Help - Problem with my Normal Map in Asset Editor

[ruoy 2]

Hi.
Im looking for a experienced Skylines modder. I ran into an issue with trying to import my Normal map. My diffuse is sitting correct just like the UV map is telling it to do. How ever my normal map is completely off. 

I use Maya. Imported with a Lambert. In Maya it all aligns well. But it seems like in the asset editor of skylines the Normal map is on a completley different UV set. I double checked Maya and there is no other UV set then the main. Is there something I need to do in Maya to make it use the Main UV set? I'm gonna add some photos at the bottom. Any help is much appreciated:)

[ruoy 2]

I just tried to flip the Normal Map 180 in PS. Still same results in the Skylines Asset editor

 

Edit: Its definitely  a Vertical issue . Horizontaly the Normal Map is in place. I also tried to do a 180 with the place2dtexture option in maya hypershade. Same outcome

[boformer 3,169]

can you post your textures? all of them in original resolution.

[Darf 1,439]

What do your maps look like?

[ruoy 2]

Sure. Here they are. Mind you they are still work in progress

They are 1024x1024 tga 

Putting a dropbox link because the site has a 3mb limit. 

 

Original>  https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7ckuy4a8jrou0mt/AADRNBXc5GZWUVy5FJgsM4mEa?dl=0

 

Too be honest the Normal map is just there to give the windows a small pop. I could go without it. 

Also the Normal Map only loads in the Asset Editor if I have the Spec in the folder too. Uggh this is head breaking.

 

 

[Darf 1,439]

What FBX export settings are you using? FBX 2014?

[ruoy 2]

Nope. 2013

Ill try 2014. Ill get back to you      

[ruoy 2]

Just tried 2014 exporter. Same result. I'm going to try to generate a new Normal Map and Spec and see if that changes the orientation. 

[boformer 3,169]

you are not using a power of 2 texture resolution. try 512x512 or 1024x1024

ignore this, was just the preview pic

[ruoy 2]

Thank you guys for the answers

 

AJ3D

No, Normals are not from a HighRez Geo. Just quick crazy bump. 

Yes for the next project I probably will use Tiled textures:) I was trying to save time on the modeling side and UV side by just making flat surfaces with the least poly use. 

So I'm still gonna try to work this out with what I have on this project since I don't want to back track. 

 

 

 

 

[boformer 3,169]

Does your mesh go below y=0? For me that caused quite a few problems.

[ruoy 2]

uhhh It does:/  I'm going to fix that right now and test it out.

[ruoy 2]

I got it to work finally:D The problem wasn't with the mesh. I had to further clean up the Normal Map and Spec map. There was some stuff on it that the engine didn't like. 

Here is the fix. Now I can finally finish this on my free time   

[Koesj 659]

Sooo what did this cleaning up look like? I'm asking since I'd like to avoid having the same problem as you and needing to find out the solution all by myself 

[ruoy 2]

I think the UV scale difference threw it off. So I removed two on both the normal and spec

The cleanest way of doing that was to Photoshop them away on the diffuse, then run that diffuse through crazybump. Get the Normal and Spec and use the original diffuse before the edit. 

 

Now I just have to deal with a lot of artifacting because as AJ3D mentioned my UV setup is definitely not optimal. 

also if you edit the Normal map in PS  (I try to avoid that unless I use Ndo) it helps to use the Nvidia plugin and Normalize the Normal map.

 

These are the parts I had to remove:

[Cool_Z 1,547]

On 9/3/2016 at 7:34 AM, AJ3D said:

A stack of 5 window columns with 5 rows should be enough.

Please... no.

 

You need much more (although you can stack a lot).

If you use too few different windows you will have a huge pattern repetition problem when you will make your nightlights. It will look very VERY bad.

 

It is one of the things that make updating some of the old assets with nightlights quite a problem.

[boldlybuilding 873]

I think what we can all agree on is that, honestly, there's a MUCH better way to make the textures for this building. I made the same mistake when I first started making buildings, where I'd have an entire building's side taking up a huge chunk of the texture. Exactly how you do it and even if you do it and to what extent depends on the building, but it's best with these big buildings to only have a smaller selection of windows, horizontal or vertical rows or different variations on the texture, and either dividing up the model and repeating those UVs or stretching rows of UVs outside the 0-1 UV space so it tiles.

Here's my current Willis Tower project for an example:

On the right is the texture, part of the diffuse and the normal. The windows use up much of the left side of the texture, and there are variations for the different types and patterns of windows, vents and mech level windows and so on. There's enough for variations to be added for lights. On the right is how the building's UVs are stacked on the texture. In the middle is the actual building. The surfaces are divided both by floor and by rows of windows so that I can add variation for night lights. The reason there are so few windows on the texture is so I can maintain relatively sharp detail with the eventual 2048x2048 texture.

[Cool_Z 1,547]

Guys... I hope you realize you can get sharp edges for textures by using even super tiny textures, as long as the texture itself is sharp and you don't need to have smaller details in this part.

If you don't, I'm sorry but you're wasting a lot of texture space 

[Cool_Z 1,547]

Good !! (Because I saw incredible thing by exporting with modtools... things that don't make sense at all.).

[boldlybuilding 873]

7 hours ago, Cool_Z said:

If you don't, I'm sorry but you're wasting a lot of texture space 

I hope that's not directed at me in any way vis-a-vis Willis Tower

I made a post on my own thread, though, to explain why I did it like that:

 

 

[Cool_Z 1,547]

Lol no... but I wish people traded a bit of texture space for more random nightlights mapping.