Re: Using Normal Map as a Displacement Map

[Raffaele Fragapane <jaco(at)thejaco.com>]

generating a normals map from an elevation map (like bump or 
displacement) is trivial, as all you need to do is to recalculate the 
normals based on the elevation at the texel.

I could be wrong about this, but I believe the other way around however 
is A LOT harder, as you'd have to, in simple words, to keep trying 
different solutions until you can figure out what elevations would 
re-orient the normals so that it matches the normals map.
Unless there's some algorithmic solution in some siggy paper I ignore, 
is seems one of those situations where you deal with an integration 
problem (and eventually even worse, a minimization one) of undefined order.

******************************
|     Raffaele Fragapane       |
|     Rising Sun Pictures      |
| "Remember, TD is for TopDog" |
******************************



Brinkley, Marc wrote:

> Yeah that's the problem, all I have is the normal map and nothing 
> else. All I really need is to displace an object with a normal map to 
> create the depth/displacement map.
> Sorta the opposite of using a displacement map to generate the normal 
> map, which BTW works nicely with Ultimapper. Almost like I need to 
> have Ultimapper obey Bump Map or something like that.
> Thanks
>
> Marc Brinkley - EA | Chicago
> mbrinkley [at] ea.com
> 847.884.2000 x118
> "Error: The operation completed successfully"
>
>
>     ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>     *From:* owner-xsi(at)Softimage.COM [mailto:owner-xsi(at)Softimage.COM]
>     *On Behalf Of *Per Edwards
>     *Sent:* Tuesday, October 04, 2005 8:34 PM
>     *To:* XSI(at)Softimage.COM
>     *Subject:* Re: Using Normal Map as a Displacement Map
>
>         Hey all,
>
>         Here's one that I am bumping my head against.
>
>         v5 BTW
>
>         I have a normal map that is piped into the new XSINormalMap
>         node in the rendertree. The XSINormalMap node is hooked into
>         the Bump Map on the material. Renders just fine..actually,
>         really nice.
>
>         I would like to be able to use the Normal Map as displacement
>         instead of bump. Any thoughts? I don't use the RT that much so
>         shading trickery is not my gig.
>
>         I am really trying to find a way to convert a normal map into
>         a displacement map and I was hoping to use the XSINormalMap
>         node and some RenderMap/Ultimate magic to pull it off. But I
>         am not getting what I want…or at least I am not seeing a way
>         as Ultimap does not obey bump map.
>
>         Eh?
>
>
>     Normal map data is stored as normals, i.e. It has no length value.
>     In theory you could walk the map and calculate a heightmap from
>     that, but it would be a hell of a lot slower than using a correct
>     dispalcement map to start out with. Whatever you used to generate
>     your normal map should be able to generate a displacement map for
>     you at the same time.
>
>     per 
>
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