Baking Normalmap from Bumpmap with Blender

This tutorial is a bit special: I how how you can use Blender to bake normalmaps from bumpmaps. Why should you do this? Gameengines like Unity 3D makes use of normalmaps for materials to simulate depth.

In Blender I use texture painting to create textures for my models. I draw the diffuse color using textures (stencil) and then I use another texture paint slot to draw the bumpmap.

We assume in this tutorial that this step has already been done for a simple wall model, and also the UV-mapping stuff. Let’s jump right to the point at which we have a tiled view in Blender: One with the model and the txture paint slots (last one is the bumpmap), the second view is the created bumpmap in UV editor.

And now with the bump slot selected:

Bump texture apint slot

let’s create a new image to which we want to bake our normalmap. In UV editor choose New Image command:

create a new image

new image format and name

After that you can see a new, black image and your uv layout:

Now open your Render panel and set the Bake mode to Normals:

Baking normals in Blender

Then press the Bake button and your normalmap will be baked onto the new image:

The baked normal map

You can save this file now and apply it as normalmap for your model for example in a gameengine like Unity 3d. If you have further question on baking normalmaps from bumpmaps feel free to ask.