A procedure is illustrated for the determination of the normal direction of a discontinuity plane within a solid finite element. Using so-called embedded discontinuities, discrete constitutive models can be applied within a continuum framework. A significant difficulty within this method for three-dimensional problems is the determination of the normal direction for a discontinuity. Bifurcation analysis indicates the development of a discontinuity and multiple solution for the normal. The procedure developed here chooses the appropriate normal by exploiting features of the embedded discontinuity method.