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Surfacing Bitmaps: How to find a good reference for what each does and which ones influence color?

InkuboInkubo Posts: 744
in New Users

Does anyone have a good reference detailing the purpose of each bitmap layer used in surfacing, and in which layers color is significant?

For example, I know the Diffuse color map makes use of both color and value to create the object's basic color; and I know that color is used in the Normal map to describe vector rather than contributing its color to the texture. Bump Map I would expect to be used for value only--it could be grayscale--but I'm not totally sure about that. I have no idea whether color is significant in the Top Coat map.

If your answer is "RTFM!", well, yes, this is the kind of thing I'd expect to find in a reference manual, but I don't find much content at all the online reference manual for DAZ Studio.

Also, if I have created my own skin's diffuse map, is there any tutorial on the best ways to generate the other maps from it?

Comments

  • InkuboInkubo Posts: 744

    I just noticed some imprecise wording in one of my questions. I'm asking, besides the Diffuse map, do any other maps contribute their pixels' hues to the object's rendered color? If so, which ones?

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 96,888

    Which shader and render engine?

  • InkuboInkubo Posts: 744

    Iray and Iray Uber Base, I guess :-)

  • JimbowJimbow Posts: 557

    If the slider name has 'color' in it, you need an rgb texture. Otherwise, they're weightmaps and greyscale should work fine. I've had issues with 16bit greyscale bumpmaps, so I'd do a comparison between 8bit and 16bit versions. Beware that the map under the SSS 'Transmitted Color' shouldn't be used because plugging in a map will just change the end color to greyscale. Apparently it's something Nvidia are working on (see Arnold C's posts on the subject).

  • InkuboInkubo Posts: 744

    Good info, Jimbow! Thank you.

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