How Can I Get Good Bump?

[BKEicholtz]

I have been getting beat up for a while on this, so I am hoping someone can help. I was more familiar with V-Ray & I could easily achieve Board & Batten siding. However, I cannot get a good bump.. I just get different color tones where the battens should be. (See attached image) I tried bump, but it could only give me about 1/16" distinction. I have attached my settings and images.. I would greatly appreciate any assistance!!

[roeland]

A bump map should have a small gradient between the black and white area, it has effect in places where there is a gradient in the image. The normal map is wrong, there is no way another renderer would render this correctly (at least not when used as a normal map). It should be blue (#8080FF) except for the transition between the board and battens. One of the areas will have a pinkish color while the other is more cyan.

And finally while you can simulate some relief with bump maps or normal maps, but you can't really simulate battens. To render this properly you have to convert the battens to real geometry.

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Roeland

[BKEicholtz]

A bump map should have a small gradient between the black and white area, it has effect in places where there is a gradient in the image. The normal map is wrong, there is no way another renderer would render this correctly (at least not when used as a normal map). It should be blue (#8080FF) except for the transition between the board and battens. One of the areas will have a pinkish color while the other is more cyan.

And finally while you can simulate some relief with bump maps or normal maps, but you can't really simulate battens. To render this properly you have to convert the battens to real geometry.

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Roeland

Thanks, Roeland, I appreciate the response. In hindsight, I may have used VRAY displacement in the past. I have attached another normal. Is that what you are suggesting? I tried a number of softwares that create Normals from images - do you have one that you would recommend? Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[roeland]

Yes, it would be something like this. If you apply this as a normal map you should see some fake relief on the wall.

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Roeland

[BKEicholtz]

Thanks again... But I cannot get relief!
I assume that I am doing something wrong in the creation of the normal. The only thing I have been able to achieve is a 1/16" bump when I use bump. Normal remains flat.

[Karba]

Thanks again... But I cannot get relief!
I assume that I am doing something wrong in the creation of the normal. The only thing I have been able to achieve is a 1/16" bump when I use bump. Normal remains flat.

Try to use such kind of texture

[BKEicholtz]

Thank you, Karba, I really appreciate the help. My main work is architectural design, but I am learning to be an artist like you, and the others in this forum... a few quick questions:

1) I see that somehow the soft texture edges conveys the height transition to the rendering engine. Please share with me the technique used to soften the edges. I imagine it is done with a brush in Photoshop?

2) I would need to make that soft edge very small so as to convey a 'sharp' edge. I imagine the rendering engine would not take issue with a narrow transition, as long as it is not stark black to white like I was attempting. Is my understanding correct?

3) It appears that you are using bump instead of normal. In the Octane video tutorial that I watched with the textured monkey faces, as well as some other online guides (when I was in self-help mode for 7 hrs) I learned that normals provide a more intense height transition. Is there a guideline as to when to use bump and when to use normals?

Thank you, again!

[glimpse]

download demo & try dDo & nDo2 from quixel
http://www.quixel.se - quite easy, but usefull tools.
these do speedup creation of various maps in PS.
check demos, amazing in action!

Cheers!