Z-Brush > Maya > Vray Normals Issue

[sebbiej]

Hey all,

I've got a problem with rendering normal maps properly within Vray for Maya.
My process:

I create my hi-res version in Z-Brush (mostly for creating fabric wrinkles in my work), then using the Multi-Matte exporter I export out the low-res and the normal map. Settings below:


Then in Maya I import in the low res mesh apply a shader to it. The set up here is the OSL Fabric shader plugged in to a Vray Bump shader. The Vray Bump shader is set to "Normal map in tangent space", and the file is set to "Raw" colour space.

The object will render fine if I hit "3" smooth before rendering, see below:


But it will look faceted if I don't hit smooth before rendering... I need it to render out without being pre-smoothed as a lot of the time I need Normal Maps to be applied to Vray Proxy objects that cannot be smoothed before rendering.


Can anyone help me achieve this?

[Mihail.Djurev]

So you get that problem even without a proxy? Could you send us the mesh and normal map?

[sebbiej]

Yeah, it still happens whenever I try a normal map on a low(er)-poly object. This is by no means a decent model or normal map, but there's something here that demonstrates it:

https://we.tl/pA0lTJxAKy

[sharktacos]

Do you get the same on a VrayMtl?

[Morbid Angel]

can you repost this scene, its gone from wetransfer. I assume you smoothed the normals in maya prior to applying the normal map?

[svetlozar.draganov]

If possible, please re-attach the scene since like Dmitry said the link expired.
Let us also know if the issue happens with V-Ray materials or it only occurs with OSL-shader.
Let us know if it works as expected when the subdivisions is added from V-Ray attributes> Subdivision and Displacement or OpenSudivs ones.
And finally, does the same thing happen with other render engines?

[Mihail.Djurev]

It seems like the vertex normals on your mesh are not smooth.
You can see what I mean on the screen shot below:



Modeling > Mesh display > soften edge seems to fix the faceting.
Please tell us if that fixes your problem