How do I make realistic 'Rivets' using textures and Normal maps?

Development Rendering
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1

Okay, so I’m working on a ‘humvee’ asset and on the humvee asset their are ‘Rivets’ on the texture of it.

87382-rivvets_quest.png

But I’m having trouble on making them look more like rivets. So how do I get the normal map to see its a rivet and make them have a look like if they are bulging out? I currently have a shadow affect on the texture but someone was telling me, I can take the shadow-look off the rivets on the texture and the normal map will make it have a bulge look by its self but when I put the normal map on, it doesn’t recognize its a rivet so it doesn’t bulge, so how do I get the normal map to read that its a rivet? Is their something I have to do with the texture its self and make the rivets get more brighter in the center of them or have a shadow wrapping around them selves?

87383-b8metals025.jpg
87383-b8metals025.jpg2560×1920 1.54 MB

For those who don’t know what I mean by Rivet, I attached an Image of a rivet. it’s basically a type of Nut/Bolt.

So anyways if anyone knows what I mean and knows how to do this please don’t be afraid to tell me!

Thanks :wink:

2

NVIDIA has this plugin for creating normal maps off of the texture.

  • Add bevel or something to your rivets
  • Generate the normal map using this tool
  • Get rid of any direct shadows on the texture

Now if you apply this normal map to the material you’d have good shading of the rivets.
There’s a lot of settings in the tool you can play with to get the best result.

3

Does anyone know?