PDA

View Full Version : What is Bump-Mapping?


samslophead
03-03-2002, 09:49 PM
What exactly is bump-mapping?
Msterrrr
03-03-2002, 10:00 PM
good question i'd like to know that too
JimmieDoogan
03-03-2002, 10:04 PM
An effect that allows a TEXTURE to appear 3D when actually no polygons are being used to make it LOOK 3D. The way the snow in Halo looks, or the ICE, how it has cuts and little tiny craters in it. Stuff like that. Also, stuff like the veins on the players in NFL Fever. Munch uses it on the water textures (not to mention a whole lotta other stuff). I don't know what the TECHNICAL explination would be, but thats how I would sum it up.
Highlite23
03-03-2002, 10:08 PM
Originally posted by JimmieDoogan
An effect that allows a TEXTURE to appear 3D when actually no polygons are being used to make it LOOK 3D. The way the snow in Halo looks, or the ICE, how it has cuts and little tiny craters in it. Stuff like that. Also, stuff like the veins on the players in NFL Fever. Munch uses it on the water textures (not to mention a whole lotta other stuff). I don't know what the TECHNICAL explination would be, but thats how I would sum it up.

That's an A+ in my book Jimmie !!!!
Dre
03-03-2002, 10:48 PM
Bump Mapping is a technique to give an object more detail without adding more polygons. It's a way of simulating small bumps on the surface by changing the way the light effects are calculated. A bump will usually have one side that is bright from a light source while the other side is dark because it is on the shadow side. Bump Mapping modifies the light calculations to make this happen. So it's important to know that Bump Mapping does not change the surface of the object it only changes the way light is reflected by the surface.

A somewhat more technical explanation... I got this off some web page.

Lates,
Dre
techie
03-03-2002, 10:49 PM
The over-simplified explanation would be its a way of manipulating light and shadow to make something appear to have texture, or high and low spots due to the amount of light or dark areas displayed. In other words, the lighter something appears is due to it being closer to the source of light, this gives the illusion of height. The darker something appears in a lighted area is supposed to be due to it being further away from the light; this gives the illusion of depth.

Here is a link to a more technical explanation:

http://www.pvr-net.com/hardware/bump/BumpMain.html
techie
03-03-2002, 10:53 PM
Hey Dre,

Looks as though great minds do think alike, but you posted quicker!
samslophead
03-04-2002, 12:29 AM
thanks for the replies guys