Normal map blue channel

[nognow]

I've noticed that some normals have a flipped Z/blue channel ("green-looking" normals)

Except for other Bethesda games, I haven't seen them used anywhere. What's the difference and when, if ever, should they be used?

Thanks!

[Pixelhate]

https://docs.substance3d.com/bake/what-is-the-difference-between-the-opengl-and-directx-normal-format-182256965.html

 

https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/100017/directx-vs-opengl-normal-maps

 

https://community.foundry.com/discuss/topic/129960/directx-normal-or-opengl-normal

[nognow]

https://docs.substance3d.com/bake/what-is-the-difference-between-the-opengl-and-directx-normal-format-182256965.html

 

https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/100017/directx-vs-opengl-normal-maps

 

https://community.foundry.com/discuss/topic/129960/directx-normal-or-opengl-normal

That's the green channel; I'm referring to the blue channel (image appears red/green in an RGB setting because the blue channel is missing/empty)

[AusAllerWelt]

Fallout 4 uses a 2 channel tangent space normal map for better performance while storing additional information in the red and green channel akin to BPR information. If you simply invert the blue channel you get a standard tangent space map.

 

I havenât worked a lot with them other than converting them for use in Gamebryo. I think the Unreal engine uses them aswell.

 

You can read more about normal maps here https://www.artstation.com/typhen/blog/GZdL/this-is-normal-3-types-of-normal-maps

Edited May 19, 2021 by AusAllerWelt

[nognow]

Fallout 4 uses a 2 channel tangent space normal map for better performance while storing additional information in the red and green channel akin to BPR information. If you simply invert the blue channel you get a standard tangent space map.

 

I havenât worked a lot with them other than converting them for use in Gamebryo. I think the Unreal engine uses them aswell.

 

You can read more about normal maps here https://www.artstation.com/typhen/blog/GZdL/this-is-normal-3-types-of-normal-maps

Ohh wow thanks!!! I've been looking for this for ever! If I understand correctly, FO4 only reads the two remaining planes and automatically calculates the third one; a normal texture file can have an image of me in the blue channel for all that matters right lol?. While NV isn't able to calculate the missing plane on it's own, and requires all three planes/all three channels. Did I get it right?

I don't remember seeing them in UE4 but it's been a while since I've worked with it.

And nothing about bathesdas system is in any way PBR. I went on a super long tirade on discord literally yesterday about how nonsensical and convoluted it is. I've worked with PBR systems before and it's night and day. I'm convinced that FO4 and SSE crank the glossiness of everything to 11 to mask just how shitty the lighting and reflections look. When I first tried importing FO4 maps into NV and noticed that everything is very shinny, I assumed that it's an incompatibility/ improper conversion/etc. But then I tried them in FO4 and realized that they are indeed obscenely glossy.

Although, I could've sworn that I've seen some of those green normals used in NV somewhere. Some modded weapons I think

[AusAllerWelt]

Yeah Fallout 4âs version of âPBRâ is awful, I wouldnât really call it that either. If youâve seen these normals for New Vegas mods though then the author didnât properly convert them, they usually look off in the Gamebryo engine.