3d textures with sub surface scattering?

#1

Is it possible to have a texture that looks like it’s 3 dimensionally in the skin somehow revealed through sub surface scattering? like veins and freckles?

#2

You mean something like this perhaps …

#3

Cool image.

I was kind of thinking like reverse bump maps where a vein under the skin would have a 3d relationship between the outer walls of the vein and the surface of the skin.

I don’t know if your image has that, but it might be more visible in a close up of someone’s face.

#4

mmmmm? I’m not sure if I completely understand, but you wouldn’t really see a vein as a 3d object submerged under a translucent skin … atleast not from a normal range. Maybe a close up, of a developing embryo, perhaps.

I did some SSS studies last year with a translucent effect:

Or you may be thinking of a true volumetric SSS such as OGO_Hikari’s LW shader. Unfortunately, m:s currently doesn’t support that type of SSS.

#5

To get a true volumetric effect, we could use a raymarcher in messiah. Any 3D texture can be used to define the volume’s structure. It should have subtle effects like light attenuation, self-shadowing and receiving cast shadows. It should also have some control for diffuse scattering, Anisotropy scattering within the volume and specular illumination.

Cheers,

#6

That Hikari shader looks very cool. Are the words a texture or a 3d object?

#7

It’s a 3d object - Click on the link above, Andy, you’ll see several very interesting images, one shows the text glowing, etc…

#8

Yes, those images are very cool.

Okay, let’s say you have a normal map (ala Doom 3), which basically creates a 3d shader from more complex geometry and allows you to use less geometry, but still have interactive shading on the 3 dimensionality of the texture. What if you could do something similar to the Hikari images by making a kind of inward normal mapping with sss?

#9

This might be what I’m talking about, but it’s over my head.

#10

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