What is the difference between Height and Normal channels?

[KeyCOde]

I'm not sure I see the difference.

Aren't the height details(/height channel) later imprinted onto the normal map?

Is height just normal without directionality (aka bump map)?

Thanks in advance.

[CAGameDEV]

See: https://cgcookie.com/articles/normal-vs-displacement-mapping-why-games-use-normals

Painter does use height for painting in normal details as well so keep that in mind.

[KeyCOde]

Oh, I know about displacement mapping.
I'm only interested in how SP handles the height channel, because I am a beginner in SP. I know what all these do in computer graphics in general.

So in SP height is used for displacement maps? Ok that makes sense, but if you don't bake a displacement map then I guess that the height channel simply goes into the normal channel and baked into the normal map correct? Otherwise, if you don't bake a displacement map then all Height channel information is completely lost.