Normal mapping

[Alloy007p 0]

I have just started makeing a model for arma and although I am not new to addon makeing, I have not been sucsesfull in the past but am determined to get it right this time.

Anyways haveing found out about normal mapping I have a few questions about it.

1. Should normal mapping be done in O2 or another program. If Another program what should I use, currently I am useing blender which can do normal mapping, would that work?

2. Normal mapping is more or less for small details, right? How much should I use normal mapping for details?

3. Anything else I should know about normal mapping?

4. Anything else in general I should know about creating models for arma?

Thanks for any replys

[[aps]gnat 28]

Since CrazyBump now only haves an expiring version ... I'm using this.

Now many if any options, but it works.

ATI NormalMapGenerator

Another program is here; http://www.shadermap.renderingsystems.com/

- All I do (and I am definitely not an good artist) is take the finished main Texture and run it through the NormalMapGenerator

- This gives you a TGA file

- I then manually edit that graphic to remove any "transitions" that are not required

- To remove transitions simple paint the background colour over the top.

- I add transitions where there is none but is required by copying sections elsewhere in the graphic an pasting

- One typical transition you will need to remove is where two different paint colours meet (ie camo paint scheme)

- I then put the TGA through TexView2 and use the PAA

- Add a RVMAT material file and it should even be visible in o2 / Buldozer

[Alloy007p 0]

I jsut found a plugin for GIMP to make normal maps http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki....he_GIMP and was able to get it to work> I tried the Shader map and didn't realy know what I was doing but got it to work, well sort of. I tried useing it on a brick wall texture http://www.3dmd.net/gallery....jpg-but instead of the bricks sticking out of the wall the were sunk in.

Useing shadermap how exactly do you run it through it? Right now I have a batch file that looks like this<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">REM Convert diffuse map (cdiff) to displacement, normal, and specular

REM * parameters are default -v is verbose

START /WAIT ..\shadermap.exe cdiff "media\BRICK.jpg" -disp (*,*,*,*) -norm (*,*) -spec (10,*,*) -v

REM Show a 3D Preview of the maps just created

START /WAIT ..\shadermap.exe 3dprv -diff ("media\BRICK.jpg") -norm ("media\BRICK_NORM.tga") -spec ("media\diffmap_1_SPEC.bmp") -disp ("media\BRICK_DISP.bmp") -v

But everytime I run the batchfile(after I edit the tga) theres no change, and the tga is back to the same state it was before, I am obviously doing something wrong here, do I need to change something in the batch file?

EDIT

Never mind I just figureed out I had to take out the top part of of the batch file.

Is one better than the other, specifically for arma or is it just a matter of prefrence?