Bump/Displacement/Normal

SnapperTrx

So I'm messing around with Normal Maps (NM) and I have some previous models set up that have bump/displacement maps. I created some NMs for them, but now I am wondering, when using a NM do I also want to keep the bump/displacement maps? Does the NM remove the need for the other two? Thanks for any input.

Richard Haseltine

The normal map does much the same job as the bump map. It won't, unlike the displacement, create true changes in the geometry. Whether you want to keep the displacement separate from the normal/bump depends on how important the actual relief is.

mjc1016

Another thing that can be done is to adjust one (usually the normal map) so it is lacking in fine details...for a skin that would be the pores and fine lines. The use the bump map for the fine details, as it can be adjusted. Displacement maps are for the details you want to show up in a shadow...or cast a shadow.

Now if you were baking the normal maps from a high res model, I would probably just go with the normal map or displacement map