Godot Version
Godot 4.3
Question
To get straight to the point: I’m a 3D modeller more than a coder, and I have a specific style of lighting I want to carry over from Blender to Godot. Said style uses a data transfer modifier and a proxy mesh to transfer custom normals from a simple plane to the actual model to achieve the stylized shading I’m going for. Issue is, I have no idea how to achieve this result in Godot, as almost every source of modeling information I’ve used over the years never mentioned implementation of this technique in a game engine once.
To show rather than tell, here’s the character in Blender using the data transfer modifier:
And here’s it running in-engine on Godot, where only the base normals are applied:
As for methods I’ve tried, baking normals to tangent space doesn’t work as, despite being exportable, tangent is still relative to the base mesh. As well, I’ve tried applying the modifier and exporting the custom normals, but as I’ve learned each blend shape will break the normals, as the normals only apply to the basis shapekey.
In case this is needed info, the shader I’m using in both Godot and Blender is a super simple setup like this:
If there’s any methods that are Godot compatible or unique to Godot, please do share! I’m so close to finally putting everything I’ve learned together.
Keep in mind my Godot knowledge is limited, I’ve only swapped to this from GameMaker recently since it couldn’t handle 3D well, so explain it like I don’t know the Godot terms, if possible please.