MODELING 3D TEXTS FOR BAKING NORMAL MAP IN SUBSTANCE PAINTER

in this article, I show you how we can apply text font to our high poly mesh in 3d software and baking the normal map for our low poly model.
after we create our high poly model and want to add text on top of the mesh and bake the normal map from it there are 3 different effects we can have with fonts or any floating geo on the high poly mesh.
in the picture down below is the final normal inside of substance painter.

• 1-this effect gives us outside of the text pushed out and inside pushed in.
• 2-this effect gives us a simple extrusion look.
• 3-this effect gives us intrusion look like the text melt on top of high poly but it’s a tricky process and we need bigger UV space to capture these details in the normal map.

MODELING

now we create each of these 3 effects in 3ds max first we bevel all the text meshes for a smoother clean result. (when creating floating geometry stay close to the surface of high poly mesh)
1- to achieve the effect push the inner faces down so border edges stay outward.

2-to achieve the effect put the beveled text on top of the high poly surface.

3-to achieve the effect we grow selection and pushing inward the top faces. pushing surface inward creates flipped normals and mesh will turn to black but when we render it we can see the effect.

the further we move the top faces inside the mesh the stronger the effect will get when we baking normal map in substance.

don’t moving faces too far into the mesh create a bad result in the normal map.

hope now you get a good grasp of floating geo and modeling 3d texts to baking normal maps.
CHEERS 😉