Surface normals

Surface normals are imaginary lines that are perpendicular—or at right angles—to a surface at a specific point. Think of them as arrows sticking straight out from a surface, indicating its orientation in space. They help in understanding how light interacts with objects, which is essential in rendering realistic images and 3D modeling. For example, a flat table surface has a normal pointing straight up, while a sloped roof's normal tilts in the direction the roof inclines. In summary, surface normals describe the direction a surface faces at any given point.