Special Bump mapping?
 

Hi all, I´m back with a new question.
This time It´s about bump mapping.
After I´ve discovered a tutorial of Lightwave 3d about bump mapping I´ve read some very interesting lines:

"Most of the time creating the color map before the bump map is the easiest thing to do. In this case, the basis of the color mapping is the bump maps. For that reason, creating the bumps first will serve as a guide for painting in the color later.
Using the newly created UV template from the previous step, create a new layer in your paint program to begin painting the actual bump map. (You will probably want to key back the UV layer so that the UV lines don't get confused with your new bump layer.) A project such as this can be extremely painstaking, but remember that you get out what you put in."

-> view the full article here: http://images.google.de/imgres?imgur...lr%3D%26sa%3DN

In this article it seems to be possible creating a special bump map for your object. In this case it was used to create the flakes of the raptor.
My question is whether this is also possible in Maya. And if it is possible how can I do it ?
Thanks for all responses.

well those kinds of things aren't done in maya, they're done in a photo editing suite, like photoshop, paint, etc.

also, for UV mapping your model i don't recommend using a lightwave tutorial (usually modeling, texturing theory, lighting, and the process of animation - but not rigging - are pretty universal in tutorials).

www.learningmaya.com - check out the texturing section... a whole SECTION based on texturing and uv mapping tutorials, and FOR MAYA! =O

they've got some pretty good tuts here, too.

Well, NeoStrider, of cause you are right that it would be better to look for Maya tutorials. But I was just searching for the man who created the picture of my "realistic modelling thread" in google and i found this tutorial of him. So i´ve read and found out about this function of lightwave 3d and was wondering if something like this is also possible in Maya.
As it not semms to be possible, I´ll change my question a bit and ask: "Is something similar possible? Is it possible to create the bump map-effects at some places on your object where you want to?"

By the way, NeoStrider, thanks for the link! I´ll have a view on this site

yes it's possible. it's a standard function of most modeling programs to also allow you to texture them... the bump map and specular map and normal map and color map and any kind of map you want to make are, however, NOT done in maya... the only reason you are led to believe that the tutorial says lightwave can color and bump your objects like this for you is because it's a tutorial written for lightwave users. a maya user could easily translate this into terms a maya user could understand, because it's not really a tutorial. it's a process. it's a lesson in theory. in order to get cool colored bumpy shiny things, you do this then this then this then this and click here, here, here, and here. only difference among maya and lightwave and 3dsmax are where you click to get the same thing.

basically, in order to get 'bump map effects' you have to UV map your object. that tells the 3d program where you're putting your texture. then, you take a 'snapshot' of that newly-created UV layout. next, you take that 'snapshot' and import it into (or open it with) a photo editing program. in there, using the 'snapshot' as a guideline, you paint your texture. you choose where your bumps go. where your colors go. after you're done, you take the resulting file and plug it into a shader where it belongs. then you attach the shader to your object, and because you UV mapped it, your newly painted texture will lie on your object just like how you painted it. i didn't give you a step-by-step set of instructions because it always differs with the situation/object.

NeoStrider,
I´m very happy you are here on the boards and help me by learning texturing!
There´s only one question left for me: In photoshop (I hope you are using photoshop), how can you "choose where your bumps go"?. I´ve used a "learning photoshop-book" but I´m not able to find this function.

The best thing to do is paint your texture on your UV layout in Photoshop (be it from photo's of lizard skin or freehand) then map this into the colour channel of your model (as this forms the basis for the colour of it's scales etc) to see if it looks ok, if it does then go back into photoshop and create a copy of the colour tecture, desaturate this so that its black and white and save this as the bump map, then map the black and white picture to the bump channel then render, you then should have the bump map and the colour map matching up for ya.

You can the adjust the bump level to suit (i.e if the bump is going in instead of out then use a - value)

Hope this helps in expalining it

So is it possible to draw black lines at the desaturated texture and having then a effect for the bump map?
-> The black lines will be the flekes

(gster123, your explaining helped a lot. Thanks for it.)

You could bit I dont really see why you would need to (unless your after that for some reason) heres an example using a simple sphere and a blinn.

The pic below shows just a colour map applied (note where the dark areas (rust etc in this example) are

And now with the copied and desaturated (in photoshop) colour map applied into the bump channel of the blinn, note how the dark areas have a different bump value than the lighter areas (from desaturting the colour map)

And the bumps match the colour difference (these would be your scales for your dino)

Gsters answer is the way I would do it too.

In Photoshop I normaly just create a folder called ColorMap and one called BumpMap and use Photoshops layers to blend together the look I want having all the colour map layers in the ColorMap Folder and the bump maps in the BumpMap folder (strange that - eh!!).

Once that's done I use Maya s PSD file format and I can then apply the texture to the shader and map each folder to each relevant node using one file and one 2d Placement Tool. Then any ammendments I do, in Photoshop, can be seen almost instantly in Maya. Check out this tute from DT on the use of Photoshops PSD Node and Maya...

http://www.digitaltutors.com/chit_ch...ight=Photoshop
http://www.digitaltutors.com/chit_ch...ight=Photoshop

QT 7 is required to view these.

Also Kurts UV texturing Tutorial on the low poly game character covers the use of Maya and Photoshop.

Heres the completed hypershade network showing both the colour map and the bump map.

Hope it helps in explaining.

Hmmm... maybe I´ve expressed myself again in a strange way...

Well, I´ve wanted to create the flakes of my character (a raptor) by drawing them in Photoshop with black lines:
I wanted to go on like this:

NOTE: THIS FILES I FOUND ON THE INTERNET. TEY ARENT MINE.

1. I wanted to create the texture:

2. 2. I wanted to create the flakes (also in Photoshop)

And then mapping them how gster123 explained to me (mapping the black and white picture to the bump channel)

I don´t know if this is the right way to to this but I´ve thought myself if I would just desaturate the colored texture I wouldn´t aim such good flakes.

Pls tell me what you think about this!

you would have better defined scales/flakes in your model doing them your way (as long as your painted lines match the scales/flackes on your colour map) but they would to me end up looking like cubes with hard edges, desaturating the colour map will give you the nice smooth transitions on the bumps.

Maybe just try one then the other thne see what gives you the best result, you might end up using both by layering them in photoshop and adjusting the opacity, in the end its whatever works best.

As I said try rendering a quick test with one (desaturated) then the other (yours) and see what meets your requirement (oh and post the results so we can comment LOL)