---
title: "mapping-bump (en)"
description: Painting a bump map in Blender — node setup plus Texture Paint.
url: "https://aaronchan.com/kb/mapping-bump/"
updated: "2026-09-16"
category: "3D-Blender (en)"
---

# mapping-bump (en)

Recipe for painting a bump map in Blender — set up the nodes, then paint the height map in Texture Paint mode.

## 1. Add a Bump node

In the Shader editor (top menu → Shading), press Shift-A → Bump, then link Normal to Normal.

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## 2. Add an image texture

Press Shift-A → Image Texture → New, set the value to 0.5, create a new image, then link Color to Height.

![Bump node connected to an image texture in the Shader editor](https://aaronchan.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/bump_opt.jpg)

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## 3. Paint the bump map

Switch to Texture Paint (top menu), pick the bump texture in the top-left and top-right panels, then paint.

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