Displacement, Mike Inspired

[ODdOnLifeItself]

From looking at Mike's examples from ZBrush ($700), I wanted to try a thing or two with Blender's (Free) ability to use an image as a Displacement...

This one looks like, with slight modifications, Frances could make it into the inner part of some exotic flower... or it could be made much softer and maybe become a ball of yarn, or a cat toy!, etc.



By the way, this was made actually from an image of a cobblestone but with exaggerated displacement.

Here is the same Displacement image, but with higher displacement value and inverted. (ie. the high points from the previous are low points in this one...) [This is easily accomplished by merely making the Displacement value negative]



Small levels of Displacement with a hi-res image can make for very textured surfaces that are actually changes in the surface geometry (ie. shadows follow this new surface) as opposed to bump mapping which only simulates geometry change and doesn't cast accurate shadows. In other words, if you add a Displacement to a sphere it casts shadows following the surface that the Displacement created. Adding bump mapping to a sphere casts the same shadow as the original sphere.

So, what's the trade-off? The Displacement one, because it actually modifies the geometry, needs a well sub-divided object to do its work, so you will have a high-poly object. The Bump mapped one can stay low-poly. The user decides the level of detail that is necessary, and can work accordingly...

James

[ODdOnLifeItself]

Here is the cobblestone used above...



James

[angelize]

Cool, so how do you do that in Blender?

[ODdOnLifeItself]

Good question, Frances and it is SO EASY.

The same way that you map an image to an object by the Color setting, the Displacement setting (down to the right from Color) makes the image control how far the surface is displaced.

Pretend you were mapping an image and unclick Color, click Displacement and start with SUPER LOW VALUES until you are getting what you're going after...

This one has many uses and has the advantage that the shadowing and objects behind this displaced object look right.

If you bump map a sphere, there is a texture, but if you look at the side edge of the sphere, you will see it is exactly still a sphere, nothing really sticks out, so to speak. With the Displacement, it does stick out because the sphere is actually changed geometry.

The one thing that is really important is that the original object must be well subdivided. It will only displace the actual geometry and it needs lots and lots of faces to be able to "follow" the ups and downs indicated in the mapped graphic.

Try it... there are lots of uses...

James

[angelize]

This is fun not quite sure what to call it though

[ODdOnLifeItself]

It looks like an ice crystal magnified...or that's my guess...

James