XNormal (Legacy but Still Irreplaceable)
FREE
A free, industry-standard normal map baker that generates high-quality normal, curvature, and AO maps from high-poly to low-poly meshes.
About
Even though development paused in 2019, XNormal remains the gold standard for normal map baking among indie devs. It produces sharper, more accurate maps than most commercial tools, with exceptional control over projection methods, filtering, and tangent space. Supports OBJ, FBX, and 3DS with batch rendering and multiple output channels. Its UI is dated, but its output quality is unmatched—especially for low-poly game assets. Still actively used in pipelines for Blender, Maya, and Unity. A must-have for anyone serious about texture quality without paying for Substance 3D.
Pricing
Pricing Type
Free
Free tier available
Last checked: February 21, 2026
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Platforms
Windows
Mac
Linux
Quick Info
Website
xnormal.net