2008

TIP Using a paint program such as Adobe Photoshop on a height map is possible,
but prone to error. The values in the height map depend on the shapes of both
the low-resolution and high-resolution models, and it's easy to damage the
mathematical accuracy. If you paint any changes onto the map, be careful to
preserve the faceted look, and avoid the temptation to blur away the facets. You
might try painting in Additive or Subtractive mode, to add to or subtract from the
displacement, because Normal mode will set a fixed displacement, making it
difficult for an artist to control the result.
Component Options (Selected Elements Unique Settings)
There are no unique settings for a height map.
Blend Map
A blend map is like a complete map, except that all its components, not just
shadows, are optional.
Component Options (Selected Elements Unique Settings)
For a blend map, you can choose not to render any of the following
components:
■ Lighting
■ Diffuse color
■ Specular color
■ Reflections
■ Shadows
■ Ambient color
■ Self-illumination color
■ Refractions
Alpha Map
An alpha map saves only the alpha channel of the rendered object.
Component Options (Selected Elements Unique Settings)
There are no unique settings for an alpha map.
6178 | Chapter 18 Rendering