SpriteIlluminator

SpriteIlluminator is a specialized application for creating normal maps and lighting from flat 2D textures. The tool generates detailed normal maps that simulate volume and depth in sprites, allowing dynamic light effects to be applied in game engines.

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• Automatic Normal Map Generation: The core of SpriteIlluminator is its algorithm for generating normal maps from a standard 2D RGB image. The process analyzes the pixel intensity of the original texture to calculate the surface direction for each pixel. This resulting normal map is necessary for game engines to calculate how light interacts with the sprite, creating the illusion of three-dimensionality without actual 3D geometry.
• Real-Time Normal Map Editor: It includes a visual editor to manually adjust the generated normal map. Users can paint directly onto the map to modify normal directions, smooth edges, or define flat areas. Brush tools allow control over size, hardness, and intensity, providing precise control over the final result.
• Interactive Lighting Preview: The interface features a 3D preview viewer that shows how the sprite reacts to different light sources. It is possible to move a directional light source around the model and observe in real-time how highlights and shadows update on the texture. This functionality helps fine-tune normal map parameters before exporting assets.
• Working Layers: Supports the use of layers to organize and edit different elements of the project. Users can create multiple layers for the diffuse map, normal map, and adjustments, applying modifications non-destructively. Layer management facilitates experimentation and error correction without affecting the base work.
• Painting and Sculpting Tools: Offers a set of painting tools specifically designed for sculpting details onto the normal map. It includes brushes to raise, lower, smooth, and flatten the virtual surface. Each tool affects the normal direction, allowing for the creation of bumps, grooves, and other surface details in a controlled manner.
• Depth and Intensity Adjustments: Allows global control over the perceived depth of the normal map through an intensity parameter. This adjustment defines how pronounced the reliefs generated from the color variations of the original texture will be. A low value produces subtle relief, while a high value exaggerates depth for a more dramatic effect.
• Export to Game Engine Formats: The application exports normal maps and textures in formats compatible with popular game engines like Unity, Unreal Engine, Godot, and Phaser. It supports image formats such as PNG, TGA, and JPEG, with options to configure compression and output resolution.
• Integration with Image Editors: SpriteIlluminator integrates with external image editors like Adobe Photoshop or GIMP through a round-trip editing workflow. Users can open the original texture in their preferred editor, make changes, and update the project in SpriteIlluminator without losing the adjustments applied to the normal map.
• Specular and Relief Map Generation: In addition to normal maps, the software can generate specular maps that control surface shininess, and height maps that define the topographic height of pixels. These additional maps are used in advanced rendering pipelines to achieve more complex material effects.
• Scripting and Automation: Includes support for automating repetitive tasks via scripts. Users can write scripts to batch process multiple sprites, apply predefined settings, or customize the export pipeline. This feature is aimed at studios needing to process large quantities of assets with consistent configurations.

SpriteIlluminator was developed by CodeAndWeb, a company known for game development tools such as PhysicsEditor and TexturePacker. Development of the application began in 2015 as a response to the growing adoption of 2D dynamic lighting in game engines. The first public version was released in 2016. The program is primarily written in C++ with graphical interface components using native frameworks to ensure performance and responsiveness when editing high-resolution images.

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