Request About 3d Modelling Tool

ViPr

<div class="IPBDescription">does it exist?</div> is there some way to use a 3d model as a texture on another 3d model? or at least get bitmaps derived from the first 3d model to be used as textures on the second model?

in other words, instead of making textures in a paint program you make them in a 3d program and instead of taking a render of them to use as textures you get the program to convert that model into normal map, diffuse map, specular map, and gloss map etc and use those as textures for another model. it will look like you're wrapping a 3d model onto another 3d model except it won't really be 3d but will just look a little 3d because of the normal map.

in other words it will be like the normal map generators that are used for games like Doom3, Half-life2, and Far Cry, except that it's much faster but it only works for surfaces which are flat so it could be used for map textures. it's like those normal map generators when the low poly model is just a flat plane. you could use it for complex curvy model as well except you don't build the detail on the curvy model directly but you build it flat on the ground and then wrap it around the curvy model after.

is there a tool already that does that and if not is it being developed or is it at least wanted by 3d artists?

CoolCookieCooks

i cant really understand what your saying there mate, i know its difficult.

would this be an example?

model a roof tile, texture it, take a picture of it face on, and use that for a texture on another model?

Chrono

i think hes saying take a picture of a untextured model and using that as a texture for something else

ViPr

it's like what CoolCookieCooks said except that's for old graphic engines that don't use specular maps, gloss maps, diffuse maps, normal maps, bump maps etc and just use one texture that is like a photo. i'm talking about for new engines that use all those kind of textures and it will convert that geometry to a normal map or a bump map and also pickup all the other data like the diffuse specular gloss amounts and put those on bitmaps also to match with the normal map or bump map.

Chrono

o i think its possible then good idea for maps but not for weapons and player models

ViPr

well when people make textures for characters and weapons they don't paint directly on the 3d model they paint on something flat and wrap that around the model don't they? so this tool would be like the same thing except instead of painting something in photoshop you build a model in 3dsmax that looks like the texture looks when laid out flat.

CoolCookieCooks

ah, so modelling onto the bmp that goes onto the model, i getcha. i dont think this has been made

evilwallpaper

cant you just make 2 models a high res version and a low res version then take renders of the high res model and cut and peice them together onto the texture map for the low res version ?

there are also programs that you can paint directly onto the model and theres even a program that you paint a model.

this might be the kind of program your looking for also <a href='http://pixologic.com/' target='_blank'>Zbrush</a>

Ratonetwothreetwoone

i saw a movie dealy about how they were going to do something like that in hl2, they made a really rocky and high poly wall, brought a 2 poly wall over in front of it, and did sumthin to make the image go onto the 2 poly peice, theyre gonna use it for walls, whats neat about it is when you move across in front of the wall it looks exactly like the high poly wall, lighting and textures and such...

ViPr

yes Rat12321 i saw the same video and this is exactly what i'm talking about except that this was a simple case because the low poly model was just a flat plane and i believe the program also works when the low poly model is more complex but i know that requires ray-tracing which is slow and i know the simple case with the flat plane does not require ray-tracing so i was wondering if anyone knew if there was a simple quick version of this type of program that works for that simple case of when the low poly model is just a flat plane.

btw even the high poly model was quite low poly. if you tried the program with 2 fairly high poly models like what was done for Doom3, or Half-life2 or Far Cry you could be waiting hours for it to generate the maps. i tried a normal map generator from ATI and i was waiting bloody ages for it to finish and i don't think it even picks up the diffuse, specular, and gloss amounts.

evilwallpaper, is the program you're thinking of where you paint directly on a 3d model called Deep Paint 3d? it's 1000 bucks! plus there's other pieces to it that cost that much too.

also if you take renders of models to use as textures then you don't get diffuse specular gloss bump normal maps etc. and that is what's needed for new engines.

evilwallpaper

actually i used to have a q1 mdl program that you could paint onto the models. but i was thinking of body paint for C4D, im sure if you look you can find a cheaper less industry standard program that does the same kind of thing.

frostymoose

so, you want a tool that will paint a texture by itself? or do you want a normal map baker? I thin kthey have that.

" i don't think it even picks up the diffuse, specular, and gloss amounts."

Of course it wasn't. normal maps simulate extra geometry- nothing else.

ViPr

it's quite pointless for the program to pick up the normals but not the diffuse, gloss, and specular amounts of the 3d model it's trying to flatten to flat textures.