CreateReliefMap

CreateReliefMap was introduced in Resolve 21 as the companion tool for ReliefMap. Its job is to prepare image data for relief mapping, not to render a material or deform 3D geometry by itself.

The documented topology is explicit: one yellow 2D Image input enters CreateReliefMap and its output feeds the white Relief Map image input of the downstream ReliefMap node.

CreateReliefMap is image-to-image. Its output can be viewed, diagnosed and deliberately processed as an image before it crosses into the material domain.

Material appears only in ReliefMap, which combines the prepared relief image with a base material such as Blinn or Phong and then outputs material data for geometry.

The prepared relief map uses a combination of RGB and Alpha. In the relief workflow RGB stores normal values while Alpha carries height/depth information used by ReliefMap.

For that reason the CreateReliefMap output Alpha should not automatically be treated as an ordinary transparency matte; it is technical depth data in this map.

Map Type exposes Relief, Relaxed Cone and Cone. All three generate RGBA relief information; Blackmagic notes that Relaxed Cone and Cone may provide more accurate results at a performance cost.

Relief is a sensible diagnostic starting point because it lets you validate source channel, depth scale and direction before introducing a more expensive map method.

Relaxed Cone and Cone are not universal quality presets. Compare them on the actual surface, grazing angles, self-occlusion and target playback/render cost.

Depth Source selects the scalar height information from the incoming 2D image before the relief map is generated.

The captured menu exposes Luminance, Average, Max, Min, Red, Green, Blue and Alpha. These are extraction rules rather than output blend modes.

Luminance is convenient for normal grayscale height fields, while explicit Red, Green, Blue and Alpha are important when technical depth is packed into a particular channel.

Average, Max and Min derive scalar depth from RGB in different ways and can diverge strongly from Luminance on saturated color sources.

Depth Scale increases or decreases the depth encoded into the generated relief map. Keep it conceptually separate from the independent Depth Scale control in downstream ReliefMap.

Changing both CreateReliefMap Depth Scale and ReliefMap Depth Scale at the same time destroys diagnostic clarity because an overdriven result can originate at either stage.

Pre Blur smooths the source image before the relief map is generated. It is useful for pixel-stepped graphics or unwanted high-frequency detail that should not become surface structure.

Pre Blur is not a substitute for repairing a damaged source. Compression ringing, wrong channel packing and broken antialiasing should be addressed upstream when possible.

Flip Depth inverts depth mapping, quickly exchanging raised and recessed interpretation without rebuilding the source texture.

Depth direction is easiest to validate with a known arrow, text shape or soft disc under a stable side light.

Texture Depth exposes Match, int8, int16, float16 and float32 in the captured Inspector and controls output map bit depth/precision.

Texture Depth is a precision choice rather than an artistic strength control. Smooth gradients can reveal insufficient precision only after ReliefMap and lighting amplify them.

The key difference from CreateBumpMap is the downstream contract: CreateBumpMap prepares RGB bump vectors for BumpMap, while CreateReliefMap prepares RGB+Alpha relief data specifically for ReliefMap.

Relief mapping differs from ordinary bump mapping because downstream ReliefMap can produce self-occlusion. That behavior belongs to the ReliefMap stage and does not mean CreateReliefMap itself constructs geometry.

CreateReliefMap outputs neither Material nor scene3d nor a final shaded render. It produces a map image whose technical channels are interpreted later.

Without ReliefMap the output is still a normal image stream, but arbitrary color correction can corrupt its normal/depth encoding unless done intentionally.

A reliable diagnostic order is source/channel first, then Map Type, Depth Scale, optional Pre Blur, Flip Depth, and finally Texture Depth.

After the map is stable, move downstream and tune ReliefMap depth, quality and UV controls separately so each stage remains accountable.

The bundled captures verify exactly six Controls and the current three dropdown inventories. Confirm internal control IDs/serialization live on the target Resolve 21/21.1 build before automation.