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Extract Texture Maps properties

Options available in the Extract Texture Maps window depend on the map types you select in the Maps to Generate list. In this topic, options common to many map types are listed first, followed by properties specific to each map type.

Name

  Enter a name for the texture extraction settings to re-use the same operation later. The saved operation appears as an option the next time you select Maps > Extract Texture Maps.

Maps to Generate

  Select the map types you want to generate. The Extract Texture Maps window displays options for each map type as you select from this list. See also Texture extraction overview.

  NoteYou can select multiple map types for simultaneous texture extraction.

  Select from the following map types:

Transfer Paint Layers

  See Transfer paint layers and Transfer Paint Layers properties.

Ambient Occlusion Map

  See Ambient occlusion maps overview and Ambient Occlusion Map properties.

Vector Displacement Map

  See Vector displacement maps overview and Vector Displacement Map properties.

Normal Map

  See Normal maps overview and Normal Map Output properties.

Displacement Map

  See Displacement maps overview and Displacement Map properties.

Extraction Options

Target Models

  Displays the name of the model to receive the extracted map. Unless you are extracting maps in Ptex format, the target model must have UV co-ordinates.

  The target model is usually the lowest subdivision level of a model with multiple subdivision levels. You can click the displayed subdivision level (next to the target model name) to select a different subdivision level from a drop-down list.

  The map produced represents the difference between the target model (low resolution) and the source model(s) (high resolution).

Add All, Add Selected, Remove buttons

Add All

  Click to add all models in the 3D View to the Target Models or Source Models list.

Add Selected

  Click to add only selected models to the Target Models or Source Models list.

Remove

  Click to remove the currently selected model(s) from Target Models or Source Models list.

Generate one map for all targets

  Use this option when extracting to multiple targets if you want one map generated (for each extraction type selected) that can be shared by all 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 if you want one map extracted for each individual target model. This 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

  On by default. Uses a smoothed version of the target model (low resolution) for map extraction calculations. Turn off if you are extracting texture maps for games applications where a smoothed model is not used.

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 on.

  This can be useful if your image rendering software (for example, Pixar’s RenderMan®) can smooth the UV texture coordinates on a mesh during rendering to improve the results.

Source Models

  Lists the model(s) to extract maps from. 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.

  You can click the displayed subdivision level (next to the source model name) to select a different subdivision level from a drop-down list.

Smooth Source Model

  On by default. Subdivides the source model and uses the smoothed version for map extraction calculations. This option is useful for most texture extraction applications.

Method options

Method

  Determines how the source and target meshes are compared during texture extraction. Select from two methods:

Ray Casting

  Extracts a texture map by recording the distance (as a pixel value) between the source and target models based on sample rays cast along the surface normals of the target surface. The number of sample rays cast depends on the texture map resolution.

  Use this method when extracting maps between arbitrary meshes (meshes with differing topologies), and ensure that you manually align the models as accurately as possible before extracting. Artifacts in the resulting texture map can sometimes occur (particularly with overhanging features) that require 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. Use this method only when extracting texture maps between different subdivision levels on the same model.

  The resulting texture map will contain fewer artifacts compared to the Ray Casting method, requires no setup or alignment between separate models, and performs the extraction more quickly. However, Subdivision does not capture the height differences as accurately as the Ray Casting method, particularly when vertices on the higher subdivision level have been translated off normal compared to the lower subdivision level, which can occur when using the Grab or Pinch tools.

Choose Samples

  Available when Method is set to Ray Casting. 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 lowres mesh

  Samples closest to the target model.

Search Distance

  Available when Method is set to Ray Casting. Sets the total distance samples can travel to find the source model(s). Samples can travel on both sides of the target model based on the Choose Samples option.

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.

Test Both Sides

  Available when Method is set to Ray Casting. Off by default. so that intersections are ignored when the ray intersects a surface that is facing in the opposite direction. When on, 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.

Image properties

Image Size

  Specifies the height and width in pixels of the output map(s).

  NoteA larger Image Size produces more detail in the map, but increases extraction time and file size.
Antialiasing

  When on, improves the quality of the final extracted image map by applying a filter comparison between pixels in the image. Higher values increase the amount of antialiasing that occurs and the time to extract the image map. For initial test extractions, use a small Image Size value and leave the Antialiasing property turned off until you produce a final image.

Output options

Base File Name

  Enter a name for the extracted map(s).

  Click the folder icon to set save options (including file format) in the Save As window.

  NoteIf the 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 and saves to the directory you specify. For example, <basefilename>_u1_v1.bmp, <basefilename>_u2_v2.bmp, and so on.
Bits per Channel

  When you select an image file type for your output map (click next to Base File Name to open the Save As options), this property indicates the color depth for the output map, based on the file type you specify.

Include Mesh Data

  Only available when you select Ptex as the output format. When on (default), Mudbox also saves general data about the mesh (vertex positions, list of faces, and so on) in the output Ptex file. This can be useful if other tools in your pipeline can use this type of Ptex data. It is recommended that you keep this option on when extracting Ptex files.

Transfer Paint Layers properties

Method

  See Method. Select Subdivision if the source and target mesh have the same topology. If not, choose Ray Casting.

Image Size

  Can specify a fixed size, such as 1024 x 1024, which means that every paint layer that is transferred will use this fixed size. A second option is to select Same as source, which means that each transferred paint layer will have the same resolution as the corresponding source layer. A final option is to select 2x Source, which means that each transferred paint layer will have double the resolution in each dimension as its source counterpart.

Transfer

  Select whether to export All Paint Layers (default), Current Layers Only, or Visible Layers Only.

On Target Model

  Specifies which paint layers are transferred and how many. Selecting Replace Existing Layers means that a transferred layer of the same name will replace a previously existing layer. Selecting Add to Existing Layers means that all transferred layers will be added to existing layers, and any name conflicts will be resolved automatically.

  NoteWhen layers are transferred from one object to another, the file names are selected automatically, much the same way as they are when new layers are created. Paint layer names are set to match the source paint layer names.

Ambient Occlusion Map properties

Output Map

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.

Advanced

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 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. 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 black and white. The default contrast setting is 0 (neutral contrast) with the lower and upper range of -1 and 1.

Filter

  Controls the filtering of multiple shadow map calculations when producing the final ambient occlusion map. To achieve sharp, finely detailed shadows, set a low value (0.0001). To produce a softer effect, reducing visible artifacts in the map, set a higher number.

Preview as Diffuse

  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.

Vector Displacement Map properties

Vector Space

  Specifies the coordinate space for calculating vector displacement maps. Options include:

Relative Tangent

  (Formerly Tangent.)

  Defines the coordinate space on a face using the normal, tangent, and the binormal.

  Use this option if you plan to use the output vector displacement map primarily for sculpting in Mudbox as a stamp or stencil. This option stores displacement vectors so that you can apply the vector displacement map image at any scale to any random surface.

  Not recommended for rendering displaced detail on characters that will deform, because the height of the displacement can change where the surface squashes or stretches.

Absolute Tangent

  The coordinate space on a face is defined by the normal, tangent and binormal, which are orthogonalized and normalized relative to each other.

  Use if you plan to render displaced detail on models that will need to deform. This option stores vector lengths that are hard-coded, or absolute, which maintains the height of the displacement across surface deformations.

Object

  Local coordinate space for the model. Use if your model is animated without deformation.

World

  Coordinate space for the 3D scene. Use for environment maps when your model is not animated and not deforming.

Displacement Map properties

Normalize to Search Distance

  Remaps the results of the extraction samples into 0 to 1 color space for displacement maps when Bits per Channel is 8 or 16 bit. Normal maps always use -1 to 1 range.

Preview As Bump Map

  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 off, the extracted displacement map is saved to the directory you specify without displaying as a paint layer on the model.

Normal Map Output properties

Compatibility

  When Coordinate Space 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 Coordinate Space is set to Object or World space. Options are:

Maya

  Defaults to a right-handed tangent space setting.

3ds Max

  Defaults to a left-handed tangent space setting.

Coordinate Space

  Specifies the coordinate space for calculating normal maps. Options include:

Tangent

  The coordinate space on a face defined by the normal, tangent, and the binormal.

Object

  Local coordinate space for the model.

World

  Coordinate space for the 3D scene.

Preview As Normal Map

  Automatically imports the generated 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 off, the extracted normal map is saved to the directory you specify without displaying as a paint layer on the model.

Other extraction options

  The remaining options appear below the map-specific options.

Delete this operation

  Quits the texture extraction operation without outputting a map or saving any settings.

Extract

  Starts the texture extraction operation using the current settings.

Close

  Quits the texture extraction operation without extracting a map.

Related topics

Texture extraction overview

Extract a normal or displacement map

Extract an ambient occlusion map

Troubleshoot texture extraction