Problem with tangents / normals on UV seam

Questions & Answers
1

** Partial solve. Turns out this is a problem with 3ds Max Render to Texture. I used xNormal and it created more accurate normal maps for Unity **

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone had a solution to this problem when importing models into Unity from 3ds Max.

In the attached image I have a visible line on the model where there is a UV seam, but it is only visible in Unity. I assume this is a problem with the tangent calculation, but exporting tangents from 3ds max looks far worse when imported.

I’ve tried every possible combination of export/import/calculate/split tangents from FBX format and can’t find a perfect solution.

Does anyone have a solution to this?

Thanks,
-Alex

18558-uv_seam_tangents.jpg
18558-uv_seam_tangents.jpg1818×822 182 KB

2

It seems to be an issue with the way 3ds max bakes normal maps using Render to Texture. I used xNormal (www.xnormal.net) to create the normal maps and the problem has gone away.

There are still some issues with the way Unity calculates tangents on mirrored meshes, however.