Bitmap plus and Normal Maps

[Eric2575]

Is there a way to change the percentage value of a Normal Map in Bitmap Plus?

[Eric2575]

For that matter, I am having trouble with Bitmap's displacement function. Whenever I use a displacement value in the material's property, I get major black artifacts when rendering or the patches of the model I am applying bitmap to don't show up at all. Maybe I'm using it wrong? I take a displacement map and import it into bitmap. Not knowing any better, I import it into the bitmap slot. There is also a slot for a Normal map and a Tile map. Maybe it should go into one of these? In any case, I'm adjusting the dispalcement percentage under the material's property and I get weird results every time.

 

Bottom line, what is the exact step by step procedure to get displacement to work in bitmap? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

Edit: I'm experimenting and have found that the artifacts may have something to do with the camera background? I rendered two spheres, the first one with a displacement map, the second one without, in a default chor. See for yourself below. Displacement is set at 75% with everything else untouched. There are no changes at all to the spheres' properties.

[Eric2575]

Here is displacement set at 300%. The displacement is now showing the correct form, but the blue color is still wrong.

[Eric2575]

Since I did not change the model's properties and since there is not way to control anything that has to do with lighting, specularity, or reflectivity in Bitmap, I reasoned that maybe the displacement image I was using did not agree with Bitmap. Well, here is a different displacement image. Note: These displacement images are all images I've used successfully as displacement decals.

 

Again, the displacement seems to be working, but why is it the color of the background?

 

The last pic is from a newly created camera with a green background.

 

Update: The order of Bitmap material placement does not make a difference.

[Eric2575]

Has anyone gotten Bitmap to work with Displacement?

 

Hello?

 

Anyone there?

 

Hello, hello...hello........hello.......................argh!!!!

[Eric2575]

Submitted a Hash Report.

[Viper GTX2.0]

I wish i could help but i dont know enything about bitmap but would like to try it some day.

[Eric2575]

The bitmap plugin is a great addition to AM. It makes it very easy to apply an image to a model.

 

The problem I've been having with Bitmap in V.13 has been resolved in V.14 according to the Hash support team. At least now I know I'm not the only one who has had this problem... Now to upgrade to V.14

[johnl3d]

 

 

Since it wasn't working for me either...I see your current post I was wondering why you couldn't just apply a normal decal and or patch image as I did here

 

 

 

displaced.zip project and decal I used .....once as regular decal (right) and once as patch image (left)

 

 

let us know where to find the new version of bitmap since its not working in AM v14 per my tests

[MattWBradbury]

To put it simply, Bitmap Plus makes texturing a breeze. If you had to make an entire cave covered in the rock texture, it could take several days. With Bitmap Plus, you can drag and drop and you're done.

[jakerupert]

Where can we get it?

[Eric2575]

John:

 

as Matt pointed out, bitmap makes applying decals to a model drag-n-drop. There is no positioning, no flattening, no poses, etc. Off course this is only good for applying random materials such as you would find in nature, not for anything that needs to be lined up. It is interesting to note that you also had problems in V.14.

 

Steve emailed me and informed me that the issue was resolved in V.v14b10: http://www.hash.com/reports/view.php?id=4748

Which version did you try it on?

 

Jake:

 

Bitmap comes shipped with AM. I'm not sure when it started to be included, but I believe the first inclusion was V.13. You can find it under the Hash heading for plugins. Which version do you have? For earlier versions, I believe there is still a link somewhere for the downloadable version. Marcel Bricman wrote the plugin.

[jpappas]

Eric,

 

I made a Bug Report for this on V13.0r in March, where this scenario was causing an exception. That bug was fixed quickly but in the report Noel indicates while they fixed the crash it still renders incorrectly (this is the render anomaly you are seeing).

 

http://www.hash.com/reports/view.php?id=4324

 

A new bug was created for the render problem, it's not yet resolved. I guess your bug report is a duplicate of this one. I just tested again in the latest V14 to verify and I still see it. I'm not sure why my bug is still open and yours is listed as Resolved.

 

BTW, John's recommendation is a pretty good workaround if all you want to do is apply a bump or displacement map. He's suggesting to use Patch images as opposed to manually decalling, and this is also a quick, one-step way of covering an object. With Patch Images there also is no positioning, flattening, poses, etc...

 

If anyone wants the steps, you need a Group for your object, then you right-click the Group, select Add Image, select your grayscale image, then change the new Decal that appears to Bump or Displacement. This is working fine and doesn't have the issues we see right now with BitMapPlus.

 

Using Patch Images, the image is applied to each and every Patch in the Group automatically, saving you the work of applying decals. There are a few drawbacks. One is you don't get all the advanced mixing options of BitMapPlus. The second is that Patch images resize the decal to perfectly fit each Patch, so if you have large and small patches in the same Group, your decals will be all different sizes, and the result will look very non-uniform.

 

Here's that open report about BitMapPlus:

http://www.hash.com/reports/view.php?id=4333

 

 

-Jim

[johnl3d]

I knew how bitmap works but since it wasn't working as stated above I offered other ideas. I am using the latest version on AM for most things as I was when I checked this out. Hopefully the problem will be fixed.

[mtpeak2]

v14 beta 10 is not out yet.

[Eric2575]

I seem to recall trying to use an image as a patch image, but when I right clicked, I could have sworn the option for displacement was not there. I saw bump, but not displacement. Since I have been frying my eyes out at night on AM and working hard at my day job, I could be wrong and was prolly dreaming. Once my AM computer is back online - hopefully tonight, I'll check the options under patch image again.

 

Well, since V.14beta10 is not out yet, maybe the bitmap problem really is fixed. Let's wait and see.

[johnl3d]

Eric one of the sample I posted was a patch image with displacement you set it at the image settting