Normal map
- Game Development course
- Intermediate
- Lesson 16/83
- 4 min
Learn that a normal map fakes bumps on a surface.
What is a Normal map?
A Normal map is a specialized texture map creating optical illusions of micro-cracks, bevels, and brick relief without inflating 3D polygon counts. It functions by perturbing surface normals per pixel.
// Enabling Normal map keyword and assigning texture
mat.EnableKeyword("_NORMALMAP");
mat.SetTexture("_BumpMap", normalTexture);This produces rich surface depth without the performance cost of millions of polygons.
Tangent Space and Blue Tones
Normal map images characteristically exhibit blue and violet hues. In tangent space, the Z axis pointing directly outward matches the blue channel (0, 0, 1) in RGB space.
// Adjusting relief strength (Bump Scale)
mat.SetFloat("_BumpScale", 1.5f);As light angles shift, slopes encoded in X and Y channels realistically cast shading across indentations and bumps.
Practice Print Normal map profile
Assign "NormalMap" to mapType and "TangentSpace" to space. Print Map: NormalMap | Space: TangentSpace to the console.
Starter code
using System;
class Program
{
static void Main()
{
// mapType ve space değerlerini tanımlayıp yazdır
}
}Sample solution
using System;
class Program
{
static void Main()
{
string mapType = "NormalMap";
string space = "TangentSpace";
Console.WriteLine("Map: " + mapType + " | Space: " + space);
}
}Expected output
Map: NormalMap | Space: TangentSpace
Questions and answers
Review the lesson questions together with their answers. To test yourself, solve the lesson interactively.
1 Which texture map is used to impart stone and brick relief without increasing polygon count?
- Font Texture
- Lightmap Texture
- Audio Waveform
- Normal Map Correct answer
Explanation: A Normal Map simulates fake surface relief and depth by perturbing per-pixel lighting normal angles.
2 Assign normal map texture
mat.SetTexture("____", normalTexture);mat.SetTexture("_BumpMap", normalTexture);Explanation: In Unity's Standard Shader, the normal map texture is assigned through the '_BumpMap' property.
3 Normal map concepts
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
Normal Map |
Texture creating fake surface relief |
Tangent Space |
Local space relative to surface tangent |
Bump |
Depth illusion of surface bumps |
Mavi Ton |
Color for outward-pointing Z normal |