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The Bump Map node
Bump Map Node Overview
The Bump Map node is used to convert a grayscale (height map) image into a bump map and takes an input directly from a bump map created by the Create Bump Map node. The node outputs a material.
Inputs
The Bump Map node includes a single orange input for connecting a 2D image you want to use as the bump map texture, or it can accept the output of the Create Bump Map node.
— ImageInput: The orange Image input is used to connect a 2D RGBA image for the bump calculation or an existing bump map from the Create Bump map node.
Basic Node Setup
The Bump Map node is connected to the Bump Map material input on any one of the material shader nodes. Below, the example uses a Fast Noise node to generate an image that connects to the Bump Map node. The output of the Bump Map node connects to the Bump Map material input on a Ward node.
A Bump Map is connected to the Bump Map material input on a material node.
Inspector
Bump Map controls
Controls Tab
The Controls tab contains all parameters for modifying the input source and the appearance of the bump map.
Toggle between Height Map, which creates a bump map similar to the Create Bump Map node, and Bump Map, which expects a bump map created by the Create Bump Map node.
A custom filter generates the bump information. The drop-down menu sets the filter size.
Sets the channel from which to extract the grayscale information.
Clips the lower values of the blue channel in the resulting bump texture.
Changes the contrast of the resulting values in the bump map. Increasing this value yields a more visible bump map.
Optionally converts the resulting bump map texture into the desired bit depth.
Wraps the image at the borders, so the filter produces correct result when using seamless tile textures.
Common Controls
The Settings tab in the Inspector is duplicated in other 3D nodes. These common controls are described in detail at the end of this chapter in “The Common Controls” section.
Notes on Bump Maps
There is some confusion of terminology with bump mapping, depending on where you get your information. Here are Fusion conventions:
A grayscale image containing a height value per pixel
An image containing normals stored in the RGB channels used for modifying the existing normals (usually given in tangent space)
An image containing normals stored in the RGB channels used for replacing the existing normals (usually given in tangent or object space)