Using Unity's Normal from Grayscale at runtime

I hope this isn't a double post, but everything I found was only kinda close to my question.

I am creating a bw image from a font and want to use it as a normal map. If I go into the inspector I can choose "normal map" for any texture, if it is not one already it will be created from grayscale. I want to do exactly that but at runtime.
I can do something close to it, using methods I found. Assigning textures to the standard shader works without problems for _mainTex and _occlusionMap, but if I assign it to the normals (even pre-converted normalmaps) it does not update until I click on the object and twirl down the material settings in the inspector while the game is running.
So I'm kind of puzzled.
Thanks.

 

If you do not have a normal-map setup-ed for the slot unity will disable the normal map calculations for saving time
you can it re-enable it like this for example.

Code (CSharp):

1.         GetComponent<Renderer> ().sharedMaterial.SetTexture ("_BumpMap", normalMap);
2.         GetComponent<Renderer> ().sharedMaterial.EnableKeyword ("_NORMALMAP");

If you like to find out what shader keywords are available in you shader , download the build in shader and look in the shader code for this:

Code (CSharp):

1. #pragma shader_feature

 

That explains it, thanks a lot

 

But what about the conversion of bump to normal map (the one you can do in the inspector) does that work at runtime?

 

No that is a editor only function of the importer.
You can code it yourself.
Or you can use / buy the bitmap2material substance to generate the normal map in run-time
https://www.allegorithmic.com/products/bitmap2material

edit: Found this script here that may work.

http://www.francescogallorini.com/2011/02/normal-map-from-color/

 

VIelen Dank