Ok here is where you need to use gimp

In gimp you can make normal maps and just apply them in appgamekit

Take a high poly version texture and make a normal for it then apply it to the low poly version in game.

I have done this many times.

It is the fastest way and easy to do.

I just spent 6 hours getting this right.... no more learning!! lol

I have a Normal plugin for Paint.NET but I found it does not produce fantastic results, not tried in GIMP.

I don't think it would work anyway as I am using mirror mods to help with the modelling and save texture space, the plan is to have all the turrets (probably about 40/50) all baked out to a single 4k texture, a generic Normal generator would put detail where I don't want detail, baking the detail from one model to another gives the exact results as its baking the topology data and not colour data, this is the workflow pro artists use so tis good enough for me! lol

Although Photoshop currently generates normal maps, the 3D features are getting moved to Substance 3D and not sure how long it will be around for. Its also getting a bit buggy. I may need to look at GIMP in a bind good to know it supports that.

I'd also suggest making light maps for the glowing rings - can just take copy of the diffuse, color in the ring areas and make the rest black.

Yeah I have sussed the emit maps in blender, I got the whole process sorted now it should be cake from here, the main thing was learning the workflow and getting it banked into long term memory so I can repeat without the fuss, the way the file is setup, materials, uv's etc it really matters when it comes to baking.

I have not done much on this project the last week this flu been knocking me out (was bound to happen the time I spend on trains!) but I think the worst is behind me now and I have told work to not expect to see me till after xmas as I still feel like dirt but while curled up on the sofa I was playing around in blender with junk files just learning a thing or two about the process (point and click stuff with the laptop hooked into my new black friday TV , still don't feel up to coding so I will refine my models with what I have learned

The problem would still stand with PS anyway, I am baking geometry data from a high poly model to a low poly, maybe Substance 3D is more suited for this task but PS would be no better than GIMP or Paint.NET, maybe that's why the 3D functionally is being shipped to Substance, I have found that Paint.NET can make a decent Normal from a heightmap but if the hightmap is wrong you got no chance with the Normal, in my experiments anyway!

anyhou, I think I'm due some more Beechams and some shuteye!