Unlocking Blender resources
What are you looking for?
Click on tags to toggle them on-and off.
Creating normal maps from photos
by kat English, HTML, Intermediate, Non-Blender, Texturing, Tutorials 2 Comments
A tutorial showing a specific example on how to create a normal map from a photograph of a tree-trunk. Also includes tips on what you should be aware of when taking your own photos for this kind of asset creation.
Related Posts
Related posts are selected automatically based on their content.
Way too general to be useful. Anyone clicking on the link is likely to know about normal maps. Sure, one should take a photograph in soft lighting conditions to be useful — same for textures as well as normal maps. The article goes into exorbitant detail on this easy point, but skips the all-important details of how to create normal maps using Photoshop, Blender, the Gimp and so on. The link to the Gimp plugin doesn’t show how to do it, either. Yes, everyone knows that Red=X, Green=Y, and Blue=Z. The article says flip them if necessary, but doesn’t explain what programs might need this, such as a flip from Y-up programs like 3d-Coat to Z-up programs like Blender to or how to do it.
Hi, thanks for the comment.
You’re quite right, the tutorial doesn’t cover technical aspects of using specific applications as that isn’t it’s purpose; because there are so many photo editing and asset creation applications available one has to write about such topics in a generalised way, dealing instead with principles rather than specifics.
If you *do* want specific tutorials, covering specific topics, then drop me a line with suggestions and I’ll be more than happy to take a look at writing something up or linking to appropriate third party material.
Alternatively, I do provide individual tutoring as a paid service. Either way you can get in touch directly via info@katsbits.com.
kat