View source for Normal Map Creation in Maya

<!--[0]______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________-->
This page will help you creating a normal map in maya based of an high resolution and an low resolution mesh model.

If you simply wan't to create a normal map out of a texture, we suggest you using CrazyBump (or any other Normal Map creation tool like NVidia's normal tool) for this task!

=== Creating Normal Maps with Transfer Maps ===
You can "bake" a normal map from an high resolution mesh to an low poly mesh using the "transfer maps" feature of maya.
[[File:Maya baking normal highpoly.jpeg|thumbnail|A highpoly brickwall created in Autodesk Mudbox]]
[[File:Maya baking normal lowpoly.jpg|thumbnail|A lowpoly version of the highpoly mesh <br />
(2 triangles, created with the Reduce tool)]]

In this tutorial, I created a mesh plane with a subdivision level of 100x100. This plane was sent to Mudbox and edited/sculpted there with Masks to achieve a brick looking mesh.

This mesh was sent back to Maya and duplicated. Reduce the amount of one plane by using the "Reduce" tool. I went with a flat plane.

<!--[1]______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________-->

==== Actual Baking ====
Select "Rendering" in the menu to get access to the rendering menu bar.
[[File: Maya baking stp1.jpeg|800px|left]]

Go to "Lighting/Shading" and select "Transfer Maps".

[[File: Maya baking stp2.jpeg|800px|left]]

A window will pop up, you have to select your <b style="color: white;">target</b> mesh (low poly version), your <b style="color: white;">source</b> mesh (high poly mesh) and your transfering method (there are "normal map", "displacement maps", "diffuse maps", "lightning maps" and "alpha maps"). Use the outliner or viewport to select meshes!

<table>
<tr>
<td>
[[File: Maya baking stp3.jpeg|left]]
</td>

<td>
<div style="margin-left:10px; background-color: #2D3D2D; padding: 5px; height: 850px; margin-top: -10px;">

<!--[2]______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________-->

* <span style="color: white; font-size: 30px;">Normal Map:</span>
uses tanget spaces, to simulate detail rich surfaces with propper lightning

* <span style="color: white; font-size: 30px;">Displacement Map:</span>
Actually deform's the mesh and creates an realistic representation, may use much more computing power than Normal Maps

* <span style="color: white; font-size: 30px;">Diffuse Map:</span>
Transfers a texture from a highpoly mesh to an lowpoly mesh.<br />
This is not recommendet in model creation.<br />Just sculpt your model and dont look at the UV's.<br />
Lay your UV shells propperly out on a lowpoly variant, its easier!

* <span style="color: white; font-size: 30px;">Lightning Maps:</span>
Simulates light and bakes it to the corresponding texture.<br />
(The source engine uses this method to bake the lightning into your maps altough slightly more dynamic).
<br />(Dont create full blown maps with this within maya. The viewmodel will be fullbrigth and you would still have to use brushes to seal your map!)

* <span style="color: white; font-size: 30px;">Alpha Maps:</span>
Bakes the alpha channel of an object into its texture for a clean transition from e.g. black to fully transparent)

</div>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

<!--[3]______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________-->
You now can click <i>Bake</i> or <i>Bake and Close</i>. The latter will close the menu after baking.

[[File:Maya baking normal result.jpg|framed|center|My Result after baking. Left the source mesh, right the target mesh.]]

<div style="height: 1px; width: 100%; background-color: #666;"></div>

<!--[4]______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________-->

===== Settings & Notes =====
<span style="color: #f88;">Note:<br />
* Make sure your taregt mesh's faces are bigger/above the source mesh!<br />
* Make sure texture's are enabled in your viewport!<br />
* Dont bake meshes, that contain 90degree angle's, this will mess up the renderer!<br />
* Arnold (Maya's built in raytracing renderer) support's baking, but MtoA.mll (Maya to Arnold) currently <b>DOES NOT</b> utulize it!<br />
</span>
<span style="color: #8f8;">Settings:<br />
* Select a destination for your normal map or you have to look it up in <b>Hypershade</b>.<br />
* For preview purposes, select a small resolution under the <i>Maya Common Output</i> Tab, baking normal maps with high resolution meshes can get very expensive very fast!<br />
* The <i>Filter type</i> defines which type of blurring is being used, standart is a gaussian blur with a value of 3, for unfiltered texture, use a filter size of 1.
</span>

[[Category:Maya]][[Category:Material System]][[Category:Tutorials]]