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3 Dimensional Chat / Possible - Turn a 2d normal map into a 3D model?

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fallen one
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Location: My imagination!
Posted: 12th Mar 2012 16:48
Is it possible to turn a 2d normal map image into a 3d model?

To avoid confusion.
I dont mean make a high poly model, make a normal map from it, then bake it onto a low poly model, I mean no model, just the normal map, turn that into a 3d model.


Travis Gatlin
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Posted: 12th Mar 2012 23:27
Erm, It depends. If it's like a tile texture, (With Blender) You can map it on to a highly subdivided plane, then use the "Noise" button a bunch of times... If you mean like a UV unwrapped normal map then no, it's not possible.

http://www.talenthouse.com/travisgatlin
You can find my latest work here. Please comment on my work and tell me what you think!
maho76
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Posted: 13th Mar 2012 14:09 Edited at: 13th Mar 2012 14:13
just have to show:

original painting by alex grey:



from 6:14 to end:




i dont think that you can do this automatically because no prog knows how to arrange the layers of the pic. maybe using something like illustrator to break it up to poly and arrange parts in a 3d-prog...

Quik
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Location: Equestria!
Posted: 13th Mar 2012 14:52
So, what you're asking for is: Does magic exist?
Well, no....

You cant take a 2d picture and turn it into a 3d model, or well there are some softwares that tries to accomplish this but as far as I know they dont work too well..


The result of origin.. Oh and ponies
fallen one
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Posted: 13th Mar 2012 16:25
Its a 2d texture, I could use the greyscale image in Bryce, I just wondered if there is the same in any program for the normal map and if you get a better effect.


Ortu
DBPro Master
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Posted: 14th Mar 2012 04:18 Edited at: 14th Mar 2012 04:27
For something like a terrain you could probably get it to work, there are definitely rgb height maps, but for something more complex the problem is that a 2d map by itself has no information about how to put seams together, this info is stored in the uv data of the model. With out that you would just end up with some molded pieces and no idea how they fit together. A terrain is one piece so that's ok but an object or character or something...

maho76
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Posted: 14th Mar 2012 13:59 Edited at: 14th Mar 2012 14:00
whats possible to do is load a texturemap/picture into adobe illustrator and trace it, then export as .svg wich most 3d-progs can read. so you got the surface as single menshes, but extrude each single part to get the depth of the pic you have to do on your own. and no program can build things in depth particullary hide behind others. the more complex the picture is, the more artists work to do.

Pincho Paxton
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Posted: 15th Mar 2012 01:18 Edited at: 15th Mar 2012 01:20
You could invent a way with Left, Right, Front, Back, Top, Bottom 2D drawings, but they would be harder to draw than making the model.

Travis Gatlin
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Posted: 15th Mar 2012 04:45
Maybe make some kind of advanced image format that saves UV data and locations within the image itself, but retains image data that is able to be opened with any image editing software, but able to be translated into models using the UV data from that image... It would be easier to preview them without having to download them, but of course this is my thing. This may or may not be possible, heck if I know! lol

http://www.talenthouse.com/travisgatlin
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rolfy
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Posted: 15th Mar 2012 12:20 Edited at: 15th Mar 2012 12:44
The nearest thing I have seen to this is sculpty's in Second Life you can create a (sort of) normal map from a 3d object in your modeling program (I know your asking if its possible to create an object from a normal map but where do you get a 3d normal map in the first place?) and it is applied to a sculpty object.
There is a tab for changing basic primiitive objects such as a cube to sculpty in object properties, you then have a basic sphere,box,plane or torus sculpt object and when the sculpty map is applied, it will transform into a very basic model (this is due to prim objects having a limit of 1024 faces). The detail is in the texture but it still looks great.

I have made many models this way in the past and still occasionally dabble in it to keep my hand in,if you break it up and add more than one sculpt together you can create some fairly convincing objects.

Heres an example of a single object sculpt map:


This is an example of an eleven prim sculpty model (the screenshot was taken in Second Life):

The legs, arms, pants, head etc are all single sculpted prims.

I have no idea how this works in the engine (I only know how to create the sculpts) but I believe Second Life is now open scource so maybe one of the more savvy folks around here could give you a more definitive answer.
I have tried applying straightforward normal maps to sculpty's but it doesnt work that way, the scuplt normal maps have to be created from objects that have either 1024,2048 or 4096 faces(whatever res you use the scuplt prim will still only have 1024 faces) with a flat planar mapping.

Awesome! Its one of those threads.
granada
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Location: United Kingdom
Posted: 9th Apr 2012 11:25
Hi fallen one
You could try this

Image Based Sculpting
• New Image Inflate tool takes a silhouette or greyscale image and produces a 3D model using Heightmap, Bubble, Bevel and Extrude styles. Most of the pieces of armour in this screenshot were created from Inflated Images.



http://www.curvy3d.com/info.html

Dave

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elbow
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Posted: 12th Apr 2012 10:16
Hi fallen one

This is an example of how Curvy can be used:http://www.curvy3d.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2081

But you do need artistic skills to make it so picture-perfect.

Another option is Archipelis Designer. Neither Archipelis nor Curvy is free, but free to try.

Regards

Eugene

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