you have good points... although the dual-layering method would work just fine with your above model, it's still a big hassel.

ere's an updated version. It's one material, two channels. the first channel controls the bump with TWO DTE textures, the first being the brick lines and the second being the extra bump noise. then there's the second procedural (DTE) texture, which just controls the color and can be replaced, changed, or whatever without changing your bump map.

again, if this is any closer let me know and i'll email it to you. as for a tutorial, i can sum it up by saying that the DTE seems like musgrave programmed it just for fun to force us to experiment! this texture uses a lot of filter-work to create the brick effect and to control the second channel there, so the "noise" doesn't overpower the brick-lines.
also, this one (being single-layered and with no transparency) renders much faster. under the previously-stated conditions (with a dozen other RAM-hog programs open) this scene rendered in just an hour, but I also turned off the light-dome in favor of three-point lighting to speed it up a bit, so from 64 lights = 3 hours to 3 lights = 1 hour it's still kinda slow... but after switching back from Maya, well... it's Bryce! gotta love it!

Message edited on: 02/07/2006 16:51