Extract Texture Maps properties

Maps to Generate

Name: Type a name for the texture extraction settings for reuse in the future. The saved settings appear in the menu’s drop-down list the next time you choose the Extract Texture Maps menu item.
Ambient Occlusion Map: Specifies to extract an ambient occlusion map. The currently checked map type displays that map type’s extraction options. All options can be selected for a simultaneous texture extraction operation.
Vector Displacement Map: Specifies to extract an ambient occlusion map. The currently checked map type displays that map type’s extraction options. All options can be selected for a simultaneous texture extraction operation.
Normal Map: Specifies to extract a normal map. The currently checked map type displays that map type’s extraction options. All options can be selected for a simultaneous texture extraction operation.
Displacement Map: Specifies to extract a displacement map. The currently checked map type displays that map type’s extraction options. All options can be selected for the texture extraction operation.

Target Model

Target Model Name: Displays the name of the model to receive the extracted ambient occlusion, normal, or displacement map. This model must have UV coordinates.

The target model is usually the lowest subdivision level of a model with multiple subdivision levels. If the current subdivision level displayed beside the target model’s name is not desired, it can be changed using the subdivision level drop-down list located to the right of the target file name.

When extracting ambient occlusion maps, the currently active subdivision is used for the AO extraction. If a different subdivision level is desired you must step up or step down to that level, then extract again.

The final normal or displacement map produced represents the difference between the target model (low resolution) and the model(s) specified as the source model(s) (high resolution).

NoteBy default the ambient occlusion extraction feature takes into account all of the visible objects in the scene as being source models. This is why no source options exist for this extraction type. If some objects are not to be taken into account for the map, turn off their visibility in the Object List.
Add All: Click this button to add all of the objects in the 3D View to the target model name field.
Add Selected: Click this button to add the name of the model you’ve selected in the 3D View to the target model name field.
Remove: Click this button to remove a selected item from the target model name field.
Generate one map for all targets: Use this option when extracting to multiple targets and you want one map generated by the extraction feature (for each extraction type selected) that will be shared by all the target models. This is useful for conserving the number of texture maps when multiple objects share one UV tile.
Generate one map for each target: Use this option when extracting to multiple targets and you want one map extracted for each individual target model. This setting is useful when the target models use different materials or when the UV texture coordinates occupy the same UV tile location and producing one shared map would not be possible.
Smooth Target Model: Uses a smoothed version of the target model (low resolution) for map extraction calculations. The default setting is on. If extracting texture maps for games applications where a smoothed model is not used, this option can be turned off.
Smooth Target UVs: Smooths the positions of interior UVs of the target model during the texture extraction. Smooth Target UVs only smooths when the Smooth Target Model option is turned on.

Some image rendering software (for example, Pixar’s RenderMan^®) have the ability to smooth the UV texture coordinates on a mesh during rendering to improve the results.

Turn on Smooth Target UVs if you know the model and textures will subsequently be rendered using a feature like this.

Source Model

Source Model Name

Displays the name of the model(s) to extract normal or displacement maps based on what is selected in the 3D View. The source model (high resolution) typically contains the sculpted details to be extracted into the map(s). This model does not require UV texture coordinates.

If the current subdivision level displayed beside the source model’s name is not desired, it can be changed using the subdivision level drop-down list located to the right of the source file name.

NoteBy default the extract ambient occlusion map feature takes into account all of the visible objects in the scene as being source models. This is why no source options exist for this extraction type. If some objects are not to be taken into account for the map, turn off their visibility in the Object List.

Add All

Click this button to add the names of all of the models selected in the 3D View to the source model name field.

Add Selected

Click this button to add the names of only the currently selected models in the 3D View to the source model name field.

Remove

Click this button to remove the currently selected model name(s) from the source model name field.

Smooth Source Model

Subdivides the source model and then uses the smoothed version of the source model (high resolution model) for map extraction calculations. The default for the source model (high resolution) is on, and is useful for the majority of texture extraction applications.

Locate Method

Determines the method by which the source and target meshes are compared during a texture extraction. Two methods are possible:

Raycasting - Extracts a texture map by recording the distance (as a pixel value) between the source and target models based on sample rays that get cast along the surface normals of the target surface. The number of sample rays that occur is dependent on the texture map resolution. This method should be used when extracting texture maps between arbitrary meshes (meshes with differing topologies) and requires that the models be manually aligned as accurately as possible prior to extraction to produce accurate results. Artifacts in the resulting texture map can sometimes occur (particularly with overhanging features) that will required editing afterwards.
Subdivision - Extracts a texture map by recording the distance (as a pixel value) between one subdivision level and the corresponding point at a higher subdivision level on the same model. This method should only be used when extracting texture maps between different subdivision levels on the same model. The resulting texture map will contain fewer artifacts compared to the Raycasting method, requires no setup or alignment between separate models, and performs the extraction quicker. The Subdivision method does not capture the height differences as accurately as the Raycasting method particularly when the vertices on the higher subdivision level have been translated off normal compared to the lower subdivision level such as might occur when using the Grab or Pinch tools.

Choose Samples

Determines which value to record if an extraction sample intersects the high-resolution model more than once:

Furthest outside - Samples furthest out from the source model(s) up to the range specified by the Search Distance.
Furthest inside - Samples closest to the interior of the source model(s).
Closest to Target Model - Samples closest to the target model.

Search Distance

Sets the total distance samples can travel to find the source (high resolution) model(s). Samples can travel on both sides of the target (low resolution) model based on the Choose Samples option.

Test Both Sides

This option is only available when the Locate Method is set to Raycasting. The default setting is off, which means that when the ray intersects a surface that is facing in the opposite direction, the intersection is ignored. When turned on, it specifies that Mudbox records ray intersections with source faces that are backfacing. This improves extraction results when a number of intersecting meshes are used as the source model.

Best Guess

Sets the Search Distance option based on the distances of the bounding boxes for the source and target model. This option provides a useful estimate for the Search Distance provided the two surfaces are not too far apart.

Image Size

Specifies the height and width in pixels of the output map(s). Preset values include: 256 x 256, 512 x 512, 1024 x 1024, 2048 x 2048, 4096 x 4096, and 8192 X 8192 (Preview as Paint Layer feature is turned off when 8192 X 8192 resolution option is selected)

NoteThe larger the Image Size the more detail gets recorded in the map, at the cost of a longer extraction and larger file size.

Ambient Occlusion Map Output

Image Size: Specifies the height and width (in pixels) of the ambient occlusion map(s) output. Preset values include: 256 x 256, 512 x 512, 1024 x 1024, 2048 x 2048, 4096 x 4096. The default setting is 512 x 512.

NoteA larger Image Size produces more detail in the map, but increases the extraction time and the resulting file size.
Quality: Determines the quality of the final ambient occlusion map based on multiple shadow maps used for the calculation. Preset values include: Fastest, Fast, Normal, Good, and Best. A higher quality setting increases the number of shadow maps, produces a higher quality map, and increases the time to generate the ambient occlusion map.
Base File Name: Specifies the name of the extracted map(s). The default name AO(%s).bmp substitutes the name of the model unless a custom file name is specified (for example, AO(head).bmp). The AO prefix is useful for differentiating the map from other paint layers within the diffuse channel.

Click the ... icon to display the Save As browser to set a directory. Determine a file format from the Save As Type drop down menu and type the file extension in the File Name field. Supported file formats include: .png, .bmp, .gif, .jpg, .tif, and .tga.

NoteIf the model contains UVs within multiple UV tile spaces, that is, outside the 0 to 1 range, Mudbox automatically creates separate ambient occlusion maps that correlate to each UV tile which get saved to a user-specified directory. For example, the file naming might be as follows: <basefilename>_u1_v1.bmp, <basefilename>_u2_v2.bmp, and so on.
Preview as Paint Layer: Automatically imports the generated ambient occlusion map as a new paint layer within the Diffuse channel of the assigned material. This lets you preview the ambient occlusion map on the selected model(s) and iterate the generated map with different settings if required.

When turned off, the extracted ambient occlusion map is saved to a user-specified directory without displaying as a layer on the model.
Shadow Map Resolution: Controls the size of the shadow maps for the occlusion map calculations. Values are preset at 256 x 256, 512 x 512, 1024 x 1024, 2048 x 2048, 4096 x 4096. The shadow maps are not user accessible and are discarded after the generation of the occlusion map.

Increasing the Shadow Map Resolution produces a more detailed occlusion map and increases the time to generate it. In general, set the Shadow Map Resolution to the lowest value that produces an occlusion map of acceptable quality. The default is 1024 x 1024.
Shadow Darkness: Controls the brightness of the ambient occlusion map. Decreasing the value brightens the resulting ambient occlusion map. Increasing the value darkens the resulting ambient occlusion map. The default setting is 0.5.
Shadow Contrast: Controls the contrast between shaded and non-shaded areas in the ambient occlusion map. Decreasing the value reduces contrast producing more mid-tone gray values in the map. Increasing the value increases contrast producing tones that are more white and black. The default contrast setting is 0 (neutral contrast) with the lower and upper range being -1 and 1.
Filter: Controls the filtering of the multiple shadow map calculations when producing the final ambient occlusion map. Increasing the Filter value may help to reduce visible artifacts in the ambient occlusion map. Decreasing the value may help to improve the overall sharpness of fine details.

Vector Displacement Map Output

Vector Space

Specifies the coordinate space for calculating vector displacement maps. Choose the option that meets your particular production pipeline requirements. Options include:

Tangent - The coordinate space on a face defined by the normal, tangent, and the binormal. The default setting. Should be used if the model is animated and deforms during animation.
Object - Local coordinate space for the model. Can be used if model is animated without deformation.
World - Coordinate space for the 3D scene. Can be used for environment maps when model is not animated and not deforming.

Base File Name

Specifies the name for the extracted map(s) that get output. Select the format from the Save As Type drop down menu in the file browser that appears. If the target model contains UVs within multiple UV tile spaces, that is, outside the 0-1 range, Mudbox will automatically create separate maps that correlate to each UV tile. The file naming will be as follows: <mapname1>_u1_v1.tif, <mapname1>_u2_v2.tif, and so on.

Bits per Channel

Indicates the color depth for file output for vector displacement maps based on what is specified in the Base File Name. For vector displacement maps, 32 bit RGBA, floating point images are supported using either the TIFF or OpenEXR file formats.

Normal Map Output

Coordinate Space

Specifies the coordinate space for calculating normal maps. Choose the option that meets your particular production pipeline requirements. Options include:

Tangent - The coordinate space on a face defined by the normal, tangent, and the binormal. The default setting. Should be used if the model is animated and deforms during animation.
Object - Local coordinate space for the model. Can be used if model is animated without deformation.
World - Coordinate space for the 3D scene. Can be used for environment maps when model is not animated and not deforming.

Compatibility

When the Coordinate Space property is set to Tangent this sets how the tangent space vectors are calculated so the extracted map is compatible with other 3D applications (left-handed or right-handed). This setting is ignored when the Coordinate Space property is set to Object or World space. Options are:

Maya - Maya defaults to a right-handed tangent space setting.
3ds Max - 3ds Max defaults to a left-handed tangent space setting.

Base File Name

Specifies the name for the extracted map(s) that get output. Select the format from the Save As Type drop down menu in the file browser that appears. If the target model contains UVs within multiple UV tile spaces, that is, outside the 0-1 range, Mudbox will automatically create separate maps that correlate to each UV tile. The file naming will be as follows: <mapname1>_u1_v1.tif, <mapname1>_u2_v2.tif, and so on.

Bits per Channel

Indicates the color depth for file output of normal or displacement maps based on what is specified in the Base File Name.

Preview As Paint Layer

Automatically imports the generated vector displacement map as a new paint layer within the Normal Map channel of the assigned material. This lets you preview the normal map on the selected model(s) and iterate the generated map with different settings if required.

When turned off, the extracted normal map is saved to a user-specified directory without displaying as a paint layer on the model.

Displacement Map Output

Normalize to Search Distance: Remaps the results of the extraction samples into 0 to 1 color space for displacement maps whenever the Bits per Channel option is set to 8 or 16 bit. Normal maps always use -1 to 1 range.
Base File Name: Specifies the name for the extracted map(s) that get output. Select the format from the Save As Type drop down menu in the file browser that appears.

NoteIf the target model contains UVs within multiple UV tile spaces, that is, outside the 0 to 1 range, Mudbox automatically creates separate maps that correlate to each UV tile. For example, the file naming might be as follows: <base file name1>_u1_v1.tif, <base file name1>_u2_v2.tif, and so on.
Bits per Channel: Indicates the color depth for file output of the extracted maps based on what is specified in the Base File Name.
Preview As Bump Layer: Automatically imports the generated displacement map as a new paint layer within the Bump Map channel of the assigned material. This lets you preview the displacement map on the selected model(s) and iterate the generated map with different settings if required.

When turned off, the extracted displacement map is saved to a user-specified directory without displaying as a paint layer on the model.

Execution

Delete this operation: Quits the texture extraction operation without outputting a map and does not save an Extract Texture Maps setting.
Extract: Launches the texture extraction operation using the currently specified settings.
Close: Quits the texture extraction operation without extracting a map.