What Is Parallax Mapping?

Key takeaways

Parallax mapping adds surface depth to computer graphics without extra polygons, making textures display bumps and dents from different angles. Here are some important things to know: 

• You can use parallax mapping to imitate depth perception by shifting textures with viewing angle, making closer details appear to move more than distant ones.

• Parallax mapping simulates depth more cheaply than adding model detail, using less memory and processing while delivering faster, high-quality results.

• You can advance your digital artist career by learning parallax mapping.

Discover what parallax mapping is and how it works. Afterward, consider enrolling in the Adobe Graphic Designer Professional Certificate. You’ll have the opportunity to learn the essentials of graphic design and apply your skills to real-world projects in as little as four months. By the end, you’ll have earned a career certificate and built a portfolio showcasing your advanced skill set. 

What is parallax mapping?

Parallax mapping is a method of creating surface depth and detail in computer graphics without adding polygons, making textures show bumps and dents from different angles. For instance, you can transform a typical 3D graphic of a brick wall from flat to realistic by adding grout lines using parallax mapping. Parallax mapping is separate from normal mapping but often paired with it since the height map is usually stored in the normal map’s alpha channel. 

How does parallax mapping work?

Parallax mapping works by using an algorithm that offsets texture UVs using a height map, running so efficiently that it’s nearly free if bump mapping is already in use. This technique mimics how the brain perceives depth: nearby objects shift more than distant ones as you move. It applies this to textures, changing them as your viewing angle changes to simulate depth. 

What are parallax textures?

Parallax textures, or height/displacement maps, are grayscale images where light areas indicate raised details and dark areas indicate recessed ones. These textures add depth to flat surfaces without extra polygons, boosting realism without slowing performance. Parallax mapping then reads grayscale values to adjust the main texture based on viewing angle to generate a more realistic visual. 

What is bump mapping?

Bump mapping is a similar technique to parallax mapping, but it uses grayscale bump maps instead of displacement maps to replicate the highs and lows of a texture. This difference alters how the texture responds to light and looks flat when viewed from an angle. 

What is parallax occlusion mapping?

Parallax occlusion mapping (POM) uses a height map to fake depth on 2D surfaces, making higher areas block lower ones depending on the viewer’s angle. You can use POM to create deeper, more 3D shapes than normal maps without adding vertices, using ray tracing to calculate texture offsets. Parallax occlusion is faster than modeling and easy to apply to any mesh, as long as the textures are properly made. Basic parallax mapping uses little performance, while occlusion mapping demands more resources.

Parallax mapping techniques

You can create parallax mapping by utilizing its different core techniques:

• Texture offset: Offsets texture coordinates based on the viewer’s perspective, creating the illusion of depth

• Height and displacement maps: Uses a grayscale map to control how much the texture is offset

• Viewing angle: Adjusts offsets with viewing angle, making the surface appear 3D as the perspective shifts

Parallax mapping in games and 3D modeling

As a game developer, you can use parallax mapping to render detailed surface topology without sacrificing performance. Parallax mapping can utilize adaptive levels of detail (LODs), flexible lighting, and per-pixel ray tracing of a height field to maximize quality while maintaining high performance. You can also use parallax mapping on 3D models to create surface detail illusions without adding extra polygons, making it a useful tool for architectural models, video games, virtual reality applications, and product visualization for manufacturers and retailers.

What is the difference between height map and parallax map?

Parallax mapping combines multiple techniques, with height mapping being one of them. Height or displacement maps are also known as parallax textures. Essentially, parallax mapping utilizes height maps as a key element in achieving its effect.

Benefits of parallax mapping

Using parallax mapping can provide you with a variety of benefits, such as the following:

• Increased efficiency: Parallax mapping simulates depth more efficiently than adding model detail, using fewer resources like memory and producing faster results.

• Stronger realism: Parallax mapping makes images appear more tactile, simulating real-world texture.

• Emotional immersion: Improved realism enhances storytelling in games and animations, making them more immersive.

How to make a parallax map: Graphic design tools

You can use a variety of graphic design software to create parallax mapping, such as Adobe Substance 3D or Unity. You can use an image editor such as Adobe Photoshop to create parallax textures for your parallax maps. Discover in more detail how different applications can create parallax mapping below:

• Unity’s parallax mapping node: Shifts a material’s UVs to fake depth, using a single-step method that ignores occlusion (accessible in the shader graph window).

• Autodesk Flame: Drive the parallax and height map from the texture coordinate using the shader graph editor. Then add scalar material variables, texture maps, and a standard base, and attach each node together. 

• Unreal Engine 5: Create a new material and open it, then download a texture and move it to the material graph. Then create the following nodes: channel, texture coordinate, height ratio, min steps, max steps, and multiply. 

Read more: 5 Popular Graphic Design Software and How to Choose One

Discover our free resources for graphic designers

Discover our free, online resources, including a newsletter subscription to Career Chat, to help further your career in graphic design:

• Watch on YouTube: Adobe Content Creator Certificate: Tools You Need to Start Your Career

• Explore career paths: Graphic Design Career Paths: Explore Roles & Specializations

• Learn the distinction: Graphic Artist vs. Graphic Designer: Understanding the Difference

Accelerate your career growth with a Coursera Plus subscription. When you enroll in either the monthly or annual option, you’ll get access to over 10,000 courses. 

Build job-ready skills with Coursera Plus

Start 7-day free trial

• 
• 
• 
• 

Start 7-day free trial