Strangly dark shadows

[Clockwork_werewolf]

So I've been making this part (yes it's another ram intake) using blender then unity. It looks fine from most angles but some angles give it a large dark shadow. Model in unity:

Dark shadow when in use (it also happens in unity if I look at the part almost from the top.

The shadow is different to the other parts but I can't seem to find out why.

The part has a bump map and uses KSP/Bumped although I have tried KSP/bumped specular and almost every other lighting setting but none seem to match the stock lighting on the other parts.

Could it be due to the part not having a physical model ring around the bottom? have I pick some wrong combination of lighting modes? Should I add a fake light? I'm running out of ideas and don't know what to try that wouldn't mean hitting every option box in all of unity.

The tiny part in the middle is also making a weird shadow but that can wait (help would still be appreciated).

[nli2work]

smoothing groups? the bottom face should be on a separate smoothing group as the radial walls.

[Clockwork_werewolf]

I'm betting that's a good answer because I don't really know what those are. I mean I can guess and I'm now going to look them up but didn't know they were a thing till now.

Thanks

[Clockwork_werewolf]

Also second seasons of Continuum just updated on Netflix, this might take a while.

[nli2work]

basically faces in the same smooth group are treated as round shape; so you get the darkening effect as you get toward the sides where the shape curves away from light source into shadow.

[ximrm]

Also known as phong shading(not to confuse with phong illumination).

Maybe that can help you a bit. Smoothing groups are more or less the 3DS MAX etc. term for it.

[CaptainKipard]

Blender doesn't have smoothing groups. It has sharp edges that are meant to go with the Edge Split modifier. The object should be completely smoothed ("Smooth" button in the tools sidebar, T), individual edges made sharp (Ctrl+E, Mark sharp) and the modifier applied (check "sharp edges", uncheck "Edge angle")

[rspeed]

I was having this same issue. In my case, I had created an edge split modifier, but I hadn't applied it. Blender will display the result as soon as the modifier is created, but obviously it won't duplicate the vertices until applied. Duh.

[rspeed]

Heh. Turns out there's an export option to apply modifiers. Convenient!

[InsaneDruid]

Instead of the edge split modifier, one can use the "auto smooth" option under "normals" in the objects data tab.. It's slider value works like the edge angle setting in the edge split modifier and it also threads edges marked as sharp like the modifier. To give a "only edges marked as sharp, no angle based smoothing/sharpening, use 180 degrees.

Using this method there is no vertex doubling on a sharp edge unless the final export to .mu in unity.

This also needs to be used when using the data transfer modifier to use customs normals around holes in round surfaces etc.

[rspeed]

On 9/9/2016 at 1:41 PM, InsaneDruid said:

Instead of the edge split modifier, one can use the "auto smooth" option under "normals" in the objects data tab.

Thanks, I'll give that a try.