This page provides information about the Normal Map node in V-Ray for Cinema 4D.


Overview

The Normal Map node works on any V-Ray-compatible geometry, including V-Ray proxies, displaced objects, etc.

Keep in mind that when connecting a V-Ray Normal Map Node to a V-Ray Material, the Bump Type of the material needs to be set to Explicit. If the Normal Map Node is connected directly to the material, the Bump Type automatically becomes Explicit, as the material detects the Normal Map Node. However, if the Normal Map Node is connected to the material via another node, the material cannot detect further than the direct connection and the Explicit bump Type Needs to be set manually.


Parameters


Map – Specifies the bitmap used for normal mapping.

When the Map Type is set to Normal, pay attention to the correct gamma correction of any bitmap texture assigned here. Some software packages generate normal maps that include a 2.2 gamma correction, while other packages generate linear normal maps. The Normal Map node assumes that any normal textures are in Tangent UV Space. The mapping channel that defines that UV space can be specified with the Map channel parameter.

When the Map Type is set to Bump, an additional texture for bump mapping is applied on top of the Normal map.

Map Type – Determines how to read the loaded map:

Bump Map – Uses a bump map to determine the bump effect of the material.
Normal Map in Tangent Space – Uses a tangent normal map to determine the bump effect on the material.
Normal Map in Object Space – Uses an object space normal map to determine the bump effect on the material.
Normal Map in Screen Space – Uses a screen space normal map to determine the bump effect on the material.
Normal Map in World Space – Uses a world space normal map to determine the bump effect on the material.
From Texture Bump Output – Uses the texture bump output to determine the bump effect on the material.
Explicit Normal – Sets the normals to adhere to a specific value rather than being dependent on a face. As a result, any changes made to the position of a face do not affect the normals, which remain unchanged. 

Multiplier – A multiplier that controls the strength of the bump effect.

Multiplier Texture – Specifies a texture that controls the multiplier.

Bump Delta Scale – Scale for sampling the bitmap when using bump mapping. The exact value is calculated automatically by V-Ray, but can be scaled here.

Rotation Angle – Specifies a rotation angle for the resulting V-Ray Normal Map. 

Flip Red – When enabled, flips the red channel of the Normal map. This is needed for maps produced by some software packages.

Flip Green – When enabled, flips the green channel of the Normal map. This is needed for maps produced by some software packages.

Swap Red and Green – Swaps the red and green channels of the Normal map. Some software packages assume that the green G component of the Normal map is the "up" direction along the surface normal.

Blue 2 Z Mapping Method – When enabled, V-Ray maps the blue channel to the Z axis, which is the default method in V-Ray for Cinema 4D. If disabled, V-Ray assumes that the blue B component is "up" for the Normal map (the direction along the surface normal), which means that the "neutral" color of a Normal map is RGB 128, 128, 255.



Context


Context – Allows the attachment of a Context node (UVW generator) to adjust the UVWs of the texture. For more information, visit the Context Nodes page.