Adventures across the 3rd dimension

Yes, I prefer the symmetric ones too.

I think I really should redo the scrolls with more vertices... I looked at the in game ones and they're obviously five sided, but it does look kind of crappy. Not sure if I should adjust anything else as well, while I'm at it? Speak now or forever hold your peace  
(Yes the shelves overlap slightly - they're not meant to be placed right next to each other... they're just meant to be three different options of the same thing...)

 

 

I think I should move the scrolls back up (and vases down) on the last shelf...

Edit: Done, and I tried making a rounder scroll but to be honest it didn't look that much better (it's too simple to look great anyway), so perhaps it's better it just matches the vanilla ones...

I don't use normal maps very much (I usually do bump and displacement) but I've just found out that on the odd occasions that I do use them I have been using them wrong.

Valence wrote:

I don't use normal maps very much (I usually do bump and displacement) but I've just found out that on the odd occasions that I do use them I have been using them wrong.

So you've been using abnormal maps 

Yes.
That's not just a punchline, it's an accurate description.
Blender wants the OpenGL maps not the DirectX maps (apparently the green channel gets flipped) and there's a Normal Map node you should use instead of the Bump node.
Never mind.
Part of me wonders if I've learned this before and just forgotten. I'm sure I'll forget again.

Meanwhile the latest problem is that the displacement in Cycles makes the rock look very realistic but destroys all that sculpted detail. Using only bump/normals instead makes the fossil reappear but you lose all the little cracks and details in the rock.

I wonder if I could mask the displacement with another vertex colour map.
And I still don't know what to do for the final render other than a floating rock with a fairy on it.

Valence wrote:

I wonder if I could mask the displacement with another vertex colour map.


 

Just had an idea that maybe I should expand the edges of the rock away from the fossil. Of course I can't change any topology now but I could use the adaptive subdivision to fill in the necessary detail.
So I clicked the Add Subdivision Modifier and...
Well, that was a while ago now and I'm still waiting for Blender to get back to me. I don't think the answer is gonna be a good one.
High-Poly Dynamic Topology and Subdivision Modifiers never work well together.