Overview

EZ Normal Editing was my attempt at making normal editing fun. Changing direction values by rotating them one axis at a time is not fun. Picking the direction you want on a sphere is!

Imagine it like placing a pin on that sphere. The direction from the middle of the sphere to the pin on the surface is the direction.

It also bundles a full toolbox of extra normal editing tools, including symmetry, rotation, a one press automatic fix and normal transfer between objects. All to make the process of normal editing as enjoyable as possible.

Key Terms

This section explains a few words used throughout this page. Skip it if you already know Blender.

• Normal: An invisible arrow that sticks out of a piece of a mesh’s surface. It controls which way that surface appears to face, which controls how it’s shading will look. This addon exists to edit these arrows directly.
• Split Normal (also called a custom normal): A normal that has been set by hand instead of being calculated automatically from the mesh’s shape. This addon works by writing split normals.
• Edit Mode: A mode in Blender where you can select and work with individual faces, edges, and vertices (the corner points) of a mesh. Most of this addon’s tools only work while you are in Edit Mode with something selected. You can enter Edit Mode by selecting an object and pressing Tab.
• Sidebar (sometimes called the N panel): A panel on the right side of the 3D viewport. You open or close it by pressing N with your mouse over the viewport. This addon’s tools live in a tab inside it called “EZ Normals”.
• Session: Click “Pick Normal” and “Point at Target” tools start a temporary session since they’re not a one-click operation. You can dynamically adjust the output of them. While a session is active, extra panels appear in the sidebar and a sphere or gizmo appears in the viewport.

Installation

Drag the zip onto the Blender window (or through Edit → Preferences → Get Extensions → “Install from Disk…”) Once installed, press N inside the 3D viewport to open the sidebar, then look for the “EZ Normals” tab.

Quick Start