Fixing Seams in your Normal Map

Someone reached out to me regarding how to fix some issues in their normal map. I made this video specifically for them but they allowed me to post it publicly for you guys.
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[@windxddd]

thank you so much, dude! I'm having the exact same problems and you actually help me! really appreciate this!

[@ArmoredColony]

Glad I could help.

[@baadshasingh123]

Simple is that - If Any Mesh as Mirror Another side make sure your mesh side is Freeze Transform and History Delete after than Freeze Transform again And Mirror Side Uv flip also from red to blue for Mirror side cordinate face side👍👍👍👍👍 This technic helps to Solve problem of missing Mesh Side or face side in Substance Painter👍👍👍 Thank You Guys!!

[@oriricha]

Very helpful, thank you!

[@ArmoredColony]

No problemo

[@xinyinxu9123]

really practical tutorial, thank you!

[@ArmoredColony]

Thank you

[@mindped]

none of this helps me... the hard edges always appear on areas where there are uv seems. Normals can be soft or hard on those edges.. doesnt matter. Only time i see no hard seem in teh normal map is when its both soft normals and connected uvs..

[@ArmoredColony]

You mean Maya works differently for you than it did for me?

[@ListenandEnjoy184]

thank you very much for your knowledge. just i want to say something that i use c4d not maya and i want to mention that i did unrup in (Rizom uv) and i use the brush and soft the edges and i dont have any problem with the seems in normals. Just i wanna say if anybody have in any unrap application just soft the edges arround any object. (sorry not good english) thank you that you spear your knowledge

[@JaXuun]

in other words its impossible to bake with 0 artifacts on seams

[@ArmoredColony]

The solution is to not make game assets

[@RastoDM]

When baking characters would you still set up edges to hard? Instincts says it wouldn’t but I’ve been struggling with seams on my normals but I just started learning substance

[@minuscolochao1557]

I always have characters smooth edge and with UV seam probably smooth edge. hopefully this is why I find my normal map always wrong at UV seam.... a problem that has annoyed for several years! Never resolved ! Should I harden edge at UV seam even on smooth character surface?

[@ArmoredColony]

I don't think this is used for rounded surface characters. I believe hardening uv edges is more for hardsurface stuff with really strong angles. 2 things that help the most: make sure your low poly has enough geometry so the normal map doesn't have to do all the work, and use a large enough texture resolution.

[@teukuaulia4270]

hi, i have harden edges along the uv borders, but my bake still have some visible dark edge seams. any idea why?

[@ArmoredColony]

I know it's not my best video and it's hard to watch XD but somewhere in the video I mention there's a few more things you can do after softening edges and hardening UV borders that also help, such as using higher baking resolutions. Did you try those?

[@pabloblo33]

HOW U KNOW MY NAME?!

[@sketchturner8229]

looks like model was made in CAD* programm

[@ArmoredColony]

These were made with Maya. It's just good practice to triangulate your Low Poly when exporting it but the original model is mostly quads.

[@ronaldlee5324]

nice!!!! but i have a question, what different bake the texture between High poly to Low poly and Low poly to Low poly in this case

[@ArmoredColony]

I'm NOT baking low to low, that would not do anything. I loaded the High poly off camera so I understand the confusion. I was replacing the older Low poly with a new version of itself over and over. The High poly was never modified and was always loaded into my texture bake settings.

[@ronaldlee5324]

@@ArmoredColony how to confirm the high poly same UV with the low poly?

[@ArmoredColony]

The high poly doesn't need UVs in this case. When it comes to game assets, only the model that needs textures needs UVs

[@eobiri]

Awesome, kindly help with a tutorial on how to create Multi UVs and export into Substance Painter. Thanks. And any info on explode baking?

[@ArmoredColony]

Explode baking is no longer needed. Nowadays you use something called Match by Name: docs.substance3d.com/bake/matching-by-name-182256530.html

[@vincentfurst1841]

Hey, I really got a problem. It looks like I have seams in the heigth/normal map, but along edges, where I do not even have a seam. If anyone thinks he/she can help me, I'll send you some Screenshots.

[@ArmoredColony]

Send em over ([e-mail])

[@palmtreestudio4391]

Thanks, man! You are awesome :D Great tricks and advices - god bless you XD

[@ArmoredColony]

Thank you kind sir