Cool Tool To Generate Normal Maps/height Maps From Photos...

[AluminumHaste]

http://www.crazybump.com/beta/download.html

 

Check it out, but it is a limited beta. But it does work great for generating normal maps from pics.

[OrbWeaver]

What does this tool provide that the (free, open-source) GIMP plugin doesn't? The website provides no information whatsoever on the tool's capabilities.

[Gildoran]

Judging from the website, it looks as though the author is doing closed beta testing, and didn't intend for the URL to be leaked...

[AluminumHaste]

Judging from the website, it looks as though the author is doing closed beta testing, and didn't intend for the URL to be leaked...

 

It may be a closed beta, but he had posted the link on the polycount.com forums which are public, and did not restrict who could download it.

I'm trying to find the links to the forum's topic, but I can't find his thread. It had some cool screenshots.

 

EDIT: Found it

http://boards.polycount.net/showflat.php?C...an=0&page=0

 

Some screens:

 

Here's a quote from one of his posts:

A new beta test is ready!

 

Version 2.5. It sees a few changes:

 

-Improved performance!

 

-Resizeable preview window with new controls. (including proper zoom and tileable seam-inspection.)

 

-Clipboard support, for integration with other apps. There's no photoshop plugin yet, but you can copy & paste between apps now.

 

-New sliders give more control of blending between details at different frequencies.

 

-Some other tweaks that I am not thinking of right now.

 

You can grab the new beta test from www.crazybump.com/beta/download.html

 

Cheers,

 

-Ryan

[OrbWeaver]

From the thread it looks like it is a beta for an application that will eventually be commercial, and that the beta has to "authenticate" with the author's server so that he can (presumably) disable the beta releases once the commercial version is available for sale. This is something to bear in mind before getting addicted to the tool.

 

Otherwise it looks like it is using a more elaborate interpolation between remote samples in the heightmap than the other plugins, which limit their processing to smaller (4x4, 7x7, 9x9) groups of pixels. This is an interesting idea, but not one I am going to pay money for.

 

I wonder if this is something the GIMP normalmap developers are working on.

[mangrove]

Hello, long time listener etc..

 

I'm surprised there isn't more enthusiasm for this app here. I saw a link posted on doom3 the other day and thought it might help you. Using the normal map method you have on your wiki site (gaussian blur/several layers), you can get some fairly impressive results.

 

 

 

 

 

It doesn't require authentication, although it does try to go online whenever you load it.

[OrbWeaver]

I'm surprised there isn't more enthusiasm for this app here.

 

although it does try to go online whenever you load it.

 

I can't speak for anybody else, but that's the answer to the question right there for me. I don't care how good the tool may be, I am not going to bother with a closed-source application that the author can disable any time he feels like in order to make some money.

[New Horizon]

Not a bad program. The user interface is shitty though.

[mangrove]

I can't speak for anybody else, but that's the answer to the question right there for me. I don't care how good the tool may be, I am not going to bother with a closed-source application that the author can disable any time he feels like in order to make some money.

 

Well if you don't let it go online, I'm not sure how it can be disabled. Short of an in built time limit or something.

 

Anyway just thought I'd mention it

[OrbWeaver]

Well if you don't let it go online, I'm not sure how it can be disabled. Short of an in built time limit or something.

 

I suspect the author will have considered that, and probably written it to not work at all if it cannot check with his servers (much like Steam-based games). I haven't tried this however, so I don't actually know what it will do in this situation.

[mangrove]

I haven't allowed it online yet, and it works fine. Admittedly, I only installed it yesterday, so maybe it'll self destruct after a time

[OrbWeaver]

Just tried it, and it does indeed seem to work (at least initially) without access to the network. I suspect there is a timebomb involved though, the EULA mentions the end of July but clearly that is incorrect (maybe it is the end of August now).

 

I have to agree with New Horizon though, the interface is pure garbage.

[New Horizon]

I have to agree with New Horizon though, the interface is pure garbage.

 

Yeah, it looks extremely clunky and amateurish. Whoever is doing this needs to get someone to design a more practical UI.

[SneaksieDave]

Also, this tool, that tool, it doesn't make a whole lot of difference (though I suppose there might be some here or there). Ultimately in all cases it's still coming down to how good the height information is in the source image. You can get good results from a weak tool, or shit results from a great tool.

[squill]

and a lot of experimenting before getting anywhere near a good result.

 

Some of the guys at work use this tool and to them it's handling NM much better than the nvidiaplugin. I haven't tried it myself but if it's still available it'd give it a try.