I'll try this one...

Displacement maps in Poser 5 or 6 are something that happens at render time. They tell the renderer that the mesh "sticks out" or "goes in" at a particular place, depending on the greyscale value of the map. Using them, you can get lots of fine detail without having to use a heavy mesh that would bog down your computer.

They're different from bump maps, in that bumps only produce a pattern of highlight and shadow as if the surface was deformed; but when viewed in the right way, it can be obvious that it's still smooth. Bumps are a sort of half way house to displacement maps.

It's worth mentioning that some applications (such as UVMapper Pro) have a displacement mapping feature that works on the actual mesh (i.e. without the renderer). That's useful for adding detail, but you do need enough polygons to accurately realise the map.

Examples, anyone?

Message edited on: 05/19/2005 06:20