HN Showcase
Back to browse
A high-performance, privacy-focused normal map generator in the browser

A high-performance, privacy-focused normal map generator in the browser

by maxnew·Mar 9, 2026·1 point·1 comment
Visit ProjectView on HN

AI Analysis

●●SolidEye CandySlick

Real-time PBR map generation in browser—but xNormal and Substance Designer already own this space.

Strengths
  • •All-in-one output: normal + displacement + AO + specular from single image run saves artist steps
  • •100% browser-local processing eliminates upload privacy concerns and connection latency
Weaknesses
  • •Established tools (xNormal, Substance Designer, Marmoset Toolbag) dominate; no evidence of quality or speed advantage
  • •No multi-source PBR automation (roughness/metallic from separate images), limiting production workflows
Target Audience

Game developers, 3D artists, game engine users (Unity, Unreal, Blender)

Similar To

xNormal · Substance Designer · Marmoset Toolbag

Similar Projects

AI/ML●●Solid

ExoGen – Open-Source Local Stable Diffusion Client

Everything you type and generate stays on your machine — model downloads, LoRA mixing, upscaling via Real-ESRGAN and inference run locally while the app shows real-time progress and backend logs. The app leans into practical UX (hardware-based model recommendations, visual memory allocation, generation history) which makes setup and iteration less painful. It isn't reinventing the local-UI wheel — AUTOMATIC1111 and ComfyUI still dominate — but ExoGen is a tidy, approachable alternative for people who want a desktop, privacy-first experience.

Solve My ProblemNiche Gem
andyngdz
114mo ago
AI/ML●Mid

Seedance3AI – a web app for text-to-video, image-to-video

Native audio generation, camera-directing prompts (push-ins, pans, tracking) and multi-shot consistency are the concrete features that make this more than a one-off toy — it targets the actual problems of producing many short assets for campaigns. The UI trades complexity for speed: pick mode, tweak controls, generate, download — that workflow will appeal to marketers and creators who hate tool hopping. It still lives in a crowded space (Runway, Pika, Synthesia et al.), so model quality, failure modes and export controls will decide whether it becomes someone's daily tool or just another cool demo.

SlickShip ItCrowd Pleaser
xuyanmei
104mo ago