> Where can I find information about normals, i am redaing a lot about it here but i don't know exectly how it works and what it means

http://abscnc.sourceforge.net/haydn/faq.html


Voxels are actually 3D pixels.
You can visualize them as little cubes that compose a model.

Voxels have 3 properties :

1- their position in space, starting from a coordinate system with 0,0,0 in the left corner.

2-they carry color information, using the unittemp palette.

3-they also hold normal info.

Normals are greyscale values that are used to modify the existing voxelcolor. You can see it as some form of color multiplier.
These grayscale values vary according the facing of the voxel, simulating a virtual in-game light source.
There is however no real lightsource, it is the direction (rotation) of the voxel that determines the light intensity of the normals.
A voxel can turn over 8 directions. Their intensity looks like a gaussian curve with the highest intensity towards the southwest (also south and west for some).
RA2 has 2 normal systems that run side by side :
-the TS style, which is the older, simple implementation of normals (only 36 normal indexes)
-the RA2 style normals, 242 normals and far more complex because they also change with inclination (going up/down hill)

I'll put up a technical paper once all the research is done, but for now, I prefer to focus on the work it self, instead of writing papers...

I hope it wasn't too technical.. :)