---
title: "SpriteIlluminator: Normal map painting tools"
description: "Documentation: Using these tools to draw your normal mapped sprites using SpriteIlluminator."
canonical: "https://www.codeandweb.com/spriteilluminator/documentation/draw-tools"
product: "spriteilluminator"
source: "html"
---

# Drawing tools

Use the draw tools to manually modify the normal maps. They also work great in combination with the [Selection tools](https://www.codeandweb.com/spriteilluminator/documentation/selection-tools.md) which prevent painting over areas you want to preserve.

## Height brush

The height brush raises or lowers parts of the image.

![](https://www.codeandweb.com/static/4dd777e7aeab56ebbdc113bde64fe391/acb7c/heightbrush-surface%402x.png)

![](https://www.codeandweb.com/static/abdec241260730161adfa37875ce60bc/acb7c/heightbrush-normalmap%402x.png)

Lit sprite

Normal map

Choose different border shapes by selecting a **Contour**

| Key | Action |
| --- | --- |
| `]` | Increase brush size |
| `[` | Decrease brush size |
| `X` | Toggle up/down |
| `SHIFT` + Mouse click | Draw straight line |

## Angle brush

Directly paint surface directions on the normal map.

![Angle brush tool to paint normal maps on sprites](https://www.codeandweb.com/static/9f1bc9f4bff657b261901396deaa57d6/acb7c/anglebrush%402x.png)

Using the angle brush tool

| Key | Action |
| --- | --- |
| `]` | Increase brush size |
| `[` | Decrease brush size |
| `SHIFT` + Mouse click | Draw straight line |
| `ALT` + Mouse click | Pick angle from image |

### Angle picker

Choose the angle to draw using the angle picker. The white square shows the orientation of the final surface.

![Angle picker for normal map painting, continuous values](https://www.codeandweb.com/static/a37603a3537aca803bc5fea627f49424/acb7c/anglepicker-continuous%402x.png)

![Angle picker for normal map painting, fixed values](https://www.codeandweb.com/static/e6cb880828f802183ba00738e5e29fa8/acb7c/anglepicker-discrete%402x.png)

Angle brush picker with continuous values

Angle brush picker with fixed values

## Eraser

Eraser is a special version of the AngleBrush resetting the normal map to the neutral position.

With opacity set to a low value it can be used to soften extreme angles.

| Key | Action |
| --- | --- |
| `]` | Increase brush size |
| `[` | Decrease brush size |
| `SHIFT` + Mouse click | Draw straight line |

## Structure

Paint structure to the normal map.

![](https://www.codeandweb.com/static/8d7f587f74bae0a0826da7109b65aa85/49caa/structure%402x.png)

SpriteIlluminator comes with a bunch of different presets but you can also add your own patterns in the preferences.

Make sure to restart SpriteIlluminator after changing the directory.

![](https://www.codeandweb.com/static/ee516f23dd2c95e7134b584ddef56a87/f869d/structure-settings%402x.png)

| Key | Action |
| --- | --- |
| `]` | Increase brush size |
| `[` | Decrease brush size |
| `SHIFT` + Mouse click | Draw straight line |

## Smooth

Smooth flattens structures and edges.

| Key | Action |
| --- | --- |
| `]` | Increase brush size |
| `[` | Decrease brush size |
| `SHIFT` + Mouse click | Draw straight line |

## In this section

- [Graphical User Interface](https://www.codeandweb.com/spriteilluminator/documentation.md)
- [Effects](https://www.codeandweb.com/spriteilluminator/documentation/effects.md)
- [Selection tools](https://www.codeandweb.com/spriteilluminator/documentation/selection-tools.md)
- [Export / Import](https://www.codeandweb.com/spriteilluminator/documentation/export.md)