Height Field to Normal Map Textures - Semi-community tutorial

[csm725]

Today, I will show you how to uncover the great potential of the wonderful Height Field to Normal Map plugin.  

There are many cool textures that can be made with this, including this texture and these.  There are a wide variety of other plugins that can be used to enhance your textures, I will mention them as the tutorial goes along.  Quite obviously, you will need Height Field to Normal Map to follow this tutorial.  Okay.  

On a side note, if there is a step that is repeated through out various textures, I will say for example, see Step 2.5 - which would be step 5 from texture 2.  

TEXTURE #1   

Step 1 - No need to worry about anti-aliasing here, so go ahead and open the good ol' default 800x600 canvas.  

Step 2 - Effects > Render > Clouds @ 250, 0.50, Difference.   

   

Step 3 - Run Height Field to Normal Map at 10.00:

    

Step 4 - New layer and render Clouds at the same settings as 1.2 a couple of times until you get a lightningy-denty effect:     

Step 5 - Repeat HF/NM (Height Field to Normal Map) at same settings as 1.3.   

Step 6 - Set both of your layers to Black and White (Ctrl-Shift-G) and set the top layer to Overlay. This should be your result:     

Pretty cool, eh?

TEXTURE #2

Step 1 - 800x600 canvas

Step 2 - Add a new layer and render clouds @ 250, 0.55, Overlay and repeat 5-9 times until you get something of this sort:

By the way, a combination of this with LJXD's grunge tut = perfecto; an Emboss would do this texture justice, but that's another tut... 

Step 2a - Merge Layer Down so you have only 1 layer.

Step 3 - Height Field to Normal Map @ 7.5-8.0

Step 3a - Depending on your personal taste (which is obviously worse than mine), you can either invert colors or not. Either way, hit Black and White (Ctrl-Shift-G).

Step 4 - ON A NEW LAYER, do step 1.4

Step 5 - Repeat HF/NM.

Step 5a - See 2.3a

Step 6 - Set the top layer's properties to Multiply, Opacity 100.

Step 7 - Emboss top layer at 0.00, this is how it should look like:

That's all it takes!

BTW more textures coming soon, feel free to post your variation, I encourage you to completely do stupid things using Clouds and HF/NM. The textures that you will get are muy delicioso!

#tut725

Edited May 18, 2010 by csm725

[Skitzo]

Insane, in a good way! So many different places I could put that texture, thanks man.

Great tutorial, haven't seen a good texture tut in a while.

[warfighter67]

*Weylin looks at his Tile Texture Tutorial...

Hey, Mine's good too, and I just made it!

But no, really, csm725, this is such a great tutorial! It teaches a technique that many of the newer users probably don;t use!

[csm725]

Thank you Skitzo!

I will try to post some more variations of the tut later today. 

[chrisco97]

Nice job!

[n d]

Um. What's the difference between height to normal and just using Emboss/engrave? I've always made textures like these using emboss/engrave and I was wondering if there was a reason for using height to normal...

[n d]

Oh I see...

Ok here's my contribution. This creates a sort of stone wall texture with cracks in it. It looks like this:

Here's how you do it:

1. Render clouds with the settings in the image (281, 0.43)

2. Render clouds again but this time change blend mode to glow. Repeat effect (ctrl-F) once. Result looks like this:

3. Again render clouds, but this time change the blend mode to multiply - AND RESEED! this is important, if you don't reseed it won't be the same.

4. Height to normal with 6,33, then convert to black and white.

5. Create a new layer, and render clouds with new settings (110, 0,43, normal):

6. Again height to normal & black and white, ie. Same as step 4. Result looks like this:

7. Set the top layer to overlay, with opacity of 190, then merge the layer down.

You're done!

[davidgarcia]

Hello,

Where can I download height field to normal map plug-in?

[Ego Eram Reputo]

From the first post, third line down. The link is underlined.

Alternatively you can search for plugins in the Plugin Index (link in my signature)

[davidgarcia]

Thanks comrade,

I realized that if you apply color hue you can turn it into gold.

Check out some pictures done with PDN http://s1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj526/davidgarcia2/HITLER%20NAZISM%20DEUTSCHLAND%20NSDAP/

[CrazyPainterz]

The words are too small... I can't read it... D:

[pdnnoob]

The words are too small... I can't read it... D:

Hold ctrl and scroll up with your mouse wheel (or press ctrl++ a few times)