A generator of texel data that computes a normal map from a supplied texture.
SDKs
- iOS 9.0+
- macOS 10.11+
- Mac Catalyst 13.0+
- tvOS 9.0+
Framework
- Model I/O
Declaration
class MDLNormalMapTexture : MDLTexture
Overview
This class examines the shapes of contrasting areas in an input texture to generate a normal map that produces an embossed appearance when rendered with lighting. The figure below shows the normal map generated from an example texture and the effect of using this normal map with lighting in a typical renderer.
Generating and Using a Normal Map

Like other procedural MDLTexture
subclasses, the MDLNormal
class generates texel data only when that data is first referenced, and caches it for future use.