Envmapping help

[Staples McGee]

I am using some ODST models in a video that I'm doing, but after looking at the actual ODSTs from the game, I realized that the visors are missing their Envmaps, which really degrades their appearance. I guess whoever ported the model made their own textures for it. I would think that giving the visor an envmap would be fairly easy, but what complicates things is that the visor texture is in the same file as the rest of the helmet-- so if I try to envmap the visor, the entire helmet gets an unwanted shiny effect. Is there any way that I can only envmap PART of the texture?

EDIT: Also, if anyone knows of a more accurately textured ODST model that has been released and (most preferably) has envmaps, it would be absolutely tremendous if you could link it!

[R234]

By default envmap intensity is controlled on a by texel basis by the albedo's layer mask. So, if you're not using that layer mask for something else, just make the visor area white and the helmet area black in the layer mask, and you should only get envmap on the visor.

You can also use the normal map's layer mask instead, but if you do that, you have to make sure to include "$normalmapalphaenvmapmask 1" (without quotes) in your VMT.

[Staples McGee]

Originally posted by R234:

By default envmap intensity is controlled on a by texel basis by the albedo's layer mask. So, if you're not using that layer mask for something else, just make the visor area white and the helmet area black in the layer mask, and you should only get envmap on the visor.

You can also use the normal map's layer mask instead, but if you do that, you have to make sure to include "$normalmapalphaenvmapmask 1" (without quotes) in your VMT.

Sorry, I didn't understand some of the stuff you said (Texel basis? Albedo?) But I kind of understand what to do. Is there anything special I have to put in the VMT for the first mask you mentioned, or any special name for it?

[R234]

Originally posted by RC_3736:

Is there anything special I have to put in the VMT for the first mask you mentioned, or any special name for it?

As far as I know the base texture's layer mask already acts as an envmap mask by default, but if it doesn't, there's a VMT parametre you can use: "$basemapalphaenvmapmask 1"

Originally posted by RC_3736:

Sorry, I didn't understand some of the stuff you said (Texel basis? Albedo?)

A texel is a texture pixel. "On a by texel basis" means the brightness of each texel of the layer mask controls how much envmap is applied to the corresponding texel on the texture.

Albedo is just a fancy word for base texture, also called diffuse or colour map. It's the VTF file referred by the $basetexture VMT parametre.

[Staples McGee]

Originally posted by R234:

You can also use the normal map's layer mask instead, but if you do that, you have to make sure to include "$normalmapalphaenvmapmask 1" (without quotes) in your VMT.

So, I've done a bit of editing, and the helmet looks much nicer with a normal map... but when I tried "$normalmapalphaenvmapmask" "1" in my VMT, the entire helmet is now textured with env_cubemap.

Is there anything else you can recommend? I'd like to keep my normal map if at all possible.... and how do I turn down the 'intensity' of the envmap, so it doesn't completely hide the textures? Right now it looks like chrome.

[R234]

Did you add a layer mask to the normal map texture?

[Staples McGee]

Originally posted by R234:

Did you add a layer mask to the normal map texture?

How would I go about doing that? Sorry, I haven't really done much with textures before now....

[R234]

Depends what image editing software you use. In GIMP 2.8 that's where you do it: http://i.imgur.com/G6nb5m3.jpg

You then simply have to make the helmet area of the texture black, and the visor area white (or a shade of grey if you want the envmap to be less pronounced) in the layer mask.

[Staples McGee]

Originally posted by R234:

Depends what image editing software you use. In GIMP 2.8 that's where you do it: http://i.imgur.com/G6nb5m3.jpg

You then simply have to make the helmet area of the texture black, and the visor area white (or a shade of grey if you want the envmap to be less pronounced) in the layer mask.

Thanks.. but when I copied and pasted the image, there's a bunch of black and white moving lines all over random places in the visor on the layer mask. Is this normal?

(I'm using Gimp 2.)

EDIT: It looks fine in VTF Edit. Maybe I did do it right :P

[Staples McGee]

Originally posted by R234:

Depends what image editing software you use. In GIMP 2.8 that's where you do it: http://i.imgur.com/G6nb5m3.jpg

You then simply have to make the helmet area of the texture black, and the visor area white (or a shade of grey if you want the envmap to be less pronounced) in the layer mask.

Huh. It was going pretty good till I loaded the model. Apparently it didn't work.... The whole helmet's still shiny as heck.



I tried.


This is getting to be more trouble than it's worth, I think....

Wait. I have one more idea. Let me see if it works...........