How to combine Multiple Displacement maps

[stevejjd]

Hi all

I am trying to follow the texturing XYZ tutorial here https://texturing.xyz/pages/non-dest...turingxyz-maps

Im using 3ds max and VRay and I dont know how to combine multiple displacemet maps.

Can anyone help me understand how to mimic the workflow?

I have seen this workflow here but its in Maya http://artofbeat.com/azogs-bane/

I have also seen multiple displacement maps combined with the Digital Emily Data set http://gl.ict.usc.edu/Research/DigitalEmily2/

Can anyone explain the displacement network?


Thank you
Steve ~

[davision]

Hi Steve, I doubt I can help -- but you might get better feedback if you describe exactly what you are trying to do . The nodal image you included doesn't explain much especially because the images are so dark. I'd recommend you describe the different types of displacemement maps you want to combine and what effect you are trying to create.

[stevejjd]

It's a screen shot of the digital Emily displacement map
sorry I should have labeled it

im trying to understand how and why they set it up that way and if anyone knows how to set up combining multiple displacement maps

ypu can download the digital E data set using the link if you want to see it perfectly

[davision]

You probably know more about this than me but I would think it would be like combining bump maps or even diffuse maps which is something that I do often with the composite map.

For instance if you have a macro displacement for coarse details -- that would be your base layer. Then you would add a micro displacement map on top of that probably at a lower opacity and set to multiply mode so that pits would be deeper as the micro texture is overlaid on the macro texture. You would probably turn down the opacity of the micro layer significantly so when it merged with the macro displacement, the macro would be stronger.

If the macro has pure black in it -- then you wouldn't use multiply for the micro since the micro's dark shades would be obliterated in the black. I'd need to see the textures clearly to know the best way to blend them. Could be screen or some other mode I suppose. You could even add a base VrayColor (at white) as the base layer... and then use multiply for the macro and micro textures on top of that -- and play with their opacities.

I'm totally just guessing at what I would do -- I don't know exactly what those textures are -- and I don't know much about the Emily project so I'm just offering ideas from theory not practice.