parallax mapping ?

[birbidouille]

Hi all,
is there a way to use parallax mapping in 3dsmax with mental ray ?

[nisus]

Do you mean camera mapping?
If so, use the camera map modifier

rgds,

nisus

[birbidouille]

thanks for your answer. I was thinking about relief mapping (http://www.inf.ufrgs.br/~oliveira/RTM.html), some kind of pixel displacement mapping supporting self-shadows. It's also called relief mapping.

Here you can compare:
normal mapping: http://img386.imageshack.us/my.php?image=renderscenenormal5vo.jpg
and same scene with relief mapping:
http://img386.imageshack.us/my.php?image=renderscenerelief1iw.jpg

There is a free relief mapping plugin available for 3dsmax (called "relief mapping 1.0" and working with scanline) but I can't find an equivalent working with mental ray in 3dsmax 9.

Any idea ?

[nisus]

Hi,

I wonder if the displacement is what you are looking for... I've never heard of relief mapping, but the results look similair (especially in the stone floor)

Anyway, if you are talking about the displacement, add a 'bump' map in the displacement slot of the A+D material.

Be sure to check the displcament checkbox in the render/common tab.

rgds,

nisus

[birbidouille]

thanks nisus for your reply. The technique used in the pictures referenced above isn't displacement mapping but it looks like displacement mapping that's the point. Geometry isn't tesselated at all, it's just a texture effect.
Title of my thread is not a good description, in fact parallax mapping is sometimes called: virtual displcement mapping, relief mapping or Offset Normal Mapping.

here you can find some informations about this technique:
http://fabio.policarpo.nom.br/relief/index.htm
http://www.bencloward.com/shaders_offset.shtml

Is it possible to do that in mental ray ?

[nisus]

Hi,

Sure normal mapping is possible... Use a normal map in the bump slot and add the normal map texture ,-)

nisus

[mentalsand]

Errr...nisus, there's a BIG visual difference between the 2 pics above. Relief mapping seems way more superior and as mentioned by poster above, seems more like a virtual displacement than a super-bump effect like normal mapping. And it seems to be supported by vray but SPECIFICALLY mentioned that it does not support mentalray (to date AFAIK). Pity...

[nisus]

Hi All,

I wonder if the displacement is what you are looking for... I've never heard of relief mapping, but the results look similair (especially in the stone floor)


I meant the results of the relief mapping look similair to a displacement mapping, not that the two images look similair. ;-)

rgds,

nisus

[Spacelord]

Yes there is, I haven't tried it so I have no idea if it works.
http://www.shaders.moederogall.com/ (scroll down a bit)
Search maxplugins for Parallax and you'll find the 3dsmax includes
http://maxplugins.de/mentalray.php