[http://sourceforge.net/p/ufoai/patches/528 Item 528] imported from sourceforge.net tracker on 2013-01-28 20:43:43

I do know that normalmaps for meshes are not enabled yet, but I thought it can be useful to have some of them ready for testing purposes so arisian can check stuff out easily... ;)
The glowing eyes are really decent & are often not even visible (Ortnok) with the default camera pitch maximum ;)
Here the mediafire link to get the pk3 (does not fit here, because of the detailed normalmaps)...

http://www.mediafire.com/file/nmywl5mjy3i/_gms-BS.HN.Ortnok_nms-Ortnok.bs.pk3

[doubletested ;)]
===== Comments Ported from Sourceforge =====

====== mcr2010 (2010-04-29 19:33:22) ======

I hope the mediafire link does not expire...
====== arisian (2010-05-01 23:37:44) ======

MCR, your normalmaps don't seem to be correct. If I assume that the alpha channel has the correct value for "height" and use that to re-construct the normals (using the normalmap plugin for the GIMP http://code.google.com/p/gimp-normalmap/), I get totally different RGB values than you have in your files. Also, the RGB values from your files look decidedly odd when rendered, whereas the versions that come out of the normalmap plugin look exactly as I would expect in the latest version of the normalmap-rendering code (not in trunk yet). What tool are you using to generate them? If you're not attached to it, I'd recommend switching to the normalmap plugin in the gimp.
====== mcr2010 (2010-05-02 11:56:03) ======

Thanks for the information. Mattn already told me that the height was not correctly encoded in the alpha channel & I did not (want ;)) to believe it.
I am sorry about that.

I will do whatever is necessary to create the best looking, most detailed normalmaps for us.
I AM using the normalmap plug-in for GIMP, I am just trying to invent some method to create more detailed normalmaps than it is possible with a heightmap with just one layer. But it seems that methods that work fine in Photoshop can not be directly transfered when using the GIMP.
I am currently also experimenting with professional & freeware tools, which more comfortably allow to create such highly detailed _nms like for example xNormal, CrazyBump or MaPZone2.6.
But I would need a more or less finished code to be able to properly test all the normalmaps created & to find the best settings & best tools for us to use...
So please give me a wink as soon as the new code is finished & in trunk, so I can immediately start testing...
====== mcr2010 (2010-05-02 12:05:40) ======

Will close this & prepare seperate patches for _gms & _nms.