That was an amazing tutorial. The speed, your voice, the amount of info, you didn't get stuck anywhere or repeat things endlessly; it was just amazingly pleasant to watch.
Just a warning for anyone else if you scale an item up to improve baking, and then increase the rounded edge shader distance to match. It will look fine in the viewport but then bake incorrectly. I've spent the last few hours chasing this problem. Freezing the scale at 100% before baking solves this. I'm using Modo 11.1
I also believe you can control the rounded edge shader with some vertex map in Modo 10.x but I haven't tested it, just think I drunkenly heard it mentioned somewhere
Hey Wes. Do you think you could go through at some point and do a video on that? Would be awesome to see! BTW if I ever heard your voice in public I'd know INSTANTLY who you were after all the hours of your awesome videos I've watched! Thanks and please keep them coming!
Nice tut, something strange occurred for me in the preview first time around. All my normals looked fine on texture bake but they were sort of inverted inside the preview with shadows all over. Any how Modo crashed and when I reopened it, all looked fine, I was pleased it crashed this time round :D
Thanks Wes! Excellent stuff! ... I do have one question though: Since the highres model is essentially the same as the lowres, wouldn't it be faster to not have the the highres at all and just apply the rounded edge material to the lowres and then use "bake to texture" instead of "bake from object to texture"? I understand that this is probably just an example to get the high -> low projection workflow explained. :)
Yes, that is a very good point. I could have just used baked to texture indeed. Thanks for mentioning it as this is [robably much faster for power users. As you mentioned, I just wanted to run through it as an explanation of the high res -> low res projection.
Can you explain how to do that please? I have a material with the rounded edge shader set so it looks rounded in the viewport. I've added a new layer and set its mode to normal. If I right click on it and select bake to file it bakes but doesn't include the rounded edges.
This is good stuff, Wes. Question for you: could this workflow be adapted to work with imported CAD geo and its native vertex normals? I often need to render CAD data with rounded edges. and it would be great to be able to get those out of MODO.
Hi thanks a lot. Found it during a search on how to bake rounded edge shader in substance with modo. I can’t figure how to do it for a model with around 200 different mesh layer. Can you help?
I would recommend using 16bit png rather than the defualt png which is 8bit. I've found you can get artefacts with 8bit. It would be good if you could do a video on the Bake to Texture technique and also cages.
I'm having a problem with Modo's green channel being inverted relative to Substance Painter, and can't find an option to change it. -Edit- I've found a solution. As far as I can tell, there's no way to change how Modo bakes in this regard. It's always OpenGL-style. That said, you can tell Painter to load it as an OpenGL normal during import, and it works fine. I have no idea how you were able to load it as DirectX and have it still work.
I'm pretty new to Modo, but saw Warren Marshall's video about this baking. He said that after baking you should switch color space(?) from sRGB to Linear or something like that.
Hi. I was wondering if I can do my modelling and UVing in 3ds max,assign my normal groups, export my geo with the UVs and smoothing groups into MODO, and from here use the RoundEdge Shader to bake my Normal map. Are there any steps I have to do in this workflow?
Hey Wes, Do you really need to export the tangent basis out of Modo? I think it should still look correct in Substance Painter because it will apply MikkT tangent basis for you. I think that's the entire point in a sync normal map workflow? Great video BTW!! I bake to Unity which also uses MikkT and never export a tangent basis, instead I let Unity apply the tangent basis - and it looks correct ingame.
True that by default Modo is not using the same tangent basis, but my point was In a sync normal map workflow, you do NOT need to export your tangent basis via FBX, you only need to add it for baking. If you don't believe me try it :)
Yes, you are absolutely correct. I don't really need to export the tangents in the file as Unreal and Painter can compute them as MikkT. However, I did need to apply Mikk Tangets to the mesh so that I baked the normal using MikkT. Triangulating the mesh, applying MikkT, then baking is the real key. I don't really need the tangents exported in the FBX.
Wes, thanks for clearing that up! Also in Modo 10, the renderer/baker and triangulation are sync. So you don't even need to triangulate the mesh for baking(you can bake with quad/ngons,of course you still need to apply the tangent basis), just set FBX to triangulate upon export in the FBX option. FBX>Surface Refining>Triangulate Mesh.
Thanks very much for this info. The reason I did the triangulate before baking was because I was getting shading issues when adding the mikk tangent and baking the non-triangulated version. I found that triangulated before the bake fixed the issue.
Been trying this in Modo 11 today and it seems I am getting seams on my bakes I will test in 10 tomorrow but wondered if anyone else ran into this issue baking the rounded edge shader?
I had been going through this video, trying to match step for step and I have made MANY mistakes along the way, but it's a learning process. The mesh size impacting the find normal bake is NO joke. I was in english units, and everything was about 300% smaller than the scale used in the video, and it would simply NOT compute the normals without major artifacts. I am wondering if someone can help me out with one question that I am not doing wrong, but simply doesn't want to work. I have tried importing my bake_normal_base.png repeatedly, and it will not auto-link in the file, and therefor it isn't creating the textureset either. I went to the online documentation to confirm that naming convention hadn't changed, and no matter what I try, I have to go in and manually link the normal map. Any suggestions???
I did everything as in your video but the result was strange. Chamfer corners appeared, but they are pixel in any resolution. What could it be? I attached a picture on the link ibb.co/MN62jTh
That was an amazing tutorial. The speed, your voice, the amount of info, you didn't get stuck anywhere or repeat things endlessly; it was just amazingly pleasant to watch.
Just last week I was having issues with normal maps. You have no idea how much you've just helped me for future projects. Thank you.
Clearest demonstration on this I have yet seen. It took me ages to figure out on my own. Thanks Wes.
Thanks Mark!
Just a warning for anyone else if you scale an item up to improve baking, and then increase the rounded edge shader distance to match. It will look fine in the viewport but then bake incorrectly. I've spent the last few hours chasing this problem. Freezing the scale at 100% before baking solves this. I'm using Modo 11.1
Nice :) Also worth mentioning you can use multiple rounded edge shaders with different edge widths to add varition to parts of the model.
Yes, very good point. Thanks for posting this tip. I thought about showing that, but didn't want to get too complicated in the video.
I also believe you can control the rounded edge shader with some vertex map in Modo 10.x but I haven't tested it, just think I drunkenly heard it mentioned somewhere
Hey Wes. Do you think you could go through at some point and do a video on that? Would be awesome to see! BTW if I ever heard your voice in public I'd know INSTANTLY who you were after all the hours of your awesome videos I've watched! Thanks and please keep them coming!
As always; clear and easy to follow! Thanks Wes!
Thanks so glad you liked the video :)
Nice tut, something strange occurred for me in the preview first time around. All my normals looked fine on texture bake but they were sort of inverted inside the preview with shadows all over. Any how Modo crashed and when I reopened it, all looked fine, I was pleased it crashed this time round :D
Thanks Wes! Excellent stuff! ... I do have one question though: Since the highres model is essentially the same as the lowres, wouldn't it be faster to not have the the highres at all and just apply the rounded edge material to the lowres and then use "bake to texture" instead of "bake from object to texture"? I understand that this is probably just an example to get the high -> low projection workflow explained. :)
Yes, that is a very good point. I could have just used baked to texture indeed. Thanks for mentioning it as this is [robably much faster for power users. As you mentioned, I just wanted to run through it as an explanation of the high res -> low res projection.
Wouldnt "bake to texture" command render incorrect normals if lowpoly mesh have modified normals (Vertex Normal Toolkit stuff)?
Can you explain how to do that please? I have a material with the rounded edge shader set so it looks rounded in the viewport. I've added a new layer and set its mode to normal. If I right click on it and select bake to file it bakes but doesn't include the rounded edges.
it would be really great if you could update this tutorial for quixel mixer users.
This is good stuff, Wes. Question for you: could this workflow be adapted to work with imported CAD geo and its native vertex normals? I often need to render CAD data with rounded edges. and it would be great to be able to get those out of MODO.
Hi thanks a lot. Found it during a search on how to bake rounded edge shader in substance with modo. I can’t figure how to do it for a model with around 200 different mesh layer. Can you help?
I just found out about this. Im thinking of learning Modo
Awesome Wes! Thanks!
Thanks! So glad you liked the video
I would recommend using 16bit png rather than the defualt png which is 8bit. I've found you can get artefacts with 8bit. It would be good if you could do a video on the Bake to Texture technique and also cages.
Dynamite video Wes!
Thanks man!
Thanks Wes!
Awesome video! Is it possible to do this with Maya instead of Modo?
Thanks a lot! Great tutorial!
I'm having a problem with Modo's green channel being inverted relative to Substance Painter, and can't find an option to change it.
-Edit- I've found a solution. As far as I can tell, there's no way to change how Modo bakes in this regard. It's always OpenGL-style. That said, you can tell Painter to load it as an OpenGL normal during import, and it works fine.
I have no idea how you were able to load it as DirectX and have it still work.
Thank you, this made my day...
I'm pretty new to Modo, but saw Warren Marshall's video about this baking. He said that after baking you should switch color space(?) from sRGB to Linear or something like that.
Hi. I was wondering if I can do my modelling and UVing in 3ds max,assign my normal groups, export my geo with the UVs and smoothing groups into MODO, and from here use the RoundEdge Shader to bake my Normal map. Are there any steps I have to do in this workflow?
arnold has a similar shader called ai_roundedcorners
very useful tutorial !! Great!!
Awesome to hear : ) Glad it will be useful.
Wes is my hero
This is SUPER useful!
Hey Wes, Do you really need to export the tangent basis out of Modo? I think it should still look correct in Substance Painter because it will apply MikkT tangent basis for you. I think that's the entire point in a sync normal map workflow? Great video BTW!! I bake to Unity which also uses MikkT and never export a tangent basis, instead I let Unity apply the tangent basis - and it looks correct ingame.
I think here it's about Modo not using the same tangent space as Substance, Unreal or Unity
True that by default Modo is not using the same tangent basis, but my point was In a sync normal map workflow, you do NOT need to export your tangent basis via FBX, you only need to add it for baking. If you don't believe me try it :)
Yes, you are absolutely correct. I don't really need to export the tangents in the file as Unreal and Painter can compute them as MikkT. However, I did need to apply Mikk Tangets to the mesh so that I baked the normal using MikkT. Triangulating the mesh, applying MikkT, then baking is the real key. I don't really need the tangents exported in the FBX.
Wes, thanks for clearing that up! Also in Modo 10, the renderer/baker and triangulation are sync. So you don't even need to triangulate the mesh for baking(you can bake with quad/ngons,of course you still need to apply the tangent basis), just set FBX to triangulate upon export in the FBX option. FBX>Surface Refining>Triangulate Mesh.
Thanks very much for this info. The reason I did the triangulate before baking was because I was getting shading issues when adding the mikk tangent and baking the non-triangulated version. I found that triangulated before the bake fixed the issue.
Material is applied to both meshes on creation. How to avoid?
Helpful, thanks.
Been trying this in Modo 11 today and it seems I am getting seams on my bakes I will test in 10 tomorrow but wondered if anyone else ran into this issue baking the rounded edge shader?
OK seems like user error just needed to bump my bake distance :)
I had been going through this video, trying to match step for step and I have made MANY mistakes along the way, but it's a learning process. The mesh size impacting the find normal bake is NO joke. I was in english units, and everything was about 300% smaller than the scale used in the video, and it would simply NOT compute the normals without major artifacts. I am wondering if someone can help me out with one question that I am not doing wrong, but simply doesn't want to work. I have tried importing my bake_normal_base.png repeatedly, and it will not auto-link in the file, and therefor it isn't creating the textureset either. I went to the online documentation to confirm that naming convention hadn't changed, and no matter what I try, I have to go in and manually link the normal map. Any suggestions???
Seth Jensen did you export to fbx? Maybe try changing it to metric in the pref before exporting.
I will give that a shot. Thanks for the suggestion!
bevel shader is coming for blender. Just tested it - absolute same thing, if anyone interested :)
Ah, good ol Blender. Not a single original thought in sight, stealing everything from everyone.
I did everything as in your video but the result was strange. Chamfer corners appeared, but they are pixel in any resolution. What could it be? I attached a picture on the link ibb.co/MN62jTh
Is this available for other software package? for instance Blender?
Sure enough, Blender will steal everything.