Frequently Asked Questions

  1. All I get is a big jumble, it doesn't look anything like an ambient occlusion map!
  2. Some of the portions of my generated map are distorted, or the wrong color.
  3. My model is very bright. What gives?
  4. Where are my smoothing groups?
  5. I reinstalled and my software is un-registered. Do I have to pay again?
  6. Can I generate 4096x4096 ambient occlusion textures?
  7. My model has multiple uv maps and the AO generation looks like a messed up combination of the maps.
  8. I get strange fuzzies and interference while using the Shadow Mapping method.
  9. Can I bake multiple objects independently in the same scene?
  10. I have a question that's not answered here. Where can I find a friendly person who I can talk to directly and who will answer my question honestly without giving me any BS?

All I get is a big jumble, it doesn't look anything like an ambient occlusion map!

Before you can generate an ambient occlusion map, you need to generate a UV unwrapped map for your model.

Some of the portions of my generated map are distorted, or the wrong color.

Check and make sure that your UV unwrap has no overlapping polygons. Concave polygons were handled poorly by SMAK prior to version 1.4. If your model uses multiple texture maps, disabling all but one in the scene tree and generating the maps one at a time can solve this.

My model is very bright. What gives?

Some hardware and some early versions of SMAK may produce bright-looking washed out shading. This can sometimes be resolved by updating SMAK, by providing material data for your meshes, or by updating hardware drivers.

Where are my smoothing groups?

Smoothing groups were not loaded from .obj files until beta 1.1.

I reinstalled and my software is un-registered. Do I have to pay again?

Nope. Just contact our support line and we can issue you another key.

Can I generate 4096x4096 ambient occlusion textures?

This is not yet supported in SMAK, we are considering including it in a future version. If you want to see it sooner, tell us!

My model has multiple uv maps and the AO generation looks like a messed up combination of the maps.

You can disable materials for generation in the scene tree and generate each material independently.

I get strange fuzzies and interference while using the Shadow Mapping method.

Some Windows XP installations experience this problem. We're looking for a solution. In the meantime, the raytracing AO generation still works fine, and nobody has reported the problem on Windows Vista or 7.

Can I bake multiple objects independently in the same scene?

Yes you can. Just disable the objects you don't want to generate for in the scene tree. These objects will still affect the occlusion of visible objects, but no maps will be generated for them.

I have a question that's not answered here. Where can I find a friendly person who I can talk to directly and who will answer my question honestly without giving me any BS?

The author answers support inquiries directly, usually within a couple hours.