Small repeating ridges and bumps

Support Modeling
1

http://schtals.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/screen-shot-2012-01-22-at-9-20-05-pm.png

Hi, im looking for a quick way to add patterned ridges and bumps to certain areas in the model. What should I look for?

2

Generally, in that order:

UVUnwrap
Sculpt
Baking - Bumpmap or Normalmap

Alternatively draw a bumpmap directly in texturepaint.

Is it intended to be a highpoly model or a realtime model?

3

It depends on what kind of ridges. Bigger ones I’d recommend you apply your subsurf and model directly. Medium ones I’d go for a baked normal map (not if you’re using cycles of course). Small ones I’d do with a small repeating bump texture plus a mask so you can control where they appear.