How to mix Normal maps in Blender - the lazy method.

[@RicoCilliers]

Talk to ten different artists on how they mix their normal maps in Cycles/Eevee, and you'll probably get 10 different answers. This is my way. Its the best way. Fight me. *****************UPDATE************* Thanks to a helpful comment from Paul Siedler on Facebook, I've learned that there is a drawback to this method, in that you lose detail on the blue channel of the normal map because of the overlay node. if this concerns you Paul has provided a workaround. more information in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fonLhaOJeZaimdE **************************************

[@jeremiahtaylor8337]

I'm also curious. I use blender mostly to bake normals but 2.8 made it hard to understand so I use 2.7 to bake but love EEVEE can eevee bake normals? Please I will sell my soul for baking normals from eevee.

[@MrLinkinpark2011]

@@jeremiahtaylor8337 Eevee can't bake normals. But you can still use 2,8 and switch to Cycles

[@RicoCilliers]

@@jeremiahtaylor8337 yeah as MrLinkinpark2011 says, its not possible to bake in eevee unfortunately. You can however use a free addon called tex tools (just google it you should find it), I think it has texture baking and might work through Eevee. I'm not 100% sure though :)

[@jeremiahtaylor8337]

@@MrLinkinpark2011 thanks for the tip. That's what I ended up doing but I just cant get the same settings and ambient lighting I get in eevee in cycles. (I know theres a cycles node for ambient light but the results are figity and poor quality) I get tons of noise in my renders in cycles unless I wait 30 years for samples and then have to re-render if the bake is wrong in some way. The old internal renderer I find more effective than cycles when baking and has more options. It feels like new blender doesnt care about baking now which is a shame.

[@jeremiahtaylor8337]

@@RicoCilliers I'll check it out thanks for the tip

[@DarkHarpuia]

Ok this is WAY more reasonable than the stuff I'd seen.

[@denyspysmenniy4298]

Hello, I’m trying to bake combined maps into new texture, but result is… “pale and shallow”. Can you give any advice on how to do it properly so maximum of details would be saved?

[@krzysztofjanicki4886]

Your method is also correct and fast, simple what is important. Of course more complicated and time consuming methods are best if somebody wants to have a hiper-realistic face of an old man and a camera will focus on its details.

[@nodespaghetti5312]

This is absolutely the right way to do this 50-80 percent of the time. Cool video :D Plug: I'm one of those "nerds on the internet" that gets really weird about mixing normal maps. If you'd like to see an in-depth breakdown of different methods of mixing Normal Maps, I made a video about the NOT LAZY way of doing it. I discuss some of the reasons why you might not want to be lazy.

[@RicoCilliers]

thank you sir! I will definitely check it out. rock on :)

[@nodespaghetti5312]

@@RicoCilliers Thanks :D

[@andiegenesis367]

JESUS ! THIS SAVED ME! i was looking this and the other ones i´ve seen were very complex, i was looking the easy way to do this XD thank you!! you got a new sub ♥

[@FluteboxFan]

Todd Howard's alternate account: "It just works"

[@DanielFlores-er7wu]

You can conect normal map in bump map via vector node. Use bump for small detail and normal for more big deformation... :)

[@chaosordeal294]

Bump maps are an old tech that is not generally used any more. Use a normal map. Lower the intensity if necessary. Use a displacement map if you need to go big.

[@luisporto1510]

Nice video, thanks for sharing. I do the same way but use texturing painting for the factor.

[@kaletziiii6668]

Can you bake that in one texture map?

[@storm5009]

How to you UV unwrap the model so that erosion and cracks matches so nicely ?

[@RicoCilliers]

it's baked directly from a high-detail sculpt, so no matter how I unwrap the model (as long as there's no stretching on the UVs,) it will look good.

[@Scarlov87]

I just use a mix and then an overlay too and that makes the work for me I use it on substance photoshop and blender and is very very effective

[@solariusastora]

Just want to say THANK YOU, was stuck with that and there was plenty of complicated methods. Your one is straight forward, easy for a complete beginner like me

[@gorkskoal9315]

Dude totes. it seems to me that blender geeks overthink and over complicate things.

[@YGODueltainer]

would Vector Math work as well? like having 2 nodes of Normal map each normal plugged in and added together using Vector Math *add*?

[@RicoCilliers]

to my knowledge that should work well. there are some great guides on blender stack exchange if you want to search them up :)

[@ponkke]

TL;DR. Have two normal maps, MixRGB with overlay mode.

[@F4BON3]

that doesn't perfectly work

[@TheMitchellKeeler]

Can you create a single image for the purpose of exporting with this method?

[@potaterjim]

Once this is set up, you can bake normals and export a normal map You'll need to unwrap your object though

[@liambuffat3731]

Nice. Simple and Quick.

[@WillFalcon]

The Worst way to combine Normal Maps is Overlay mix.

[@mrofnoctonod]

Lekker, if it works, it works. Thanks for the tip!

[@jenovaizquierdo]

I’m just like you and I agree with you. This is really a better way. Thanks for sharing it.

[@qubitx64]

As long as it looks and works ok than LAZY is good. Ps i am too lazy

[@meanimates1717]

thanks for the trick

[@nadstunes77]

Perfect solution....lazy is sometimes good....too many nodes... MEH

[@Joker-oq6pm]

Normal guy)