Gestalt on 25/2/2005 at 18:07
I played around with ATI's Normalmapper tool for a bit and wasn't particularly happy with it. The interface wasn't very helpful and it could only read one model format, a format I hadn't heard of before. I stumbled across <a href="http://developer.nvidia.com/object/melody_home.html">Melody</a> while looking for a better way to do it, and I'm quite pleased with it so far. It has more options, a more intuitive way of doing things, and support for several common model formats.
Oh, and it works with ATI cards and all that. Mine's a Radeon 9600.
Renzatic on 25/2/2005 at 18:21
The ATI generator is only supposed to be used for textures...I wouldn't use it for models.
Shadowspawn on 25/2/2005 at 18:27
Man, just to start making models for T3Ed, I'm going to have to learn a whole bunch of new tools. I think the NVidia site is going to be a VERY useful resource for awhile.
Gestalt on 25/2/2005 at 22:36
Quote Posted by Renzatic
The ATI generator is only supposed to be used for textures...I wouldn't use it for models.
We're talking about two different tools. I should've been a bit more clear, I suppose.
I'm talking about <a href="http://www.ati.com/developer/tools.html">Normalmapper/Normalmapper UI</a>, which helps you create normal maps for low poly models by taking the information from more detailed versions. You supply high and low detail versions of a mesh, then it generates the normal map from the high poly version.
You're talking about <a href="http://www.ati.com/developer/sdk/radeonSDK/html/Tools/ToolsPlugIns.html">Normal Map Generator</a>, I think, which does the texture conversion thing.
plebeian on 26/2/2005 at 00:01
Whatever package you're using for doing the actual modeling will have normal map plugins for it anyway. Certainly Lightwave, 3DS Max, Maya and XSI have.
The devs at ION obviousy used Max, and I guess that's what most people here will use as well. Max 7 has normal map tools built in.
