Height Map

A height map is an image that stores elevation values for a surface. Each pixel represents a height, which can be used to displace geometry, create terrain, or simulate surface depth in a material.

A height map stores scalar elevation values, while a normal map stores surface direction vectors encoded as color. Height maps can move or offset surfaces, while normal maps usually change lighting without changing the silhouette.

A bump map is often a grayscale texture used to fake small lighting changes on a surface. A height map also uses grayscale values, but it is commonly interpreted as measurable elevation and may be used for real displacement or terrain generation.

Yes. A height map can create real geometry when it drives mesh displacement, subdivision displacement, tessellation, or terrain generation. If it is used only for bump or parallax effects, it changes shading or texture sampling rather than the actual mesh.

Common height map formats include PNG, TIFF, EXR, RAW, and other raster formats that can store grayscale data. For precise terrain or displacement, 16-bit, 32-bit, or floating-point formats are preferred over 8-bit images.

Bit depth controls how many height levels the image can store. An 8-bit height map has 256 levels, which can cause banding or stepped terrain, while 16-bit and 32-bit height maps provide much smoother elevation changes.

No. A height map should usually be treated as non-color or linear data because its pixel values represent measurements, not display colors. Applying color management or gamma correction can distort the interpreted heights.

The zero or neutral height depends on the software and shader setup. Some workflows treat black as the lowest point and white as the highest point, while others use mid-gray as neutral so values can displace both inward and outward.

No. Height maps are widely used for landscapes, but they are also used for tiles, bricks, rocks, bark, fabric, skin pores, engravings, and other surface details that need elevation information.