Normal Maps
Surface detail and bump mapping
Normal maps encode per-pixel normal direction to add fine detail without geometry.
How it works
- Tangent-space maps perturb the shading normal using the mesh’s tangent basis.
- Object/world-space maps exist but are less portable for animated assets.
- MikkTSpace is a common tangent standard (used by glTF and many tools).
Interoperability notes
- Mismatched tangent basis causes seams or shading artifacts—recompute consistently.
- Normal maps are linear data (do not apply sRGB).
- Compression may introduce banding; prefer high-quality BC5/ASTC when available.
