[3DS Max 9] AO Bake Issues...

[CT007]

Hola and such.

So, I've been trying to take my modo models into Max for baking(because modo has no cages), but I've only figured out how to get good normal map bakes.

This file is identical to the modo file; geometry is in the same locations, same scales, and all of that. Modo's AO gamma is 1.6, but I don't know what Max uses. I've been testing online AO tutorials and every option 16 times in Max relating to AO bakes, and this is the best bake I could make it put out. :S

AO Bakes (http://www.flickr.com/photos/9763207@N04/3373916819/sizes/o/in/set-72157615742717820/)

Max settings & setup (http://www.flickr.com/photos/9763207@N04/3373933131/sizes/l/in/set-72157615742717820/)(sorry for Flickr shrinking my image, for some dumb reason...)

The only way I can think to improve the Max bake(so it matches the modo bake much closer) is to use mental ray, which I haven't been able to get working yet...argh! Maybe this is the best Max can do? Or, maybe I should use xNormal instead.




Thx-

[SinisterUrge]

Try looking for a shareware program called xnormal, google it. It handles all sorts of map generation.

[mr_ace]

max's results are probably just slightly different, its not wrong or anything. you can increase the ao shadows by experimenting with putting planes in around ur mesh, eg put in a ground plane, quite small, a fairly long distance from the bottom of your object and it'll give you darker shadows

i use the mental ray ao baking in max. it gives much better results. to do it, switch your render engine to mental ray, set up your render to texture in the same way as before, but when adding maps, insterad of adding a lighting map or whatever you were using, there'll be a new one called (mr) ambient occlusion. use that, then in the options just below that, therell be a samples rollout, crank that up to like 512 and you should get nice results. takes longer tho. oh and youll need a skylight in the scene.

[CT007]

That's just the problem...I can't seem to get mental ray to work right. I'd say the modo AO is better, because it has deeper shadows, instead of dark greyness. I've tried MR with default materials, white default materials, raytrace materials, raytrace materials with AO diffuse...nothing. :\

[CT007]

Ok, I found the solution. U gotta select the low poly, go into edit poly, select all polys, then "hide selected" in rollout, and the MR AO bake works. :]