Best way to generate a Normal Map for a single mesh?

[outtoplay]

Hi, I want to paint normal data in SP. I have a mesh, not a low poly and a High poly, just a regular model out of Maya.
Is there a way to generate a normal map for a single mesh in either SP or SD? I imagine any height data painted will bake out to a normal map even if I don't start with a normal map.  Is this correct?

Thanks,
B.

[Froyok]

That's correct, you can even paint a normal map in painter (just add a normal channel in your texture set). The height channel is not mandatory.

[vossiewulf]

Wouldn't the workflow be to bake a normal map, paint on it, then export the painted-on normal map, reimport it, and assign it as the normal map? That's what I recall is correct if you paint height detail on a model, you can then delete the height painting layer since all the data is captured in the new normal map.

[Froyok]

Wouldn't the workflow be to bake a normal map, paint on it, then export the painted-on normal map, reimport it, and assign it as the normal map? That's what I recall is correct if you paint height detail on a model, you can then delete the height painting layer since all the data is captured in the new normal map.

That's only in the case if you want to generate baked maps that take your height/normal painting into account. It can depends of your workflow.

[vossiewulf]

That's only in the case if you want to generate baked maps that take your height/normal painting into account. It can depends of your workflow.

Thanks Froyok and true, it would only be required if your intended output included a normal map. I haven't yet come across the situation, but when I do I am likely to go through those steps to burn my height/normal mods into a normal map I re-import simply for the convenience of being able to reduce the number of active layers. My experience is the more layers there are the slower SP is. Turning them off just minimizes the slowness, it doesn't eliminate it.