Hey guys, I just thought you might find something interesting. There is a 3D technique called normal maps. It basically is like projecting something to be 3D onto a flat 2D surface. it's kinda like how holograms can look fully 3D, but it's really flat on a simple flat surface. But it LOOKS 3D with alot more detail than a flat surface. Well, imagine that technique applied to your avatar. A fully detailed model, as detailed as the newest hotest video cutscene models, projected on your fairly low resolution Home Avatar. So it LOOKS like a cinematic gorgeous hi rez model. even though it's not. And the cpu doesn't choke like it would on a hi resolution render. that's what normal maps are. A texture on a surface that creates the illusion of depth. here's an example. Take a look at the white button snap. The white disk with a chrome attachment. Each snap is just two triangles with a texture painted on them. A flat image on a little square plane. But looke what happens when you use a normal map! [video=youtube;c4Bq5FlzWnw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4Bq5FlzWnw[/video] This is the same model. The same little square with a picture painted on it. But the normal map makes it work like 3D. the light swings around it and illuminates it just like a 3D model!! It takes very little computing power. But makes a ton of difference. Pretty cool, huh?
