Procedural Texturing &

Utility Node Networks.

Normal & Ambient
Occlusion Map
Baking (Games).
 • What are Normals: Normals are there to
calculate the surface angle based upon the
camera position to help smooth/unsmooth
and to give details in a surface, they are
mainly used to help cheat the eye into
seeing more when there is less.
• In the maya scene provided, export the low
and high res models of the barrel out as obj
files. To do this go to file > export selection
options set to file to objfile > then export
selection and name each export as low and
high res.obj
• Then in XNormal bring in the low and high
res objs to the corresponding section. Then
in the baking options set map type to
normal > set file destination and add test to
Low Res Maps.
end of file name > then hit generate map >
this create a low res normal map to see if its
working correctly (should be able to set
colours against the light blue background –
these indicate depth in the barrel surface.)
High Res Maps.
• Then close that and up the image sez to
4096 by 4096 and the antialiasing to x2 >
make sure to change the final name from
test to final.
Same settings just with AO checked for maps to render.
• Repeat process for an ambient occlusion
map by changing the settings.
In Photoshop:
• Open the UV, normal and AO maps.
• In the UV doc delete the alpha channel > create black background > set UV layer to screen and save file out as a work file(WF) .psd. > then
drag the normals and AO maps into the WF holding shift as you drop them in to stay in the right place. > once in turn off their visibility.
• From there using the textures in source images folder, lay out the textures to correspond with the UVs. > the wood texture is a tile-able
texture to tile as need to fit barrel panels.
• Duplicate and merge wood texture once complete and drag down to barrel ends. Here you will need to turn on the AO map and set to
multiply and lower the opacity. From there you can then cut into the texture and rotated to flow with the panel rotation shown through the
AO map.
• Then bring in the metal texture, tile and adjust as needed. Here I also added in a drop shadow to add extra emphasis to the metal bands on
the wood. This texture was also used on the rivets section of the UV’s.
• From there I then added a concrete map > scaled up to cover the UV net > set to multiply and lowered the opacity.
Creating a new normals map with added texture
in photoshop:
• Duplicate diffuse group > turn off AO map,
concrete and drop shadow so that you are left
the basic texture with no shading > create a
new background and set to a mid-grey colour
> merge group and call normal new.
• Then to generate normal map go to filter > 3D
> generate normal map and a window should
pop up > set detail to 40% and hit okay.
• Layer should turn a pastel blue/violet colour >
from there to help colour match to the
original normal map, drag the original map
down below the new map. > duplicate new
map > label one B + Multiply and then the
other RG + Overlay. To then edit the layer
properties open the layer options, set the
blend mode to multiply and turn off the RG in
the B + Multiply layer. Repeat for the RG +
Overlay expect turn off the B and set blend
mode to overlay. New normal map is now
complete.
• Create a specular map > duplicate diffuse > merge > create new group and add in a hue/saturation
adjustments layer and a levels adjustments layer. Set saturation to 0 and alter levels to determine how
much specular you want on the barrel.
• Save maps out as tifs, make sure to flatten image before saving out.
In Maya:
• Assign a Blinn shader to the low
res barrel > in the attributes to
bring in the Normals map go to
the bump map colour node >
create file > and input the
normal map make sure to set the
bump settings as ‘use as tangent
space normals’ (press 6 to see
textures if you cant already) >
then in the file settings set
colour space to raw and check
ignore colour space.
• Then in for the main UV
colour go to the main
colour channel and create
a file node and input the
diffuse (colour map).
• For specular > go to
specular roll off and
convert to file node > input
specular map > then in the
file settings set colour
space to raw and check
ignore colour space.
• Then turn on lights layer
and the barrel is complete.

• Note: Normal maps are

hugely used in games with
low res models for speed
with game play in the
viewport. Normal maps
can also be used in maya
render view you just have
to turn off the flip R/G
channel in the bump
mapping Arnold settings to
get the map to work
accordingly in the Arnold
render view.
Normal & Ambient
Occlusion Map
Baking (Games). -
Outcome.
Animated Texture
Maps.
Applying an image sequence to a shader in maya:
• To start you will have to generate the image sequence you want to use in after effects to then use in maya. Note: to have
to be careful with the naming convention coming out of after effects as maya won’t be able to understand what it has to
do.
• So when saving out for after effects you have to lay it out as such: name.cycle.number and not name_cycle_number as
the underscore is After effects default go to. (also give the number a padding of 4 [0000] so you don’t run out of frames
to cycle through).

• To start create two aiStandards Surfaces for the TV screens > call one cycle_ai
and the other sequence_ai.
• Then on the sequence_ai add in a file node to the colour channel > in the fikla node select the folder named sequence >
open and select the first image in the sequence and load in.
• Then below check the ‘use image sequence’ this then brings in the rest of the images series in to the timeline for maya
to then cycle through.
• For the other TV with
the cycle_ai texture >
repeat file node process
but instead of going to
the sequence folder go
to the cycled_sequence
folder and select the
first image in the series.
• From there you want to check ‘use image sequence’ again, but this time you’re going to want to break/delete the
connection in the image number.
• Here you need to go to frame 51 and set key for sequence, then you will need to go to frame one and set key again >
make sure you also have the correct image to correspond with the timeline position.
• From there to get the cycled_sequence to repeat continuously you will then need to click the box with the arrow to the
side of the image number.
• From there you will need to change the auto to linear in the in/out tangent columns and make sure to the set the
pre/post infinity menus to cycle > this will allow the sequence to repeat continuously depending on the amount of
frames you have in the timeline.
Adding Emission.
• In the hyper shade you can drag the file node for either surface shader to the emission colour
channel by middle mouse dragging to then paly with the weight and get glow/cast of light
from the TV screen.
Animated Texture Maps. - Outcome.
 Flipped Normal
Setup: Double Sided
Shader.
 • To create nodes, hit Tab on the
keyboard and search for
Getting two different images on the samplerinfo and condition. >
same plane: once created click the white
• To do this we can use the hyper
circle on the sampler node and
shade to create a condition and a
select flipped normal > drag
samplerinfo node.
•
connection up to first term
Condition meaning a conditional
question answer system based
channel in the hyper shade.
off an if/else statement (executes
• From there select the checker
two different codes depending next to the ‘colour if true’
upon whether the test channel and create a file node >
expression is true or false.) input image from source
• Samplerinfo meaning the images.> then repeat creating
information of the world in maya the file process for the ‘colour if
(the maya scenes assets – lights, false’ making sure to used a
objects etc). different image.

• From there connect the condition node to the page colour node by middling mouse dragging from the hyper shade.
• In the viewport you wont initially see the two images, it’s only when you open the render view that the two images become visible. The
reason we don’t see it in the viewport is due to the plane and the which way the normals face; meaning we will only see the positive
image(image on the normal side.)
Flipped Normal Setup:
Double Sided Shader –
Outcome.