
This is the entire process for generating normal maps from
modeled geometry. It does have its quirks, but once you learn
those, the process is amazingly simple. With a little practice,
generating normal maps will become second nature to you. To
truly understand normal map creation, however, you need to
understand how they work.
How Normal Maps Fake Detail
Before we talk about normal maps specifically, we first must
talk about surface normals. A surface normal is the vector, or
ray, that represents which direction the polygon is facing. This
normal adjusts how light “bounces” off of that surface. Every
vertex stores the normal information for all of its ...