Software Alternatives & Startups

xNormal VS ShellNewHandler

Compare xNormal VS ShellNewHandler and see what are their differences

xNormal

xNormal is an application to generate normal / ambient occlusion / displacement maps.

Rating
0 reviews
ShellNewHandler

SourceForge.net: ShellNewHandler details page

Rating
0 reviews
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

ShellNewHandler might be a bit more popular than xNormal. We know about 2 links to it since March 2021 and only 2 links to xNormal.

social mentions
2 vs 2
3D popularity
100% vs 0%

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

xNormal
ShellNewHandler
Website xnormal.net sourceforge.net
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

xNormal 5 features
ShellNewHandler 0 features
  • Wide range of maps
    xNormal supports baking various types of maps including normal, ambient occlusion, and displacement maps, which are essential for realistic texturing.
  • Performance
    The application can handle high-poly models with impressive performance, making it suitable for complex projects.
  • Free to use
    xNormal is available for free, making it accessible to hobbyists and small studios who may not have the budget for more expensive software.
  • Plugin Support
    xNormal offers plugin support, allowing users to extend its functionality and customize their workflow.
  • Cross-platform
    xNormal is compatible with both Windows and MacOS, providing flexibility across different operating systems.

Possible disadvantages

  • Outdated User Interface
    The user interface appears outdated compared to modern baking tools, which can hinder ease of use and user experience.
  • Lack of Updates
    xNormal has not seen regular updates, potentially leading to compatibility issues with newer hardware or software updates.
  • Learning Curve
    New users might face a steeper learning curve due to the lack of contemporary tutorials and documentation.
  • Limited Integration
    There is limited direct integration with modern 3D software applications, requiring additional manual steps for importing and exporting.
  • No Support for Linux
    xNormal does not natively support Linux, which could be a disadvantage for developers using this operating system.

No features have been listed yet.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

xNormal
ShellNewHandler

No analysis of xNormal yet.

Overall verdict

  • ShellNewHandler is a niche, lightweight utility hosted on SourceForge designed to give users more control over the Windows 'New' context menu (the ShellNew menu). It can be considered good for its specific narrow use case, but it is an older, minimally maintained tool that may not suit all users, especially those on modern Windows versions.

Why this product is good

  • Provides direct control over customizing the Windows right-click 'New' menu, allowing users to add or remove file type entries
  • Lightweight and free, without bundled bloatware typical of some other free utilities
  • Simple and focused in scope, making it easy to understand for its specific purpose
  • Open distribution via SourceForge allows transparency and no-cost access

Recommended for

  • Power users who want to declutter or customize the Windows New context menu
  • IT administrators managing standardized desktop environments across multiple machines
  • Users comfortable with older utility-style tools and Windows registry-related tweaks
  • Not recommended for casual users seeking modern, actively supported software with regular updates

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

xNormal 2 videos + Add
ShellNewHandler 0 videos + Add

Baking de texturas 3D para videojuegos en XNormal

More videos

  • - xnormal on mac via parallels

No ShellNewHandler videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
xNormal
ShellNewHandler
100% 100%
3D
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using xNormal and ShellNewHandler. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

xNormal 2 mentions
ShellNewHandler 2 mentions
  • Tutorial available on how to make this? Thank you 🫡
    Xnormal.net provides a utility that can bake normal or height maps. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Maya running slow cause of high poly model
    To bake high poly maps onto lowpoly - best way is using baking program like Substance Painter that also allows you to paint the textures. If you want only maps you can use free app xnormal.net that allows you to bake you high poly maps... Source: over 4 years ago
  • I recently got libreoffice, but now the new option in right click looks like a mess. Can someone help me get rid of them please?
    Use Shell New Handler. Run the portable app and simply untick the items you don't want to appear in your new context menu. Source: about 4 years ago
  • This menu should be easy to add/remove programs to... Who is really creating Access Databases from this menu often enough to keep it here? (Not me!) Is there an easy way to edit this?
    I've always used ShellNewHandler for this. It's a really simple portable utility that allows you to remove most of the items from that menu. Tested it out on Windows 11 and it's still compatible. Source: over 5 years ago

Alternatives to xNormal and ShellNewHandler

When comparing xNormal and ShellNewHandler, you can also consider the following products.