Hello & Questions

[lisa]

Parallax Mapping

When I said earlier there was something cool you could do with a displacement map other than displace geometry, I was thinking about parallax mapping. To clarify, parallax mapping isn't another map type; it's a technique that combines a normal map with a displacement map to create an even more convincing illusion of depth.

One of the limitations of normal maps is that since they don't actually move the geometry--they only change the surface normal--they can't occlude the geometry that is "behind" any raised surfaces. In addition, the human eye expects that objects further away will slide past at slower speed than objects that are nearer. This phenomena is called "parallax". The result of these limitations means that at shallow angles, normal maps become less convincing. They either appear less "deep", or the illusion falls apart entirely.

Parallax mapping corrects both of these problems. Parallax mapping uses a displacement map to determine which pixel would actually be seen based on the current view angle. It also causes further pixels to scroll at a different speed.

Unfortunately, this is again difficult to convey in a still image. Here are two different images of the cube with parallax off and parallax on.

This pair of images shows the effect even more dramatically:
http://jerome.jouvie.free.fr/images/...g-Disabled.png
http://jerome.jouvie.free.fr/images/...led-3Steps.png

[lisa]

Hopefully that points you in the right direction.

I've been meaning to do a texture tutorial for a while, so I hope that's a healthy start.

FWIW, there's usually no need to use quite as many maps as I used on the cube, so *don't* feel overwhelmed. I usually start with just a diffuse map and then only start adding more maps when something doesn't look right. Sometimes a good diffuse map and the right material settings are all you need.

[JumpDog]

Wow Lisa thanks so much, I couldn't have hoped of finding a better all-together explanation of all the different types of maps. I definately want to try them all out sometime soon, just to get exposure to them and understand it all a bit better.

Well I figure you make all these maps just as you would a diffuse map, in basically any photo/paint program, so my only remaining question left I suppose... can I apply these maps to an object in AC3D or do I need to use another program like a renderer?

[JumpDog]

Ok I finally got around to launching that Bryce 5.5 to get a look at it. It's UI seems a little complicated but seems I can apply some different types of maps to objects with it once I can figure out how to import images/objects into it. I'm gonna work on my model some more for now then I'll definitely spend a lot of time learning all these textures.

[luuckyy]

Originally Posted by JumpDog

Well I figure you make all these maps just as you would a diffuse map, in basically any photo/paint program, so my only remaining question left I suppose... can I apply these maps to an object in AC3D or do I need to use another program like a renderer?

Among other things (like the ATI and Nvidia normal map tools) here's a free (well ... for now) useful software : http://www.crazybump.com/

And yes you will have to use an external renderer in order to use all these maps.

EDIT : crazybump forum is here -> http://www.crazybump.com/forum/

[lisa]

You're most welcome!

Yes, Bryce is a good choice. Lots of folks here use it and like it a lot.

If you feel like experimenting, here is a list of other external renderers:
http://www.independentdeveloper.com/...rendering_soft

EDIT: for the curious, when I'm not writing my own shaders, I do most of my renders with POV-Ray or occassionally Poser

Originally Posted by JumpDog

Well I figure you make all these maps just as you would a diffuse map, in basically any photo/paint program, so my only remaining question left I suppose... can I apply these maps to an object in AC3D or do I need to use another program like a renderer?

You apply the texture coordinates--how the map sticks to the object--in AC3D. You'll find the Texture Coordinate Editor on the tools menu. This lets you change the texture (UV) coordinates.

The maps themselves are applied in your renderer.

You can apply a diffuse map in AC3D from the Object > Texture menu. This is a good idea even if you plan to apply all your maps in your renderer, just to make sure the texture coordinates look right. Also, some of the file exporters won't export the texture coordinates unless you have a texture applied in AC3D.

You're right, most of the maps you make in a paint program. A few of them, like normal maps, can be tricky to make by hand. These are usually made by taking a high-resolution model, writing the normals to a texture map, then apply the normal map to a lower-resolution version of the same model. Those tools luuckyy mentioned--Nvidia Melody and ATI NormalMapper--can be used for this task. You'll find a plug-in to export AC3D files to the NormalMapper utility here: http://www.independentdeveloper.com/...l-map-exporter

Oh, and thanks luuckyy for the link to crazybump! Never seen it before but it looks like a really useful tool; I'm download it as we speak.

[luuckyy]

Originally Posted by lisa

Oh, and thanks luuckyy for the link to crazybump!

My pleasure

[JumpDog]

Yea that CrazyBump does look powerful. Also, yes I've had some experience using the TCE in AC3D lisa, so I entirely understand diffuse maps at this point My first post I included 2 simple objects I made & textured with the TCE.

I'm currently working on a pistol based on the shape/design of a Walther P22, putting a good amount of time into this while I still figure out how to get everything working right in AC3D, hope to make this my first good model heh, so I'll definitely be playing with the different maps on this one!

[lisa]

Originally Posted by JumpDog

YAlso, yes I've had some experience using the TCE in AC3D lisa, so I entirely understand diffuse maps at this point My first post I included 2 simple objects I made & textured with the TCE.

Sorry, I hope I didn't offend... I always try to make sure I don't leave anything out, and I apologize if I was explaining the obvious.