Getting started with Textures

[vipermkii]

Hello,

 

So I'm trying to get to the point that I can re-texture armor completely from scratch. Following some advice that I got from Cabal, I got photoshop and Ndo2. He said that he uses bethesda's textures to make normal maps in Ndo2 then he makes a cavity map for the coloring. I can't figure out what a cavity map is but below is a diffuse map that I made from my normal map. Does it look like something that can be colored or am I doing this wrong? I also assume that a diffuse map is a type of cavity map?

 

If this isn't the place to post this can someone point me to a forum/community site for people that make textures for this game?

 

http://static.skyrim.nexusmods.com/images/608894-1366695345.jpg

[vipermkii]

Wow, so no one here is a texture modder?

[nuska]

A little patience goes a long way around here, experienced modders don't always patrol the forums all day long. This is a huge subject that requires personal initiative and research.

 

You should really start out studying the different texture map types first before you dive into anything hastily. Google around, Polycount forums are a good place to look.

http://digital-lighting.150m.com/ch10lev1sec1.html

http://3d.about.com/od/3d-101-The-Basics/a/Surfacing-101-Texture-Mapping.htm

[ImsumDave]

I don't know specifically what Cabal's workflow is, but what I can tell you is that the xNormal plug-in for photoshop includes a custom filter called "Normals2Cavity". This is usually how I make cavity maps from my normal maps. I don't know if nDo2 includes a similar feature. You'll have to install xNormal to get access to the filters. There are a few settings that need to be set when using the "Normals2Cavity" filter. I have mine set as follows.

---------------------------------

Swizzle: X+ Y+ Z+

Method: EMB

Bright: 0.100

Contrast: 1.200

Radius: 8

allow tiling (not green)

use luminance (not green)

Emit blue channel (not green)

---------------------------------------

The end result of the filter will look very similar to what you have already, but for a lot less work. I normally overlay my cavity maps on my diffuse. I don't use it as a base, but everyone is different and, again, I don't know what specifically Cabal workflow is.

Edited April 23, 2013 by ImsumDave

[vipermkii]

Here is what I was able to do in a couple of hours of playing around. I converted the HD texture to a normal, converted that to an AO, triple layered the AO and then overlayed the original HD texture over the OA. The amount of detail is amazing!

 

http://static.skyrim.nexusmods.com/images/608894-1366747095.jpg

[vipermkii]

 

I normally overlay my cavity maps on my diffuse. I don't use it as a base, but everyone is different and, again, I don't know what specifically Cabal workflow is.

 

Ndo2 has a convert normal to cavity option but it always produces a Diffuse map, this is why I'm confused as to what a cavity map is. Also, I read on wiki, I think, that most maps are cavity maps; normals were even listed as cavity maps.

 

@Nuska: Neither of those articles mention cavity map. Also, my not so obvious bump put my thread back on top and snagged some replies :happy:

 

 

 

[nuska]

Cavity maps aren't a thing used separately in realtime engines to any of my knowledge. You can use a cavity map generated out of depth information (such as with normal maps) to boost the look of depth in the diffuse map though. May also want to use it to mask out specularity in crevices.

[vipermkii]

Im just trying to produce a HD blank to color/re-texture. I think that the AO map produces the most 3d/shadowed looking blank so that's what I'll go with.