How do I apply a normal map in blender?

[glarkon]

I'm using blender to view a sentinel model I got from Halo 3, and despite all of my google searches and youtube tutorials, I can't get the normal map to apply to the model.

Here's the model and textures I'm using, plus an illumination texture which I also don't know how to apply: [url]https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ej03athi994cajd/AAAF0g0YjzjebdlLgGdvt4M_a?dl=0[/url]

I'd appreciate any help.

here's a picture of the model with the diffuse texture
[t]http://i.imgur.com/r4Km8uh.png[/t]

[modelmaker]

[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/CXm0qPW.png[/img_thumb]

This is one of the ways of doing it in Blender internal render, which I assume you're using. Setting up the illumination texture is pretty much the same, but you need to go to the specular section if I remember correctly. There are other ways of doing it, and if you're in cycles this won't look anywhere near the same. Hopefully this helps you.

[glarkon]

[QUOTE=modelmaker;49066204][img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/CXm0qPW.png[/img_thumb]

This is one of the ways of doing it in Blender internal render, which I assume you're using. Setting up the illumination texture is pretty much the same, but you need to go to the specular section if I remember correctly. There are other ways of doing it, and if you're in cycles this won't look anywhere near the same. Hopefully this helps you.[/QUOTE]

I tried doing what you said, but my textures and normal map aren't showing up when I apply them.

[Nitronik]

Yeah he missed out on one step - which made me pull my hair out more than once

In the same tab, you have to open up "Image Sampling", check Normal map, set it to Tangent space (since, in this case, you have a Tangent space normal map) then follow the steps he provided
To see if your normal map works, you have to switch your viewport shading to "[B]Material[/B]" and have a light source in your scene

EDIT : Just tested it myself, the normal map works perfectly fine

[glarkon]

[QUOTE=NitronikALT;49068733]Yeah he missed out on one step - which made me pull my hair out more than once

In the same tab, you have to open up "Image Sampling", check Normal map, set it to Tangent space, then follow the steps he provided
To see if your normal map works, you have to switch your viewport shading to "[B]Material[/B]"
and have a light source in your scene

EDIT : Just tested it myself, the normal map works perfectly fine[/QUOTE]

Thank you! I knew it had to be something on my end.

[glarkon]

Okay, I got the model in the game with textures, but the normal map isn't working. I've used the console command mat_normalmaps and mine doesn't show up. Do i have to apply it in blender in order for it to work? Here's the .vmt

"VertexLitGeneric"
{
	"$basetexture"    "models/sentinel/sentinel"
	"$bumpmap"      "models/sentinel/sentinelnormal"
	"$ssbump"	"1"

}

here's a link to the vmts and vtfs if it helps: [url]https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wo7na7socyo897a/AAAIqzQ4HQ0YcoFA4zYrFT-Ka?dl=0[/url]

[Rectus]

You need to add the $bumpmap setting to the sentinel.vmt file. Exporting from Blender simply applies the material name to the faces, it ignores any Blender material settings. It only looks for sentinel.vmt and reads both texture names and other settings from there, so you don't need a separate material file for the normal map.

Also, the $ssbump setting is for using Valves self shadowed bump maps instead of regular normal maps, and they don't AFAIK work on models.

[glarkon]

[QUOTE=Rectus;49078280]You need to add the $bumpmap setting to the sentinel.vmt file. Exporting from Blender simply applies the material name to the faces, it ignores any Blender material settings. It only looks for sentinel.vmt and reads both texture names and other settings from there, so you don't need a separate material file for the normal map.

Also, the $ssbump setting is for using Valves self shadowed bump maps instead of regular normal maps, and they don't AFAIK work on models.[/QUOTE]

That worked. Thanks!