Normal maps

Normal mapping is a method that's used for creating very detailed models using relatively low polygon counts in 3D games. The idea is that rather than creating a surface with a huge number of polygons, a game engine could use a low polygon model that had a normal map where each pixel in the normal map would contain the x, y, and z values of a normal using the red, green, and blue colors of the image. Inside of a shader, we could then sample the normal map texture in the same way we sample other texture maps. However, we could use the normal data to help us calculate the lighting effects on our sprites. If, in our game, we wanted our spaceships to always be lit relative to the star in the center of the gameplay area, we could create a normal map for our spaceships and create a light source in the center of our game. We will now create an app to demonstrate the...