Alright, I'm sorry this might seem like a stupid question to lots of you, but i'm confused to no end. Isee all of these textures and mapping techniques being talked about: Parallax Mapping- i found this oneout Mip maps -i know what this is shadow maps -- wtf dynamic shadow maps --ok... normal maps -- yeah, but how to you USE it texture maps -- i'd shoot myself if i didn't know this one bump maps - yeah i got this one too etc,etc,etc But, i don't know how the hell to make or put most of these into use! Could someone please point me to a resource on "map-making" (for lack of a better term). For instance, normal mapping- i saw it was to define textures geometrically to be used generally with shadowing and to give it good depth. I looked around for some tutorials on how to implement a normal map and low and behold not a damn thing popped up, i looked mainly for java tutorials buteven when i looked around in c/C++ tuts the best thing i got was a: "you map it with the texture to" "ok, but how does it get read and implemented in the scene so it actually gives the object depth and shadowing" "umm... magic" "right.... so does this magic have a method call?" also when i asked HOW to make a normal map (with all the pretty blue red and green colors) they just said: "God you noobz0rz don't u knowz anything cuz im 13333333337" so i attempted a creation in photoshop out of the actual texture image... which turned out to do absolutely nothing. All i'm really asking for here is a link to tutorials or ANY valid info on the creation of these maps (like software please...) and how to implement them (like method calls/algorithms please...). And hey, if someone can explain how to implement these maps in java, you'll be the first person in existence that stated it on the internet, because i searched every frickin net engine. and that Dot3 bump map demo for java3d on the net is BS because it only works everyonce in a while and when it does no explanations are given on anything. So please. Just a little help.

First of all, you need to have a more wide view of what "maps" are.

Typically, a texture map was used to give colors to a dull, grey mesh.

dull mesh + color texture + light >> fixed funcion pipeline >> nice colored mesh

These days, all the complex calculations... transforms, lightning, etc, are done on a per vertex/pixel shader programs. These pieces of code have the hability to reinterpret "maps" and give them totally new uses, for example:

dull mesh + normal texture + light >> shader program with normalmap computation >> nice mesh with bumps

So, the important thing here is that, in order to use a certain type of "map" you need its corresponding shader program that has the hability to interpret the data contained in that map.

In other words... you can't just "enable normal mapping" and let it run.

My suggestion is that you go to http://developer.nvidia.com/page/home and check their demos, and specially all the technical papers they have, they have detailed explanation about a lot of things you've asked.

*Tears* Thank you. Thankyou thank you thank you. For the love of God someone just outright gives me a link to technical papers. That's all I ever wanted. I really appreciate it!!!!!!!