy 'metalliandy' Davies]''<<BR>>Video tutorial about creating floaters and baking in Blender.
+= Blender Baking Methods =
-<span id="MBM"></span>
+* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84505 Maya ao !! :@] from the Polycount forum.
-== Maya Baking Methods ==
+* [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.
-[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84505 Maya ao !! :@] from the Polycount forum.
+= Xnormal Baking Methods =
-== Xnormal Baking Methods ==
+= Softimage / XSI Baking Methods =
-[http://donaldphan.com/tutorials/xnormal/xnormal_occ.html Ambient Occlusion in XNormal] - by ''[http://donaldphan.com/ Donald Phan]''<<BR>>Baking ambient occlusion in Xnormal.
+[http://cryrid.com/art/?p=12 XSI Ambient Occlusion Methods] - by ''[http://cryrid.com/art Michael Taylor]''- Baking ambient occlusion in Softimage.
-<span id="VCAO"></span> <span id="VertexColorAO"></span>
+= Vertex Color AO =
-== Vertex Color AO ==
+Baking AO to Vertex Color can be an inexpensive way to store typically expensive information. See [[AmbientOcclusionVertexColor]] for more information.
-Baking AO to Vertex Color can be an inexpensive way to store typically expensive information. See [[AmbientOcclusionVertexColor]] for more infomration.
 ----
 [[Category:Texturing]] [[Category:TextureTypes]] [[Category:Light map]]

← Older revision	Revision as of 16:27, 14 August 2014
(No difference)