NormalMapAI指南
高度贴图与位移贴图：渲染器里差在哪
视差高度与真正推几何的位移差在哪、何时用哪种。
正文目前仍为英文技术原文；标题与摘要已中文化。可先打开相关工具实操。
步骤
- Generate a material in the homepage editor or open the height / displacement tool pages.
- Compare the Height and Displacement thumbnails — displacement is typically smoother and stronger for geometry offset.
- Export 16-bit PNGs and import as non-color data.
- In Blender, route displacement through a Displacement node; in real-time engines prefer parallax or tessellation only where budget allows.
Shared idea, different use
White means high, black means low. A height map is the base field many other maps derive from. Displacement here is a smoothed, higher-contrast variant tuned for pushing mesh surfaces.
Why 16-bit
8-bit greyscale only has 256 steps, which shows as terraces on gentle slopes. 16-bit PNG keeps smooth ramps for relief, 3D print heightfields and close-up displacement.
Performance note
True displacement needs dense geometry or tessellation. For games, normal + optional parallax occlusion often looks close at a fraction of the cost.
常见问题
Can I use the height map for 3D printing?
Yes. Many relief tools accept a 16-bit greyscale height or displacement PNG.
Should albedo include the same shadows as height?
Prefer even lighting in the source photo so height comes from texture detail, not baked sun shadows.
Does NormalMapAI upload my images?
No. Processing stays in the browser.