# Normal map map **URL:** \ **Category:** Off-topic\ **Created:** [February 6, 2008, 7:06am UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021 "2008-02-06T07:06:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![vlado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/779978/32.png) [@vlado](https://forums.chaos.com/u/vlado)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2008, 7:09am UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021/21 "2008-03-21T07:09:41Z")
The main difference, from algorithmic point of view, is that for bump mapping, the renderer must derive the normal from a height-field. This involves, for each shaded point, calculating the texture at \*several\* (usually 4) other points to derive the bumped surface normal. This may be slow and not quite precise. A normal map, on the other hand, stores normals directly, not a height-field, so the bumped normal can be obtained directly with just one texture evaluation and with more precision at the same time. Best regards, Vlado ---
**Author:** ![jreynolds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/58956e/32.png) [@jreynolds](https://forums.chaos.com/u/jreynolds)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 6:21pm UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021/22 "2008-03-25T18:21:13Z")
I know this is probably something you snapped together in an hour or so but I’m curious if you plan to further develop it to distribute with VRay. I’m using it in a VRayBlendMtl three times over and it seems to really be slowing MEdit updates to a crawl. I need to do some more tests but I can imagine that my procedural noise… etc bump maps may have something to do with the time it takes to convert and update. Is there any chance that it can be sped up or is it just the nature of the beast when converting data like this? Best regards, --Jon ---
**Author:** ![vlado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/779978/32.png) [@vlado](https://forums.chaos.com/u/vlado)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 8:42pm UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021/23 "2008-03-25T20:42:08Z")
There’s not much data to convert really so I’m not sure why it would be so slow; anyways, in newer builds of V-Ray there is a VRayBumpNormals render element which does the same thing. Best regards, Vlado ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_Oblomov](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/chaosprd/user_avatar/forums.chaos.com/paul_oblomov/32/41296_2.png) [@Paul\_Oblomov](https://forums.chaos.com/u/Paul_Oblomov)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2008, 2:29pm UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021/24 "2008-10-05T14:29:15Z")
Any chances to get max 2009 x64 version ? ---
**Author:** ![Shimakaze](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/chaosprd/user_avatar/forums.chaos.com/shimakaze/32/34860_2.png) [@Shimakaze](https://forums.chaos.com/u/Shimakaze)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2009, 1:39am UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021/25 "2009-03-02T01:39:42Z")
Hey Vlado remember this one? I’d love a 2009 version or two \*hint hint\* 😄 ---
**Author:** ![vlado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/779978/32.png) [@vlado](https://forums.chaos.com/u/vlado)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021/26 "2009-03-02T14:23:52Z")
In SP2, there is a VRayBumpNormals render element that you can use for the same purpose. Best regards, Vlado ---
**Author:** ![Shimakaze](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/chaosprd/user_avatar/forums.chaos.com/shimakaze/32/34860_2.png) [@Shimakaze](https://forums.chaos.com/u/Shimakaze)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 9:07am UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021/27 "2009-03-03T09:07:39Z")
That doesn’t work for this purpose though… remember, the idea is to convert procedural maps to normal maps on the fly in order to use them directly in the render without having to do any texture baking. Specifically for use with Relief mapping. It’s not critical but still nice to have 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![vlado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/779978/32.png) [@vlado](https://forums.chaos.com/u/vlado)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 9:58am UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021/28 "2009-03-03T09:58:38Z")
Ah, I see. Will try to recompile this then. Best regards, Vlado ---
**Author:** ![Jer25](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@Jer25](https://forums.chaos.com/u/Jer25)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 8:09am UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021/29 "2009-03-06T08:09:36Z")
I’m getting “DLL \ failed to initialize. Error code 126 - The specified module could not be found.” Is it’s not for Max 2009? ---
**Author:** ![Shimakaze](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/chaosprd/user_avatar/forums.chaos.com/shimakaze/32/34860_2.png) [@Shimakaze](https://forums.chaos.com/u/Shimakaze)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 11:23am UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021/30 "2009-03-06T11:23:26Z")
> [@lwendover](#): > > Is it’s not for Max 2009? Not yet… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![PIXELBOX\_SRO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@PIXELBOX\_SRO](https://forums.chaos.com/u/PIXELBOX_SRO)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 4:53pm UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021/31 "2009-03-11T16:53:44Z")
cant get it working really guys :((((( its not doing anything:( the bump is not aparent…do u use it with UVW-world cooredinate? or plain UVW? ---
**Author:** ![PIXELBOX\_SRO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@PIXELBOX\_SRO](https://forums.chaos.com/u/PIXELBOX_SRO)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021/32 "2009-03-11T17:12:36Z")
using max9 64bit bump works, but when i use the vray2normalbump all of the sudden the bump is gone…i ve switched to SP already ---
**Author:** ![PIXELBOX\_SRO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@PIXELBOX\_SRO](https://forums.chaos.com/u/PIXELBOX_SRO)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021/33 "2009-03-11T17:14:40Z")
one more thing, ive used it in multisub material…just testing if its doing in regular material as well ---
**Author:** ![PIXELBOX\_SRO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@PIXELBOX\_SRO](https://forums.chaos.com/u/PIXELBOX_SRO)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021/34 "2009-03-11T17:24:00Z")
max is behaving really weird in this scene..ive got the scene in meters, shadow bias set to 0.002, and when i set bump map filtering to 0.01, i hardly see it…i have to raise it to 0.05 to see something but its nowhere near where i d liked it to be… …this of course dowsnt change anything on the posts ive written above, simply vlados bump2normal map is not functioning…and neither is the max normal bump …am starting to feel there is something wrong with the bump map but i really cant tell what it is… if i post the maps, would anyone be intereseted to try it out? its actually quite nice large brick tile maps :))) ---
**Author:** ![PIXELBOX\_SRO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@PIXELBOX\_SRO](https://forums.chaos.com/u/PIXELBOX_SRO)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021/35 "2009-03-11T17:34:43Z")
here r the maps on rapidshare, feel free to use them otherwise…they r hires and made by me, so no worries about rights 🙂 [http://rapidshare.de/files/46012786/bricktile.rar.html](http://rapidshare.de/files/46012786/bricktile.rar.html) ---
**Author:** ![PIXELBOX\_SRO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@PIXELBOX\_SRO](https://forums.chaos.com/u/PIXELBOX_SRO)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021/36 "2009-03-11T19:36:59Z")
little update: one of the textures is causing the “Material returned invalid color”…perhaps that could be the problem ---
**Author:** ![Shimakaze](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/chaosprd/user_avatar/forums.chaos.com/shimakaze/32/34860_2.png) [@Shimakaze](https://forums.chaos.com/u/Shimakaze)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021/37 "2009-11-04T18:19:22Z")
Any chance of a Max 2010 compile of this plugin Vlado? ---
**Author:** ![3DMK](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/chaosprd/user_avatar/forums.chaos.com/3dmk/32/388_2.png) [@3DMK](https://forums.chaos.com/u/3DMK)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 9:58am UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021/38 "2009-11-06T09:58:38Z")
I tried the plugin [max 2008 32bit] but found it rather unstable …crash…crash HEY VLADO ..would it be difficult or even possible to implement the relief mapping technique directly within vray??? It seems to be a really good technique for getting that bit more out of textures without resorting to displacement. Would love to know your thoughts as I feel this could be a very powerful tool. Cheers Jamie ---
**Author:** ![jreynolds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/58956e/32.png) [@jreynolds](https://forums.chaos.com/u/jreynolds)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021/39 "2009-11-19T19:45:44Z")
We’d really appreciate a 2010 version of this plugin also Vlado 🙂 --Jon ---
**Author:** ![vlado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/779978/32.png) [@vlado](https://forums.chaos.com/u/vlado)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 1:41pm UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021/40 "2009-11-21T13:41:42Z")
I will give it a try, in the meantime the sources are included with the installation of the V-Ray SDK for SP4. Best regards, Vlado [Previous page](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021.md?page=1) [Next page](https://forums.chaos.com/t/normal-map-map/17021.md?page=3)