I forgot how to specify White as no displacement, to black being maximum inward displacement.  I know it involves a math node but can I buggery remember what and how.

Also, can Poser 6 use Normal Maps and if so, how?  Billy-Home assures me it can but I can't figure out what I need to do.

Help greatly appreciated.

displacement - attach node

math node - math value -subtract

top value 1

bottom value 0.5

link top value to image map

displacement map should be neutral grey

hope that helps:)

neutral grey so that you can subtract with black and add with white. Leave image map plain grey for no displacement. Hope that helps

Sam asked not how to make mid gray = neutral, but rather white = neutral.

Answer:

Subtract 1.

Math:Subtract, Value_1 = 1<--yourMap, Value_2 = 1.

Quote - Also, can Poser 6 use Normal Maps and if so, how?  Billy-Home assures me it can but I can't figure out what I need to do.

Well, it can use them, just like a man with no arms can use a pair of gloves to keep his feet warm, but the outcome won't be what was intended by inventing gloves.

There is nothing in Poser 6 that will correctly re-create the normals specified in a normal map. However, if you plug one into the gradient bump channel, it will alter the render. Sometimes it sort of looks like what you wanted.

Thanks!

oops my bad:)

No worries, mate.  :)

That's what I said ST, you plug the normal map into the gradient bump channel, the only problem is you don't get the option to change how the map is used, in later versions you get 3 options below the Gradient Bump channel called Gradient mode, Gradient Bump, Normal map (Tangent space) and Normal Map (Object space), as bagginsbill said, it probably won't work quite as you expect in 6, since the normal map really needs to be set to Tangent space to work correctly, I can't remember which prog you use for your modeling, but if it's anything like LW or C4D, you can load the normal map in those and render it out, that'll give you a good idea how it'll look in the newer versions of Poser, there's always a slight difference because of how each prog sets the power on the map, but not much that'd make a big difference.

If need be mate, pass the model and map over and I'll do a test in P7/8 for you, send you back a render so you can see how it looks in both of them, PM me over at PDF if you need a hand

Billy

The reversing sometimes happens because there is no standard in normal maps as to whether more green is up or down. They all agree that green is up-down (Y component) but half of the 3D apps do the opposite of the other half.

I have posted how to flip the Y component in a Poser shader so it can use the other form, using Color_Math nodes. Need a link or can you figure it out?

lol I just posted a thread on what is a normal map? Can somebody please explain? What does it do? Why do all texture sets come without it?

Normal are one of several ways to create the illusion of detail in an otherwise low-poly model.

Wiki provides a good introduction.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_mapping

At the bottom are links to the other important/related detail-illusion techniques: texture, bump, parallax, and displacement mapping.

As to which is best, there is no answer. Depends on how much importance you place on different factors.

Displacement is the only one that actually changes the geometry, causing real protrusions that can be seen in profile and produce shadows falling not just on the object itself but other objects. It is also the slowest and most memory hungry technique. So is that best or worst? No single answer suffices.

Normal mapping is the only one that requires almost no computing resources, very low memory resources, works pretty well even with low-resolution maps, and requires no user-adjustment for accuracy. It is also incapable of real shape change, is not straightforward to adjust in strength, is unhelpful in providing data for height-based procedural shader effects, and doesn't produce any shadow or profile variation. So is that best or worst? No single answer here either.

As to why Poser models don't come with N-Maps; it is that only the most recent versions of Poser support it. Vendors avoid making products that only work with recent versions because it cuts down on sales. It is also harder to make N-Maps. You can't just draw them like you can bump maps. Tools like Z-Brush produce them for you but most vendors don't have that in their workflow.

cool thanks bb...:)

Excellent explanation bb, in most cases you'll find N-maps used on game models, the original models are very hi-poly, but those are not to much use in a game, so the hi-poly models are detailed up in progs like ZBrush or 3DCoat, then the model retopologised down to lo-poly models, using programs like, again, 3DCoat or TopoGun, but these programs transfer the hi-poly UVmapping from the original model to the lo-poly one and it's just the bump & normal maps that make these models look very similar to the original hi-poly ones, but without the high CPU/GPU processing needed to run them in a game

I've found Object Space normal maps work best on objects that aren't being animated, while Tangent Space normal maps work best on animated objects.