You’re Overthinking Normal Maps
I’ve been doing architectural CG for years.
And I see people obsessing over normal maps all the time.
Guys, you’re spending time on the wrong things.
Yeah, normal maps matter for flooring and exterior walls where surface detail is actually visible.
But you know what?
Spending 2 hours perfecting them won’t get you client approval.
Here’s What Actually Happens
You spend 2 hours fine-tuning a floor normal map in Substance.
Perfect bump height. Perfect detail. Looks amazing up close.
Render it.
Client: “Can you make it brighter?”
…
All that detail? Gone. Swallowed by the lighting you adjusted.
Or the client says: “This room feels empty.”
You download some nice-looking greenery from 3dsky.
Client: “Perfect! That’s exactly what it needed.”
Nobody even mentioned the floor.
The “Professional” Approach (?)
Zoom into the material at 400%.
“The bump height needs to be 0.82, not 0.85.”
Spend 45 minutes tweaking values.
“There. Photorealistic.”
A completely meaningless wood normal map
Zoom out.
Can’t tell the difference.
Rendering resolution? 1920x1080.
Camera distance? 3 meters from the floor.
Your meticulously crafted normal map details? 2 pixels.
A completely meaningless seal normal map
Is this really how we should spend our time?
What Clients Actually Care About
Not your normal maps.
Here’s what gets the “wow” reaction:
Adding one extra object.
Seriously.
You can spend hours on surface details, or you can add:
- Some cool-looking furniture downloaded from 3dsky
- Random magazines (nobody reads them anyway)
- Nice-looking greenery (also from 3dsky)
Guess which one the client notices?
The furniture.
Every. Single. Time.
Lighting > Objects > Normal Maps
Want to impress a client?
-
Adjust the lighting. Change the sun angle. Boom, different mood.
-
Add an object. Cool furniture from 3dsky, nice-looking greenery, random magazines. “Wow, much better!”
-
Fix the composition. Camera angle, focal length. Game changer.
Normal maps are like… priority #47.
You get to them after you’ve done everything that actually matters.
But You Still Need Them
Yeah, I know.
“So should I skip normal maps entirely?”
No, don’t be stupid.
You need the basics. Materials without normal maps look flat and fake.
But you don’t need to obsess over them.
Use NormalIt, generate them in 10 seconds, move on.
Done.
That’s it.
The Part Nobody Wants to Hear
Still images?
AI post-processing is faster and better.
I know, I know. “But I’m a CG artist, I should do it properly.”
Yeah, and I should handwrite all my emails instead of using templates.
Reality check: AI can fix your lighting, enhance materials, remove noise, all in seconds.
And video? That’s coming soon.
When AI video processing hits…
All this time we spent “manually perfecting details”?
Our job will be gone.
Not “might be.” Will be.
I’m not being pessimistic. I’m being realistic.
What Actually Matters
You know what matters?
Getting the client to say yes.
That’s it. That’s the whole job.
And you know what makes them say yes?
- Good lighting that sets the mood
- A composition that tells a story
- Some cool-looking furniture from 3dsky that makes the room feel “complete”
Not your normal map bump height.
I’m sorry.
The Harsh Reality Nobody Wants to Admit
Let me say this again, as many times as it takes:
Clients don’t pay a single dollar for our “craftsmanship.”
Not one cent for your meticulously hand-crafted normal maps.
Not one cent for the 3 hours you spent perfecting that wood grain.
Not one cent for your “artistic vision.”
Does that piss you off?
Yeah, me too.
But that’s society. That’s business. That’s reality.
You know what clients pay for?
Results that make them say yes.
That’s it.
Your obsessive attention to detail? Your pride as a CG artist? Your technical perfection?
Zero monetary value.
I know it hurts. I’ve been there.
But if you’re doing this for work, if this is how you make a living…
You need to accept it.
Not because it’s right. Not because it’s fair.
Because it’s survival.
The artists who can’t let go of their perfectionism? They burn out. They quit. They get replaced by AI.
The ones who survive? They learn to deliver what matters and let go of what doesn’t.
My Actual Workflow Now
- Generate normal maps with NormalIt (10 seconds)
- Focus on lighting (10 minutes)
- Adjust composition (5 minutes)
- Add objects until client is happy (20 minutes)
Done.
Client approval: First try.
Conclusion: Stop Trying to Be Perfect
Perfect doesn’t exist.
“Good enough” wins projects.
Architectural CG isn’t about technical perfection.
It’s about making clients happy.
And clients don’t care about your normal map settings.
They care about:
- “Does this space feel good?”
- “Can I imagine living/working here?”
- “Does this sell the vision?”
That’s it.
So stop pixel-peeping your bump maps.
Add some nice-looking greenery from 3dsky instead.
Trust me.
Need normal maps but don’t want to waste time? Use NormalIt—generate them in seconds, get back to what actually matters.