Why do my normals look bad in CE3? No smooth transition.

[CDeniz]

http://i47.tinypic.com/108ilie.png

When I baked a normal map in xnormal I gave it enough padding,, and it looks good in maya but I cant get it right in CE3.

[ZacD]

Are you using this? http://freesdk.crydev.net/display/COMMUNITY/xNormal+Plugin

Also it could be an issue with the smoothing groups or uv layout/seams

[CDeniz]

Are you using this? http://freesdk.crydev.net/display/COMMUNITY/xNormal+Plugin

Also it could be an issue with the smoothing groups or uv layout/seams

Ah, no I never knew that it was calculated differently in CE3. Gonna test this out and post back. Thanks a ton.

[CDeniz]

Hmmm, I still cant get it working properly. I used the cryTB plugin for xnormal but it didnt affect it much.

http://i49.tinypic.com/1zh2ykm.png

Im using the modsdk btw,, not the free sdk. Maybe it only works for the freesdk,, im gonna download that and test it.

[Olli.]

first of all you've got >90 degree angles smoothed on that model. Basically means your normals were doomed to fail from the beginning.

Secondly, are you saving your normal maps with the crytif plugin and selecting the correct preset?

[CDeniz]

Huh? Is there a guide I can read on smoothing edges. I didnt know you dont smooth when the edges are >90 degrees.

And yes I exported with the crytiff plugin and correct preset. Actually I just did an -> average normals, on certain faces and exported that into ce3. It seems only soften edge or harden edge works in ce3 because average normals appear hard edged in ce3.

[Olli.]

>90 degree edges is just the common rule of thumb for ALL normal maps..

[CDeniz]

http://i45.tinypic.com/5bz5nm.png
Is this how I should smooth the low poly? It looks fine in maya after the bake but in ce3 it still doesnt look good.

Shouldnt I also soften the perpendicular edges between my two edge loops? Those are >90 degrees though.

[Brygelsmack]

Upload higher res pics please, these are small as hell.

[somedoggy]

You should read through this thread (http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=81154), particularly the posts by EarthQuake and perna. It'll help your bakes tremendously.

[choco]

Invert the green channel on your normal maps, that should fix your issue.

[CDeniz]

Thanks guys, I think I got it,, or at least getting there.

http://i47.tinypic.com/1rudty.png
I had to invert the green channel like choco mentioned, I used crytb for xnormal and I cleaned up my smoothing. One other problem I saw was that my diffuse map had some tilling going on on the seams,, so I cleaned that up too.