NormalMapAI
AI generates the base map, a local algorithm bakes the PBR maps
Tool details
NormalMapAI is an online tool that completes normal map generation and PBR material baking inside the browser: drop in a photo, adjust parameters in a live 3D preview and export; when you need a base map you can also call third-party image models to generate the material, then compute it back locally into a PBR texture set.
Core capabilities
- Local normal baking: normals are computed in real time from Sobel gradients and Laplacian curvature inside the browser, the image is never uploaded, up to 4096×4096 16-bit PNG
- Eight-channel PBR suite: export Normal, Height, Displacement, Roughness, AO, Metallic, Specular and Curvature in one pass, plus ORM packing
- Live 3D preview: switch between five meshes — sphere, plane, cylinder, torus and bust; changing the lighting tells you more about a material than a flat image
- Engine preset export: UE5's DirectX Y- and ORM, Unity's Y+ and MetallicSmoothness, Godot and Blender are already configured
- AI base map generation: after signing in, call third-party image models to produce a base map from your prompt, then bake it locally into PBR at zero credits
- Batch and seamless: multi-image ZIP packing, seamless tiling, transparent cutout and POT resizing also run in the browser at zero credits
Where it fits Indie game and small-studio artists, the material stage of Blender and UE5/Unity work, and 3D printing or relief-carving hobbyists can all turn photos or AI base maps into compliant textures quickly. If you only use the normal and PBR channels and care about channel order and bit depth, the local part is already enough.
Distinctive strengths Most rivals charge for 4K and for removing watermarks; this tool bundles local normals, eight-channel PBR, 4096 resolution and no watermark together. Against NormalMap-Online and Materialize, which also run front-end operators, it adds a live preview and engine presets. Against tools that emit normals directly from a diffusion model, a deterministic algorithm is reproducible and will not grow textures out of nowhere.
Editorial take As a free normal/PBR tool it ranks near the top; as an AI tool it deserves a discount — what calls the models is base map generation, the normals are not computed by AI. Use up the free allowance first, and when you need the cloud buy the smallest credit pack to test the water, bearing in mind that the in-site credit prices and the model list contradict each other.
Pricing
Freemium$0 (Free Starter: local normal maps and eight-channel PBR free forever, includes 10 cloud AI credits)Signing in with Google grants 10 credits, enough for 1 cloud AI generation at 1K; the local normal and PBR tools need no sign-in, have no usage limit and add no watermarkLocal normal maps and eight-channel PBR free forever, up to 4K, 16-bit PNG, no watermark, includes 10 cloud AI credits (about 1 trial at 1K)
2,000 credits per month; unlocks 1K/2K/4K cloud AI, AI 3D UV textures, text-to-3D and a priority GPU queue
Works out to $9.90/mo, the site states savings of $120.00/yr; 2,000 credits per month
6,000 credits per month; highest-priority GPU, batch multi-seed variants, custom engine presets, 20% rollover of unused credits
Works out to $24.90/mo, the site states savings of $300.00/yr; 6,000 credits per month
200/500/1,500/4,000 credits cost $5.90/$9.90/$19.90/$39.90 respectively and never expire; cost per generation drops from about $0.29 to $0.099
Additional notes
Three parallel versions of the in-site credit price coexist: the pricing page banner and FAQ say 1K 10 / 2K 20 / 4K 30, a paragraph on the same page says 2K 15 / 4K 20, and the front-end model catalog actually reads FLUX.2 Klein 2, Z-Image 2 (2K 7), GPT-Image-2.5 20 (2K 30) and Nano Banana 2.1 20 (2K 35 / 4K 70); actual deductions follow the model catalog, and the site is not internally consistent. The model list is inconsistent too: marketing copy says FLUX.1 Schnell, FLUX.1 Dev and Seedream v4, while the code catalog holds FLUX.2 Klein, Z-Image, GPT-Image-2.5 and Nano Banana 2.1. Subscriptions auto-renew by default, the /refund page returns 404, the site has no refund clause, and the ToS calls the tool free while it actually charges; the domain was registered on 2026-10-24 and neither the operating company nor its jurisdiction is disclosed. Before paying, consider buying the smallest $5.90 credit pack as a test.
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