Attaching Multiple Bump Maps to an Object

I thought that one could not attach more than one bump map to a texture; however, I discovered a simple tutorial that demonstrates how simple this is.  I can't believe it...

Anyway, open the two images under the Hypershader under the texture preset File, or just use a couple of presets.  Connect each one (using the middle mouse button) to a Bump Map 2D preset and give it a default relationship.  Then, create a texture, and create a bump map relationship between the first file and the texture.  All of the steps so far should be as if one were normally creating a bump mapped texture.

The next step takes a little more explaining.  Connect the second bump map to the first and go under 'Other' to create an outNormal->normalCamera relationship.  If neither of these two shows up, go under the Left and Right Displays and check 'Show Hidden Objects.'  Once of this is done, render out the object, and it should have a bump that has the appearance of both images.

This is what it would look like with a Bulge and Mountain preset as the bump maps.

Baking Textures and Light Maps

A lot of this I learned from watching the other group construct their game, but here's what I've gathered on baking textures and lights.

In order to bake textures, make the Hypershade pullout is open.  Then, select the object and one texture that affects the object (I haven't gotten it to work with more than one; something to do, then.).  With the two still selected, go to the Hypershade pullout, look under the tab "Edit," and select "Convert to File Texture" (click on the box to the right to adjust settings).  After placing the .psd file (Photoshop) in the given folder, this will create a new texture (the old one remains) with a object mapping of the original, albeit some graphic loss.  This new texture is assigned to your baked object.

Baking lights appears to work the same way, except that the light needs to be selected along with the texture and object, and the settings need to change to add the light effects.

Even in the Viewport renderer, the light pattern shown here only appears when this image is rendered or the light affecting the objects is baked into place.

Group tutorial: Normal mapping to bump mapping in Unity

So it turns out that bump maps made in Maya cannot be directly translated to Unity.  In order to achieve the effect, one must save the bump map as an image file (usually done with Photoshop).  Once in Unity, the image must be selected and made into a normal map (Inspector->Import Settings-> Generate Normal Map).  The pattern that affects how the normal map is used is under Material Inspector-> Shader.  Since we now have the bump map saved for our cactus, this will be done immediately.

Group tutorial: UV mapping

Technically, this isn't a tutorial, but just something I've learned while trying to texture the cacti for our game, Boulderdash.  It works out better if one adjusts the points into a rectangular figure and adjust as per the geometry.  Unfortunately, Unity cannot make UV maps in program, so working in Maya and then rendering (it doesn't show how the texture will work on the UV mapping editor) [Turns out setting the renderer to Viewport 2.0 fixes this.  Never mind.] is the only way I can do this.

Personal tutorial: Maya fluids

This isn't exactly particles, but involves principles that could help with controlling particle meshes.

Based on experimentation, I have to agree with the author's conclusions: the fluid effects are best simply as liquids, and not in the air.  The picture kind of explains why; the ripples ruin the surface as the fluid moves through air.

Similar to particles, it is incredible how many settings can adjust the fluid's nature, including movement, density, buoyancy, etcetera.  Wonder how many things it's been used for?

Group tutorial: Particles in Unity

I would recommend this tutorial (which I will try to use), but it's in German.  If you have good eyesight or can understand German, great.  If not, then activate subtitles to translate and hope whatever is displayed is half legible.

At any rate, the particle effect allows for a change in the size of particles, the energy per particle, the direction of the particle movement, and when the particles flow.  The settings are similar to the ones in Maya, but the coding appears to be more user friendly.  Not that this is a good thing; I'm used to more basic coding, per se.  Do not ask me to code in basic, I've seen it, it's a nightmare.

Tutorial: Low poly character modeling

While this tutorial was useful for modeling experience, it's taught me that trying to model when under stress or exhaustion, the job will look terrible, as shown below.

The intended view.  Note that she's wearing a shirt underneath the first one.

Side

 

Front

Back

Cutting faces, deleting edges and vertices, merging vertices, combining, and extruding all in this, I've had enough for now.  I need sleep, good grief.