Help with specular and bump maps

[+Dels 619]

G'Day all,

 

I've decided to start getting into specular and bump maps for my modelling but am having no luck at all.

 

Firstly, I'm using 3ds max 7. Can you export a LOD with specular and bump maps using 3ds max 7?

 

If you can't, can you use one of the later Thirdwire exporter tools (2008,2009 or 2010) with max 7?

 

If you also can't, I guess I'll stick with what I've got.

 

BUT if you can use max 7 or one of the later plugins, in the below picture I've shown what I've done so far (without success) to try and set up both a specular map (red) and a bump map (green). Is this correct?

 

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

 

Regards

 

Dels

[+Geezer 3,569]

I have 3dsMax 9 and can't export bitmap or specular maps for TW models.  IIRC, the first TW export module with these features was for Max 2008, maybe 2009?

Edited January 17, 2015 by Geezer

[+russouk2004 6,958]

This is from tw exporter for max 2009

 

TW Exporter Dec2010-C      <Top

 

and what textures are used in the LOD

 

 

10 Materials:
 (  1) 5 - Default:
       Reflection=1.00
       Red Arrows2014.jpg
       HawkNORM.jpg (bump map)
 (  2) Material #170:
      Transparency enabled
       Reflection=1.00
       frontglass.tga
       frontglass.tga (specular map)
 (  3) Material #151:
      Transparency enabled
       
 (  4) 7 - Default:
      Transparency enabled
       HUDGlass.tga
 (  5) Material #156:
       Reflection=0.00
       Red Arrows2014.jpg
 (  6) Material #259:
      Transparency enabled
       Lights.tga
 (  7) Material #427:
      Transparency enabled
       Lights.tga
 (  8) 20 - Default:
      Transparency enabled
       Reflection=1.00
       RearGlass.tga
       rearglass.tga (specular map)
 (  9) 2 - Default:
       Red Arrows2014.jpg
 ( 10) 11 - Default:
      Transparency enabled
       Lights.tga

 

specular does work..

I cant remember what was exported with max 7..

max models prior to 2009 can be loaded and exported for you by someone with max 9 2009 dels m8   and set bumps for you...

This is excerpt from the max 6 7 and 8 exporters on spec maps....btw....worth reading..

 

Specular Highlights – both Specular Level and Glossiness data specified in this section are transferred directly to the game engine.  To allow for customized skin, these values may also be adjusted by a separate external file.  Soften value is not used.
4. Maps
Only three map controls have any effect on how the object would look once it is exported into the game.  Diffuse Color, Specular Level, and Reflection.  All other map controls are not used.

Texture map should be applied on Diffuse Color channel, and the Diffuse Color box should be checked ON.  The Amount adjusts how much of the color comes from the texture map and diffuse color – at 100 (default), the color will come strictly from texture map and diffuse color is ignored, and at 0, the diffuse color is used and texture map is ignored.  

The Specular Level check box is used to specify where the material should get its specular data (both Specular Level and Glossiness).  If the box is checked OFF (default), the material will use the specular data defined in a user-defined external text file, if such file is present.  If it is checked ON, the material will always use the values set in the Specular Highlights section under the Blinn Basic Parameters.  The value specified in the Amount is ignored, Specular Level should be set in the Blinn Basic Parameters section.

This allows for user to customize specular level of the material to match his texture map without having to modify the 3D model itself, yet at the same time, the model builder can specify certain part of the model to always have a fixed amount of specular level.  For example, the model builder might set the specular level for material used by the engine exhaust or gun barrel, so they are not affected when the user sets specular level to 0 for his low-visibility camouflaged paint scheme. To make the Specular Level fixed at zero (i.e., no specular level), check the box ON, and set the Amount to 0.

Reflection check box works similarly to the Specular Level check box.  If the box is checked OFF (default), the material will use the reflection data defined in a user-defined external text file.  Check the box ON, the model builder can specify a fixed reflection value (as defined in the Amount).  Actual reflection map need not be specified in the model, as an appropriate reflection map will be assigned at run-time to all models depending on the environment.
5. Diffuse Color Map
UV Tiling and UV Mirror options can be checked ON or OFF to control how the map is applied outside the texture area.  They should both be checked OFF for most cases.   Important: if the UV Tiling is kept ON (which is the default in MAX), you might see a line at the edge of texture as the texture gets filtered across to the other end.  To avoid seeing this, make sure to turn UV Tiling OFF.

Under the Bitmap Parameters, Filtering options can be set to Pyramidal or Summed Area, or to None.  If it is set to either Pyramidal or Summed Area, the game will perform filtering (exact type depends on the card), and if this is set to None, the game will perform no filtering on this material.
 

[+Dels 619]

I think I've got the setup in max correct but I'm guessing the max 7 plugin/exporter doesn't support specular or bump maps. From the excerpt you posted russo, it looks like the only support it offers for specular levels is to define it for the entire material (so a map defining different specular levels for that material won't be displayed).

 

BTW, I tried the max 8, 9 and the 2010-C exporters but my max 7 won't load them.

 

Thanks for the help.

 

Dels

[+russouk2004 6,958]

set them up in 7 and I can export the max file for you  to LOD

Edited January 18, 2015 by russouk2004

[+Dels 619]

Thanks russo. I will keep it in mind but I'm looking into getting Max 9 at the moment.

 

Dels