Normal maps and DDS conversions - couple of useful *Free* tools

[ziporama]

I have found two little gems in terms of saving to DDS and to create normal maps needed for FSX bump maps.


.Net based DDS converter in C# and Managed DirectX:

http://www.codeproject.com/cs/media/NormalMapCompressor.asp

The program loads normal files and outputs a DDS using .NET and shows you a preview of the bumpmaps in a DX window, has C# source code.

Note if you intend to only get the source code: also get the installer, as it has the images and filters necessary to run the code.

Normal map plug-in for The GIMP 2.2

http://nifelheim.dyndns.org/~cocidius/normalmap/

This one creates normal maps from height maps in the GIMP image editor, duplicating the functionality of the Nvidia photoshop normalmap.

Note: there's also a dds export plugin for GIMP, but it's not quite as nice as the .NET tool above.

Gimp can be found at http://www.gimp.org/


Cheers,


Etienne

[mikesflight]

Hi Etienne

Many thanks for the links. I have recently moved from PSP7 to the Gimp and so your links are much appreciated.

Cheers
Mike

[manfred]

Hi Etienne,
is it possible to share this tool. I don't like to register for one download, because the download is only for member :(

Thanks.

[ziporama]

Hi Manfred,

As much as I'd like to, I unfortunately cannot redistribute the code without the permission of the author. I would recommend you sign up on CodeProject as it is free, has a number of great resources and articles, and you can always use a temporary e-mail address to get to the downloads if you are concerned about security and spam :)

[scruffyduck]

Hi Etiene

Thanks for pointing these out. Code Project is free as you say and is a great resource. I check over there every day :)