Modelling & Rigging a Cartoon Parrot in Maya: Part 4

1. Exporting Texture File Maps for Body Mesh 

Step 1

After finishing the colouring and sculpting part, export the maps. Turn on the visibility buttons of both the body and the leg meshes on Sub Tool panel.

Step 2

With the body mesh selected, turn on Texture Map panel.

Step 3

In the Texture Map panel, click on New From Polypaint button. You will be able to see the map as thumbnail. 

Step 4

Click on Clone Txtr button in the Texture Map panel to copy this color texture map to export.

Step 5

Click on Texture menu in the main menu bar and click on Flip V button. After that, click on Export button.

Step 6

It opens the Export Image browser window. Save this file in Photoshop (*.PSD) format and rename it as Body Color.

Step 7

To export the Displacement map and the Normal map, you have to keep the mesh in very low subdivision level. So, in the Geometry panel, keep the SDiv value as 1.

Step 8

Click on Displacement Map panel button and then click on Create DispMap button. You can then see the map as a thumbnail image.

Step 9

In the Displacement Map panel, click on Clone Disp button to clone the selected map.

Step 10

After cloning the Displacement Map, click on Alpha Map button in the side panel and then click on Export button. It opens the Export Image window. Save this file in Photoshop (*.PSD) format and rename it as Body Displacement.

Step 11

Select the Normal Map panel and then click on the Create Normal Map button. After this, click on Clone NM button to clone the normal map.

Step 12

After cloning the normal map, click on the Texture menu in the main menu bar and then press Flip V button. Next, click on Export button.

Step 13

It opens the Export Image window. Rename it as Body Normal and save this file in Photoshop (*.PSD) format.

2. Exporting Texture File Maps for Leg Mesh 

Step 1

It's time to export the Color, Displacement and Normal maps for the leg mesh. So, isolate the leg mesh in the Sub Tool panel.

Step 2

Repeat the step numbers 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Step 3

In the Export Image window, rename the map as Leg Color and save it in Photoshop (*.PSD) format.

Step 4

For the Displacement and Normal maps, decrease the SDiv level quite low in the Geometry panel.

Step 5

Just like we did earlier, create, clone and save the Displacement and Normal maps step wise.

Step 6

After saving all maps, you have to apply them on the low poly meshes in Maya. So, open the complete model file in Maya. 

3. Making Material Shades in Maya

Step 1

First, you need to create material shades in Hypershade. So, go to Window > Rendering Editor > Hypershade option to open the Hypershade window.

Step 2

In the Hypershade window, select Blinn shade node and rename it as BodyMat inside the Work Area window.

Step 3

After that, create a File node and then click on Folder Icon to locate the saved maps for the body mesh.

Step 4

In the Open window, locate and select the Body Color.PSD file and then click on Open button.

Step 5

With the File node selected, click and hold down the Middle Mouse button and then drag and drop it on the BodyMat shade node. In the popup menu, select color to connect them together.

Step 6

Following the same process, create another File node and then open the Body Normal.PSD file for it and this time connect it with bump map.

Step 7

In this way, we have assigned the Body mat on the body mesh as shown in the following image.

Step 8

Next, create the material for the leg mesh. So, first create LegMat and add and connect it with the Color and Normal maps. After that, assign it to the leg meshes.

Step 9

After applying the material on the leg meshes, you will see something like this.

Step 10

In this way, you have created the materials and applied them on the body and the leg meshes. Save the file.

Conclusion

In this tutorial I have demonstrated how to generate and export displacement, bump, color and normal maps and making material shades in Maya for texturing. In the next part of the tutorial, I’ll show you how to create eye ball and feathers texture maps.