ReliefMap

The white ReliefMap Input accepts the 2D result of CreateReliefMap. Feed an ordinary grayscale height field through CreateReliefMap first: a scalar channel does not yet contain the prepared combination of normals and height. Connecting raw FastNoise or a photograph directly to ReliefMap does not replace preparation.

The site presents Background in orange, corresponding to the yellow material input in Blackmagic documentation. Supply Blinn, Phong or another base material here. ReliefMap Material feeds Shape3D MaterialInput; geometry, camera and light then form a 3D scene for rendering.

Prepared-map alpha is height/depth and RGB is normal data. This differs from ordinary compositing RGBA. AlphaDivide, artistic color correction, gamma changes or dropped alpha can change the meaning of the map. Inspect channels before the material input.

Depth Scale controls depth when the material is applied. CreateReliefMap Depth Scale belongs to map preparation. Changing both at once makes the cause of a shape change unclear. Begin with a modest depth and a fixed upstream result.

Lock U/V links texture frequencies; disabling it permits independent adjustment. Frequency changes pattern size in UV space rather than geometry scale. A marked test map with distinct U and V directions reveals stretching, rotation and seams.

ReliefMap offers Relief and Cone; CreateReliefMap additionally offers Relaxed Cone. These are separate lists on two tools. Prepare a map for the selected mode and compare at fixed depth, light and camera. The documentation does not establish a universal measured Cone speed advantage; inspect quality and timing in the scene.

Relief can create surface self-occlusion absent from a simple bump effect. It is not an editable mesh or a general volume-modeling tool. Inspect silhouettes, UV boundaries, viewing angles and large depths in the actual renderer.