How well can Gamecube do bumpmapping?

[Tahir2]

Sorry I should have been more clearer!

 

[marconelly!]

I'm used to Bump-mapping in Maya and 3DS max where it actually deforms the model, which is probally why I dont notice..

Wait a sec - isn't that called Displacement map?

 

[randycat99]

I would like to enter into the record, that it seems to me that it really depends on the scale of the bumping where you could potentially substitute specularity and gloss maps to good effect. If the bumps are fairly small and shiny (such as that ice road) or perhaps a glittery rock, then that would seem to be a good candidate. At that point, you really can't discern the height of the bumps (especially if they are zooming by at speed), but you can see how they play on the light (essentially a bumpy specular effect). If the bumps are not shiny, then the bumpy effect is dramatically toned down (there's nothing for the light to play on), unless the bumps are fairly large or you are looking at them at very close proximity. At the other extreme, large bumps or intentional displacements would have to be done via genuine bumpmapping technique to properly exhibit the deformation of the textures (which would be visible at that point and remains as the primary cue in the absence of any specularity effect).

 

[CaptainHowdy]

I'm used to Bump-mapping in Maya and 3DS max where it actually deforms the model, which is probally why I dont notice..

Wait a sec - isn't that called Displacement map?

not that much, just to where it really looks like grooves, those shots look more like great textures than bump mapping, mainly because I havent seen what BM looks like in game enough to tell which is which.

 

[Simon F]

Interestingly it was the BB's that made this technology.

BB did not invent bump mapping, they did invent the a specific bumpmapping technique EMBM. I believe it was Jim Blinn who first suggested the idea.

ERP, You are 100% correct.

The landmark paper is Jim Blinn's "Simulation of Wrinkled Surfaces" which appeared in Computer Graphics (SIGGRAPH) in 1978. I think that's a little before BB's time

 

[MrSingh]

for those of you who are arguing about rallisport's surfaces, I don't care if it's a gloss map or real bump mapping.

the ice looks bumpy in game and looks GREAT in motion.

 

[randycat99]

for those of you who are arguing about rallisport's surfaces, I don't care if it's a gloss map or real bump mapping.

the ice looks bumpy in game and looks GREAT in motion.

Essentially, that is all that should matter to the end user.

 

[790]

Couple of points.

Halo's got bump maps on every surface, except for: Select ground terrain (not night level). Master Chief (he's just specular and a detail map), special effects (duh), and various foliage. Where cybamerc thought there was no bump mapping, it was just bump-mapping in a highly ambient environment, where it is less pronounced.

The ralisport ice surfaces are bump-mapped. The way to tell is that gloss maps have a fixed specular multiplier, so the surface appears to be completely matt in areas, regardless of viewer angle. You can clearly see the ralisport surfaces are completely washed out from above, yet have very pronounced variations from angles. Once you've used both methods you'd realise they are unmistakable.