Normal maps are a type of Bump Map. They are a special kind of texture that allow you to add surface detail such as bumps, grooves, and scratches to a model which catch the light as if they are represented by real geometry.

Normal maps are grayscale images that you use as a height map on your objects in order to give an appearance of raised or recessed surfaces. Assuming you have a model that looks like this: We want to make the light parts of the object appear raised. Draw a grayscale height map of your texture in Photoshop. White is high, black is low.

Learn about how normal maps work, and the difference between bump maps An image texture used to represent geometric detail across the surface of a mesh, for example bumps and grooves. Can be represented as a heightmap or a normal map.

Mar 21, 2011 · So what are normal maps? A normal map is a specially treated image that tricks a compatible 3D engine into believing a surface has more normal data than it actually does, and therefore giving the impression of greater detail, or smoother surfaces.

In this tutorial, I go over how to create a simple Normals map for an object in Unity, and show you the huge difference they make in your video game's assets.

Sep 27, 2023 · Normal maps are used on objects that have shapes that lighting should affect differently. For example, if you make the cylinder into a concrete cylinder, you may want a normal map to simulate the bumpiness of the rough concrete.

Mar 27, 2017 · We will generate a normal maps from one of our existing black and white images in Unity. Each Texel of a normal map represents a deviation from the face normal. Resource LINKS......

Apr 6, 2020 · tl;dr: How I can capture a normal map from a model inside Unity, to apply it onto a quad? AKA: normal baking Context. I am doing a 360 impostor system that renders any 3D model from different angles, and then applies the captured textures to a billboarded quad (cubemaps and all involved).

Feb 17, 2025 · Normal maps are a crucial technique in game development for adding detailed lighting information to models without increasing polygon count. By using normal maps, developers can emulate the appearance of complex textures such as bumps and grooves, significantly enhancing the visual fidelity of 3D environments.

To really explain how normal mapping works, we will first describe what a “normal” is, and how it is used in real-time lighting. Perhaps the most basic example would be a model where each surface polygon is lit simply according to the surface angles relative to the light.