KatsBits Community

Game Editing => Video Channel => Topic started by: kat on March 11, 2014, 04:53:57 PM

Title: Texture to normal map, to mesh (time-lapse of a door)
Post by: kat on March 11, 2014, 04:53:57 PM

The video above is a time-lapse of a two hour process using a door texture from Return to Castle Wolfenstein ("textures/castle_doors") as the basis from which a normal map and then corresponding mesh are made in Blender.

Process
First the grey-scale texture template is made (not to be confused with a heightmap - although there are similarities the template is made specifically for the purpose of producing a normal map), which is then converted to a normal map using nJob (http://charles.hollemeersch.net/njob). Once done the normal map is assigned to a simple mesh volume in Blender using "Blender Game" rendering and "GLSL" materials - this allows for the use of dynamic lighting which approximates similar game-engine conditions.

Once basic testing has been done, the mesh is duplicated, assigned materials made 'unique' ("Single User" materials - click the "F" or 'numbered' button) and the "Transparency" Property is activated so the original mesh can be seen through and used as a visual aid/guide in cutting up and shaping the duplicate mesh into a structure that replicates the textures features (final mesh shown is not as fully optimised as might be possible so further work could be done if needed/desired/required).