Ndo2 for Photoshop: generates normal maps from diffuse textures
In texturing for 3D, creating surface details efficiently is key. Ndo2 is a plugin for Adobe Photoshop designed precisely for that: processing base color maps or diffuse maps and transforming them into normal maps. This process analyzes the light and dark information in the image to deduce a relief, greatly speeding up the artist's work. 🚀
The Ndo2 conversion mechanism
The user loads their albedo map into Photoshop. When activating the plugin, Ndo2 examines the intensity of each pixel. It interprets light areas as raised points and dark areas as recessed, calculating from there the vectors that make up the normal map. The artist has control over several parameters to adjust the result.
Key plugin settings:- Scale: Controls the intensity or perceived height of the generated relief.
- Smoothness: Applies filters to reduce noise and smooth normal map transitions.
- Blue channel: Allows inverting the vector orientation to correct compatibility with different rendering engines or game engines.
A normal map does not add real geometry, it only tricks the light. If your character's nose disappears when turning, the problem is not the map.
Integration into the production pipeline
This tool is commonly used in creating assets for video games and visualization projects. Its place in the workflow is usually after painting the base color texture and before producing roughness or metallicity maps. It is a quick solution for fine details.
Typical use cases for Ndo2:- Simulate pores in skin or wrinkles in materials like fabric.
- Create complex patterns on stone, wood, or weathered metal surfaces.
- Add surface details to environment objects where real geometry is limited.
Limitations and best practices
Although Ndo2 speeds up the process, it does not replace the precision of a normal map extracted from a high-resolution sculpted mesh or from a 3D scan. To get the best results, it is crucial to combine its use with a good height map that guides the generation. The plugin is one more tool in the texture artist's kit, ideal for prototyping or adding secondary details where optimizing time is essential. 🎨