Editing Normal Maps?

**LoweGear** · 29th Sep 11 7:20 AM

I've been trying experiments at editing the normal map files (_nrm) for the various SP armor parts via photoshop, since i know such a thing is possible. Strangely however even when i completely replace the nrm files for a particular armor, the part will always show up ingame without the nrm changes. Anyone have tips on properly editing the nrm files so their changes appear ingame?

Edit:

Also, any tips on how to do gold armor effects? Seems to be the one coloring effect i cant do for the armors...

**Don the Oiler** · 29th Sep 11 8:17 AM

Edited normal maps work fine for me. Maybe you saved them in a format the game can't read? DXT3 ARGB .dds is what i use, without any problems.
For a real gold effect, its very important to edit the _spc textures as well. "Burnished gold" for example looks just like plain beige if you don't paint it slightly yellow in the specular map.
The icing on the cake is editing the blue channel in the _lp map, for that extra reflective sheen. But then you have to make sure your .bmat uses it, and you'll have to have a _ref map in your directory as well.
Look at the default basic_upres armour files and you'll know what to do.

Every channel in every map you'll find in the directories has a purpose. For the _lp maps, i'll quote NastyNoodles here:

also, Don, lp channels are:

R - No idea, seems to be the default for everything, G - Emissiveness, B - Reflectivity

**TrashMan** · 29th Sep 11 9:14 AM

Tehre's two very neat tools for workign with normal maps..

Crazybump
Njob

look them up

**LoweGear** · 2nd Oct 11 12:50 AM

Originally Posted by Don the Oiler

Edited normal maps work fine for me. Maybe you saved them in a format the game can't read? DXT3 ARGB .dds is what i use, without any problems.

Looks like I was saving them wrong then. Mind if I ask the exact settings you use to save the file? I might be missing something else. ^^;

For a real gold effect, its very important to edit the _spc textures as well. "Burnished gold" for example looks just like plain beige if you don't paint it slightly yellow in the specular map.
The icing on the cake is editing the blue channel in the _lp map, for that extra reflective sheen. But then you have to make sure your .bmat uses it, and you'll have to have a _ref map in your directory as well.
Look at the default basic_upres armour files and you'll know what to do.

... no wonder I can't get the basic powersword to have a gold sheen no matter what I do to the _lp and _src files O_O

Is there any way to change the .bmat files to give any object the ability to get a metallic sheen?

Originally Posted by TrashMan

Tehre's two very neat tools for workign with normal maps..

Crazybump
Njob

look them up

I'll look em' up, thanks

**Don the Oiler** · 2nd Oct 11 9:18 AM

Ok here are my .dds settings in photoshop:

DXT3 ARGB (Explicit Alpha); 2d texture; no mipmaps

For the extra shininess, you can edit the .bmat or just take a .bmat of a piece that you definately know uses it (like almost every Titus armour part) and rename the textures accordingly.
I swapped the Titus torso .bmat with the powersword version and it seemed to work.
If you really want to edit the .bmat yourself, you'd probably have to insert this here:

Spoiler

Just be sure to change the names and colours to what you use, and the "ID=" parts seem to be consecutive numbering. Though i don't know if it's important what order you use.

**LoweGear** · 4th Oct 11 2:19 AM

I tried saving the nrm under the settings you suggested, and here is what happens:

The edits do appear, but the textures and everything else now appear wrong. I think there's something I'm not doing right, but I'm not sure what. ^^;

Though this is from editing the nrm purely via Photoshop. If nothing else works, might have to try out those specialty tools...

As an aside, how do you edit .bmat files anyway? When I open them on notepad they come out as nothing more than unorganized chicken scratchings ^^;;

**TrashMan** · 4th Oct 11 12:16 PM

Another tool I forgot.. nDo

**Vini** · 2nd Jun 12 9:19 AM

It's an old thread, but maybe you still read it dear op. My language is not english, so sorry, but maybe you can understand me

So when you edit normal maps in photoshop, you have to edit in channel view too, because when you edit in "layer view", the fourth layer of the dds doesn't "get edited" (i think its the alpa channel, but can't remember, and i dont have photoshop under my hands right now). You can check it, when you switch to channels, and turn on/off layers.

Hope it helps
Cheers

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