Normal maps questions

Support Materials and Textures
#1

Hey I have 2 questions:

  1. What’s the difference between this normal map:

http://img350.imageshack.us/img350/1706/stonewallbmo6.jpg

And this one?

http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/3120/stonewabbllrm4.jpg

I mean like what does the first one what the second doesn’t?

  1. It there any way to invert the first normal map?(so things that will invert will go out get it?)

Thanks in forward

Matt

#2

The first image is a normal map. A normal map uses colours r,g,b to displace in the different directions x,y,z. Blender has only recently included tangent space normal maps.

The second image is a bump map. It uses a greyscale image to give the appearance of a normal displacement. It is an illusion that is broken when looking parallel to the bump mapped surface.

GreyBeard