Surface Rebuild Normal

What is it for?

• Updating lighting after processing a height map
• Rebuilding normals at any point rather than only after Surface Composite
• Creating edge-continuous normals for a tile height map

Overview

Rebuilds a normal map from a height map. If the height changes without this step, lighting continues to use the old relief. This node maintains consistency by performing the rule “after editing height, rebuild normals” in one step.

Usage tips

• The go-to position is surface_unpack → (process height with image filters) → surface_rebuild_normal (connect to height_map). Highlights in Light Preview then follow the edited relief correctly.
• For a tile asset, wrap settings create normals that continue across the edges, avoiding seams when the tile repeats.
• It is unnecessary when height has not changed; solid_render already produces consistent normals.

Related nodes

• surface_unpack / surface_set_map — before and after height processing

• height_from_image — entry point for creating height from an image

• surface_light_preview — reviews the effect of normals

• Version: 1

Examples

[Surface] → surface → [Surface Unpack] → height → [Levels] → [Surface Rebuild Normal] → surface
                                                             ↑
                                                       height_map

After strengthening or otherwise processing height, pass it through this node so Surface Light Preview can produce highlights that follow the relief.