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Super Normal Maps
From HalfLife 2 Knowledge Base
Contents |
Normal Maps
Normal maps can effect the look and feel of models, and can also make them look extremely high resolution. A good example of the use of Normal Maps is the Unreal 3 Engine (Gears of Wars, UT3, etc) which utilizes Normal Maps to make low-resolution models look high-resolution.
Requirements
This tutorial requires a copy of "Adobe PhotoShop: CS", and NVIDIA's NormalMapFilter plugin found in the external links on the bottom
Making a Super Normal
To start pick a texture (in this tutorial I will be using FakeFactory's Male/Group01/art_facemap) and downscale (image size) to the following increments;
- 2048x1024 = 256x128
- 1024x512 = 256x128
- 512x256 = 256x128
- 256x128 = 128x64
For FakeFactory's texture I will convert it from 2048x1024 to 256x128. After you downscale the image apply NVIDIA's NormalMapFilter at the scale of three. When your done with that, upscale it back to your original image size. Copy the selection and revert back to the original texture image. Paste the upscaled image unto the original texture. Now apply the NormalMapFilter to the original texture. Copy it, and paste it over the upscaled texture, and set the blending options to "Linear Light". And your done.
Congratulations, you've created your first super normal map. Results are in the screenshot section of this tutorial.
