Comparison of Parallax and Relief Mapping
By: Joo-Won Kim
Supervisor: Chris Jagers
Masters of Interactive Technology degree conferred March 23, 2007
Thesis / Project completed: March 21st, 2007

This project demonstrates the difference between Relief and Parallax Mapping in real-time environments. Today’s video games demand higher graphics and better engine performance. The ability to match these requirements became a bottleneck until next generation technology became available. Normal, Parallax, and Relief Mapping helped bridge the gap in modern video games by mimicking high polygon geometry on model surfaces. This technology uses 2D maps to represent 3D surface details and makes a game appear more realistic.

To demonstrate this new and exciting technology, I chose 3dsmax as the application to model, unwrap, and export assets into the Quake 4 engine. Photoshop was used to create all of the textures, including diffuse, specular, normal and height maps. The Quake 4 level editor allowed me to bring models into the engine and set up ambient and positional lighting for my scene.

I chose the architecture of the Hagia Sophia to test the technology. I gathered enough information from reference books and internet sources, which allowed me to plan the interior scene. As I modeled and textured the interior of the Hagia Sophia, I realized how difficult it was for the architect to design and construct the building.

The Quake 4 parallax mapping mod gave better results than the relief mapping mod in the engine. The 3dsmax relief mapping plug-in provided better results in still renders and its ability to manipulate the surfaces of objects far surpassed that of the Quake 4 mod. Without an open-source game engine that is capable of providing effective in-game presentation of relief-mapping technology, this project concludes that relief mapping requires more processing power and is not ideal for current technology. Once the technology for game engines evolves, image-based modeling techniques such as relief mapping will replace current parallax and normal mapping technology.

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