Laigter

Creating simple 2D games is easier than ever before, as there are numerous applications that can help you with every step of the process, as well as free assets that you can use in your projects.

Laigter is one of the former, a Windows utility designed to help you create normal maps for your textures. Normal maps determine how the texture is affected by lighting and can give the illusion of additional detail, making 2D images appear three-dimensional.

To begin with, you will need to import your textures. Multiple files can be loaded at the same time, but they need to be opened one by one. You can select the one you wish to work with from the UI’s bottom-right corner.

Each texture will retain its specific settings when you select a different image. When adding a new file, it will use the same normal map settings as the image that is currently selected, which is great if you want to process multiple items using the same parameters.

The process of creating normal maps is remarkably simple. After loading the texture, you can play around with the height, distance and smoothness levels, and then fine-tune the lighting until everything looks just right.

The normal map can be previewed while you are working, and the application can even simulate a light source to give you an idea of how the texture will look in a game. The light source can be moved freely.

After configuring your settings, you can save them to a preset and then load the same values again for future jobs in a few seconds. You can even specify which settings should be included.

When it comes down to it, Laigter is a wonderful tool for game creators seeking a straightforward way to generate normal maps for their 2D textures. It is lightweight and remarkably easy to use, an ideal choice for small projects.